Versa not syncing even after all the troubleshooting steps and other issues

[a1994nell]

I have been having quite a few problems so this is a long post! I got my Fitbit Versa about a month ago and I have an Android v8.1.0. I installed the app, set up my fitbit and everything was great. I didn't receive any notifications yet but I figured I still needed to update that setting but never got around to it. My exercises were being tracked and everything was syncing so I was happy.

I then went 4 days without syncing, I went onto the app and tried to sync but after 2 hours of not syncing I figured there was a problem. I did all the trouble shooting steps of uninstalling the app, turning bluetooth on and off, resetting the versa but still no luck.

I then did the factory reset option and went through the device set up via the app. At first I had some issues doing the set up as my device wouldn't locate the versa but I sorted that out by doing 'forget device' at my bluetooth setting. During the 'download' step it would reach 100% download on my phone and the blue screen on the versa would reach about 3/4 of the screen and then all of a sudden a red cross would appear. But on my phone it would proceed to the 'installing' step and on the versa the green screen would appear and the versa would work. I then decided to do a factory reset again because the red cross tells me that the versa wasn't set up correctly. The same thing happened. Strangely my versa started working fine. I was receiving notifications, but only when I was in the fitbit app, and it was syncing fine for about 1 day, but not over wifi only over mobile data. But now again it does not sync and I don't get any notifications. I don't have any other devices linked to my bluetooth so it can't be a bluetooth problem. I keep getting a message on my app that says 'link your tracker to the fitbit app' but then doesn't given me any options to link it. 

I also have a problem with the other apps, for example the Strava app. Before all the syncing issues happened I logged onto the strava app via the fitbit app but on my versa it still said 'link account'. After all the syncing issues, it doesn't even allow my to select the strava login option so that I can link my account. Another issue is that if I go to the 'about' section on my versa and try to link my wifi it doesn't allow me to select that option.

So problems are:

1) Apparently my versa and app are not linked

2) Versa is not syncing

3) Not receiving notifications

4) Apps such as Strava not working

5) Versa not linked to my wifi

I really don't want to do factory reset every time the syncing doesn't work. Any help?

[JuanJoFitbit]

@a1994nell Welcome to our Fitbit Community! I'm sorry about the experience you've had with your Charge 3 since it stops syncing constantly. I appreciate the time spent in troubleshooting this issue before contacting our forums.

I would like to follow up and would like to know what is your phone's model. This will help me to assist you accordingly.

Looking forward to your response! 

[a1994nell]

Hello. I have a Huawei Mate 20 Lite. And I have a Fitbit Versa, not the Charge 3.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@a1994nell Thank you for getting back and I apologize for the confusion about the tracker you have. Unluckily, the Huawei Mate 20 Lite is not in the supported devices list. There are times that the features work with non-supported devices. However, we don't guarantee that they're all gonna work (syncing, notifications, etc).

I'd like you to vote for this Feature Suggestion, which requests to have this phone model added to the supported devices list.

I appreciate your understanding and patience with this. Let me know if you have any doubts! 

[TatiLitzow]

Hi JuanJo, 

My summary of issues is very much like what the previous user described. I bought my versa around the 12th of December 2018 and have also done all those steps to reset it except I have not been successful once. 

I have an oppo f1 phone and Android 5.1.1

It is very dissaponting and frustrating I must admit! It wasn't too bad before the last firmware update. But it has been a nightmare ever since. I have 4 days of excercises that I logged on the watch and they are nowhere to be seen...not even on the watch itself. Past not logging my exercises, it is not syncing at all as per previous user.

[TatiLitzow]

I also run the app on my husband's phone which is an apple and it doesn't sync with that one either.

[Marrrmaduke]

@a1994nell First let's try restoring your BT connection with Versa. If the below procedure does not work, you might need factory reset your Versa again:

1. Unpair (remove) Versa from your phone's bluetooth settings
2. Uninstall the Fitbit mobile app
3. Reboot your phone and install Fitbit mobile app. Do not pair in phone's bluetooth settings
4. Reboot your Versa by pressing and holding the left and bottom right buttons until Fitbit logo flashes
5. Login to Fitbit mobile app
6. Grant all permissions and sync.
7. Set up notifications

The trick here is to not pair in phone Bluetooth settings but rather let the Fitbit mobile app do that. If the problem persists, I recommend downgrading Fitbit mobile app to 2.74.2. I find it to be the most stable build for me, but I would downgrade as a last resort. Huawei is known for killing background services and apps, so first thing to do is to make sure Fitbit app is exempted from that. Please take a look at this video for additional info.

Regarding Strava and other apps. After you re-establish the connection and Versa syncs successfully, uninstall and re-install problematic apps. That should resolve the issue. 

Regarding WiFi, once Versa syncs again, I recommend removing the network from your Fitbit mobile app and syncing Versa again to remove the WiFi from the tracker. I noticed it causes issues with BT connection. I set up WiFI only when upgrading the firmware or uploading the music, then immediately delete it

A few additional notes on notifications:

1. Make sure All-day sync, Always Connected and Keep Alive Widget are enabled in the Fitbit mobile app. Make sure to sync after enabling them.
2. Make sure the notifications are ON on your Versa. Press and hold the left button to access quick menu. Turn the notifications to ON.
3. In the Fitbit mobile app, make sure you enabled the notifications and that Fitbit notification service is enabled in your phone settings. It needs to be ON. 
4. If your phone is in DND or silent mode, make sure Always vibrate option is enabled in your Fitbit mobile app. Also, it's always a good idea to toggle on/off notifications in the Fitbit mobile app with sync in-between.
5. Make sure that any app you would like to receive notifications for on your Versa has the push notifications priority set to at least HIGH (this can be done in the Android settings>Notifications). Please see my post here for more info.

@TatiLitzow Please attempt the procedure from the first part of this post. Please make sure your husband's iphone's BT is off and that you removed your Versa from the Paired Devices list in the Bluetooth Settings on his iphone. Also, if you have any other paired bluetooth devices linked with your phone, please unpair/remove/forget them from the Paired Devices list in your phone's bluetooth settings.

[a1994nell]

Hi @Marrrmaduke. Thank you for the reply but I have already tried those steps multiple times. I emailed the Fitbit support directly and they informed me that the reason for my issues is that the Huawei mate 20 lite is not compatible with the fit bit app. So there is no solution until the Fitbit team makes the app compatible for the new Huawei phones!

In the meantime I am syncing my fitbit versa with my old iPhone on a weekly basis just so that I can track my exercises etc. It is unfortunate that I can't use the 'smart features' of my fitbit yet due to the phone compatibility issue. Hopefully the fitbit team can sort this out soon!

[Marrrmaduke]

@a1994nell Good that you have a back-up phone! I hoped we would be able to at least restore sync and apps if not notifications! 

[TatiLitzow]

Thanks @Marrrmaduke. I have given your process ago and failed. However I just found out I had missed part of the message where I need to deal with my husband's phone as well. Excuse the ignorance but...what is a BT? when you say for example ''ake sure your husband's iphone's BT is off"...?

[Dammedifiknow]

BT = Bluetooth.

[Marrrmaduke]

@TatiLitzow bluetooth. 🙂

[lenny4d]

@a1994nell"I emailed the Fitbit support directly and they informed me that the reason for my issues is that the Huawei mate 20 lite is not compatible with the fit bit app. So there is no solution until the Fitbit team makes the app compatible for the new Huawei phones!" --- well, well : you also wrote that "everything was great. [...] My exercises were being tracked and everything was syncing so I was happy."

In reality, syncing was working fine until one day it wasn't anymore. Which happened to be after a long period of having not sync'ed (which is not an issue, btw).

You also wrote : "and it was syncing fine for about 1 day, but not over wifi only over mobile data. " -- No idea what you mean by this, as the connection between mobile device and tracker is via bluetooth, so neither wifi not mobile data makes sense in your sentence.

You also wrote: "I keep getting a message on my app that says 'link your tracker to the fitbit app' " -- I don't know where and when you get that message, in the mobile fitbit app? Do you get it always, or only when it tries to sync?

In my experience, when people have syncing problems they do all kinds of things that make the problem worse, rather than less. Now it sounds like a total mess, between the Versa and the Huawei 🙂 Reading your first message, it looks like that you have already problems in installing the firmware after a hard reset. That's not good in itself.

Here is what I suggest:

- go to settings on your versa then to 'about' and report back what version it says

- check in your mobile app (the one on the Huawei), on the versa page, check that it says the same version

- open your bluetooth menu and report if the Versa is paired (it doesn't matter if it is not)

- if you press the manual sync button on the versa page in the mobile app, does it terminate more or less immediately, or is it spinning for a long time and then gives up or do you get an error message (the one you mentioned?).

- Make sure that you are FAR away from PC's and your Wifi router, they interfere

If there is something different in the version numbers you may need to do another factory reset, but otherwise don't!

If you get the error message (can't link tracker), you may need to do the following:

- uninstall the fitbit app on both devices, on fitbit.com remove the versa from your account. Remove the Versa from the bluetooth menu if it is there.

- On the Huawei, reinstall the mobile fitbit app, log in, select add tracker, select Versa, and follow the instructions, step by step. Make sure the Versa is in the charger! (even if it is full) If something goes wrong or you get an error message, report back here. When setting up wifi, make sure that the Huawei and the tracker use the same 2.4Ghz wifi network! Let's see how it goes.

- if you get stuck, you can always do the same again on the iPhone and be back where you left.

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