Versa Music via Bluetooth keeps disconnecting

[borderlineblue]

My Samsung Galaxy S8 won't stay connected to my Fitbit Versa using Music via Bluetooth. Although I'm still able to receive notifications, I find it rather inconvenient as I use my Versa to unlock my phone via smart lock.

After pairing, the settings will return to off after five minutes, disconnecting my phone. I have to reconnect to my Fitbit every 5 minutes which is really unsettling.

Wish I could return this product but I've exceeded the 45 day return policy sigh.

[Rich_Laue]

Are you listening to the music from the phone through a Bluetooth speaker or headphone.

We have noticed a problem with the control of music with OS 2.1 and Bluetooth headphones connected to the phone. 

[borderlineblue]

Through the phone

[Sam_ott]

This keeps happening with my Samsung S9. I connect my FitBit Versa to my Bluetooth on my phone, but then after a little while the Bluetooth setting on my phone goes from "Pair" to "Off" without me changing anything. Not sure how to stop this from happening...

[Rich_Laue]

I'm not sure why your phone is turning Bluetooth Off, it should be switching to On. @Sam_ott this sounds more of an issue with the phones OS. 

What is it that you are trying to pair with the phone? 

[Sam_ott]

It is not my phone bluetooth that is turning off. It is my FitBit Versa Lite. In the settings > Bluetooth on my FitBit it keeps going from 'Pair' to 'Off'. In order for me to connect, I have to go in and turn it to Pair before my phone can connect.

[Rich_Laue]

Sorry your post specifically mentioned that the Bluetooth on my phone goes from pair to off. 

Your Versa Classic Bluetooth should never be kept in its pair mode. This mode is only for setting up the Versa Classic to a phone. 

Once setup the user will want to switch the mode to on. 

Does the Versa Classic show as being connected in your phones Bluetooth menu. 

[Sam_ott]

My apologies for the original typo in my post.

On my FitBit Versa, the bluetooth options are pair - off - on

- I change FitBit bluetooth to "pair"

- my phone connects

- in order to change my FitBit bluetooth to 'on', i have to first turn it 'off'

- my phone disconnects

- bluetooth on my FitBit is now 'on' but nothing is connected

The Versa Classic shows in my list of paired devices on my phone, however it is not connected unless the Versa Classic is in pairing mode.

[Rich_Laue]

  Normally when turn in a Bluetooth device on, the phone should detect it and allow the connection. 

Have you checked the music setting on the Versa to make sure it is set to control the phone and not the internal player? 

Seeing that the Versa connects as an input controller like a keyboard, 

The Versa may not try to connect to the phone until the user starts up the remote control by holding in the Left button and possibly swiping left. 

There really is no need to make a connection until the user is asking to control a music player on the phone. 

[EarlXin]

I have the exact same problem with my OnePlus 5 phone. It started after the last firmware update on my Versa. Had no problems previously. Now will disconnect just like you, every 5 min or so. I can't even reestablish a Bluetooth connection from my Bluetooth settings on my phone. Instead I have to go to "previously connected devices" forget "versa classic" and re-pair, only for the same problem to happen again in a 10 or so minutes. I am hoping that Fitbit recognizes this is an issue cause by its firmware and offers a bug fix update soon. I have found no workable solutions thus far. 

[Sam_ott]

My fitbit will only connect via bluetooth when there is music playing from an app on my phone. Perhaps that is part of your problem. Every time I want to pair my phone, I have (1) go into settings on my fitbit, change the bluetooth setting to "Pair", (2) go in the bluetooth settings on my phone, pair with Versa Lite Classic (3) change the bluetooth setting on my fitbit to "On", (3) re-pair from my phone. Then it will stay connected as long as there is music playing.

[stubee]

MIne disconnects even when music is playing.  I just ran a test and the Bluetooth Versa(Classic) disconnected within 2 minutes on my Pixel3.

Here is a log snippet from the Android Device, showing it voiding the connection.  Not sure if this is an Android bug, or a Fitbit bug.  Since people seem to be stating this is happening more frequently since the firmware update, I'm assuming fitbit.

11-01 09:32:25.962 D AvrcpTargetJni: getCurrentPlayStatus
11-01 09:32:25.962 D AvrcpNativeInterface: getPlayStatus
11-01 09:32:26.026 I bt_stack: [INFO:btsnoop.cc(323)] clear_l2cap_whitelist: Clearing whitelist from l2cap channel. conn_handle=10 cid=77:67
11-01 09:32:26.027 I bt_stack: [INFO:connection_handler.cc(304)] void bluetooth::avrcp::ConnectionHandler::AcceptorControlCb(uint8_t, uint8_t, uint16_t, const RawAddress *): handle=0x01 result=000000 addr=f9:67:c3:c0:4b:ec
11-01 09:32:26.027 I bt_stack: [INFO:connection_handler.cc(354)] void bluetooth::avrcp::ConnectionHandler::AcceptorControlCb(uint8_t, uint8_t, uint16_t, const RawAddress *): Connection Closed Event
11-01 09:32:26.027 I bt_stack: [INFO:device.cc(1403)] f9:67:c3:c0:4b:ec : Device was disconnected
11-01 09:32:26.027 D AvrcpTargetJni: volumeDeviceDisconnected
11-01 09:32:26.028 D AvrcpNativeInterface: deviceDisconnected: device=F9:67:C3:C0:4B:EC
11-01 09:32:26.028 I AvrcpTargetService: deviceDisconnected: device=F9:67:C3:C0:4B:EC
11-01 09:32:26.028 D AvrcpVolumeManager: deviceDisconnected: device=F9:67:C3:C0:4B:EC
11-01 09:32:26.028 I bt_stack: [INFO:btsnoop.cc(323)] clear_l2cap_whitelist: Clearing whitelist from l2cap channel. conn_handle=10 cid=66:73
11-01 09:32:26.030 I bt_stack: [INFO:btsnoop.cc(323)] clear_l2cap_whitelist: Clearing whitelist from l2cap channel. conn_handle=10 cid=71:74
11-01 09:32:26.030 W bt_btif : bta_hh_co_close: dev_handle = 0, app_id = 4
11-01 09:32:26.030 W bt_btif : bta_hh_co_close: Found an existing device with the same handle dev_status = 0, dev_handle =0
11-01 09:32:26.081 I EventHub: Removing device Versa (Classic) due to epoll hang-up event.
11-01 09:32:26.081 I EventHub: Removed device: path=/dev/input/event4 name=Versa (Classic) id=10 fd=287 classes=0x80000001
11-01 09:32:26.081 D BluetoothHidHostService: Connection state F9:67:C3:C0:4B:EC: 2->0
11-01 09:32:26.083 I InputReader: Device removed: id=10, name='Versa (Classic)', sources=0x00000101

[Rich_Laue]

As mentioned in other places, all models that run the latest Fitbit OS developed these symptoms of not keeping the classic paired. 

I'm not sure if iOS is affected since this uses the BTLE 

[stubee]

Thanks Rich....

Question:  Is there a 'known issue' section somewhere, that would help us finding such things and not be repetitive?

Maybe a sticky could be developed in each forum category.

[Firstdown]

It's a bug I stuggled with this for a while.

Turn BT off on phone.

Go to Bluetooth on watch and put in pairing mode.

Then go back to phone and turn BT back on.

Here's the tricky part....

Once you connect to versa on your phone.....the second it connects, you have to have your watch and quickly click the BT twice from pairing .. to off .  to on 

Tried it a bunch of times, and you have about 1 second to do it once paired. If you leave it in pairing mode it will eventually just disconnect.

[Pepelepue68]

Thank you so much @Firstdown 

I have been struggling with the bluetooth connection for a few weeks now untill I came across your solution and it worked! Took me a few goes but I got there eventually!  👍🏾 

[dogsledracer]

Mine does the same thing. I have Versa Lite with an LG G5 phone. The problem started a few weeks ago. Firmware froze up on my original Versa Lite so Fitbit sent a new one. (I was still in warranty from the new purchase in July after my Blaze battery died.) But now, the Bluetooth on Music via Bluetooth will switch itself from "Pair" to "off" and it unpairs from the phone and won't sync. This is absolutely annoying, and I'm really getting sick of dealing with this issue. Fitbit needs to get this issue fixed already.

[Johnmcn]

Nice suggestion!

just tried it, fingers crossed. 

Wouldn't it make more sense for the the cycle of buttons be Pair->On->Off?  

I feel like that's how it was before the recent update.  That's when this problem started for me. Prior to that smart unlock worked pretty well, and I could launch a recent podcast with the left button.

I thought it might have been a power saving technique. 

[EarlXin]

The problem also only started for me after the last firmware update.

[dogsledracer]

My new one is doing similar things. Last night I had to completely uninstall the new tracker, and reinstall, which would not work until I was on my home wifi. And it took forever. I just checked, I can't get it to sync from the app when I open the app myself and try to sync.