Allow Offline syncing / Store data locally

I think you should be able to sync with your phone and then upload data at a later date. Let us store data locally so that an internet connection is not required to see current stats.

 

Moderator Edit: Added Labels

646 Comments
Spiel496
Stepping Up
I don't think storage space was ever the concern. It's just easier an easier system to manage if everything talks to the server at Fitbit.com. The tracker sends data to server and gets settings from the sever; the phone app talks to the server.

But they need to change this. It is counterintuitive to the user. When something doesn't work right, it can be very confusing to debug. It would be like your earphones depending on your internet connection.
Gavlarr80
Jogger
I work in the submarine service and find myself away for very long periods without data or wifi, an offline function would be great to later upload all data collected when connected to the Internet.
Dunkin78
First Steps
I also was prior submarines and retired in 2001. I am a merchant seaman now and am experiencing the same situation you have. What I don't understand is that they don't really tell you about the wifi until you experience it yourself. If the watch was about 50 bucks I would just search for a brand that allows offline syncing. Fitbit has known about this for about 4 years and have still done nothing. I doubt they will unless a lot more people complain or it hurts their sales.

Regards
James J. Jenkins
Gavlarr80
Jogger
Yes, I fully agree something needs to be addressed. I had the flex and that was purely BT syncing, so the feature exists. There's at least 5 other people on my submarine alone with the blaze. I believe the surge has the same problem. Along with the offline syncing A feature allowing to update the time without being connected would be helpful also.

Sent from my iPhone
adamschuetze
First Steps
It is really bad that I can't set a new alarm without Internet and location connection. I travel a lot for work and am often needing to set alams on airplanes.

The app should ignore lack of network connection, and sync watch to phone. Maybe display a message to indicate that the sync was local only?

As is, this is a deal breaker. I will probably have to sell my charge hr and get something else.
drafir
First Steps

Come on Fitbit developers, clearly the people have spoken and want to be able to sync offline for various reasons. This thread has been open since 2015.....?????? It would not be hard to implement an option for offline syncing. What is the delay????? I must admit something does not smelll right here.

Lennynz
First Steps

Time to think about an Apple Watch, maybe?

I'm about to head down to the sub-Antarctic for a month (> 30 days), so there goes any awesome data I might have been able to gather.

As an Electronics and Software Engineer, to me this is not a difficult thing for Fitbit to do.

It's a simple matter of allowing their iPhone/Andriod app to store data locally on the phone, and then to sync the whole lot when it has an internet connection.

Not hard Fitbit, come on!

 

Niphery
First Steps
Same as previously said. I would like to sync my Fitbit anytime. Even when I don't have an Internet connection. You can sync with your server once I get internet back.
But not being able to add alarms, or see my daily datas isn't really acceptable.
I had a fuelband before and I could sync whenever I wanted to.
JFF
First Steps

People have been asking for this for 2.5 years.  It would appear unlikely that fitbit will take any action on it.

Gavlarr80
Jogger
As lennynz said I think it's time for an Apple Watch. If people have been complaining about this problem for years and FITBIT developers are not doing anything about it, they clearly don't listen to the people.
KellyJoh
Jogger
There is no intrinsic need to have internet access to sync a tracker to a phone. The data has to go by Bluetooth to the phone and phone app first. Then it goes too the web for offline storage which can be done latest when an Internet connection is available. For those without Internet at all at times this makes the device little better than a pedometer, and for those temporarily on high cost Internet or limited data it makes it costly for something that can be done later.
Kelly
SunsetRunner
Not applicable

a connected device needs to be connected.

that's the way Fitbit works.

you was able to know it before purchasing.

Nadula
First Steps

 

At the end of an evening I regularly wish to turn on existing preset "early morning" alarm for the following morning, as I do not have my phone connected to Internet it's incredibly frustrating and seemingly illogical to have to sync my alarms through your servers.

 

I've taken to just using my phone's own alarm clock for these alarms as they can be activated with a single press much like the Fitbit would work if it were to sync my alarms without the Internet. Until this feature/fix is added I'll continue to use my phone.

 

I'm happy with my activity data being stored online, and even my alarm data but it seems illogical to need the Internet in order for me to change the alarm on my Fitbit device.

 

Edit: Apart from this specific shortcoming everything is ace, so keep up the good work 😄

Ashkan_YNot
Jogger
I think a bunch of data processing happens at the FitBit servers and not on
the phone app. I have seen on many occasions that HR, steps, etc. data
merging does not happen for a couple of hours or more. Not at it could not
happen, but that appears to be at least one hurdle against internet-less
syncing.
Jeroenmooij
First Steps
Since I'd like to take long active vacations without internet Connexxion I would like to have a possibility of syncing my Fitbit with my iPhone whereas my older data will not be overwritten.
edzucker
First Steps

I am going on a cruise for 15 days early next year. I will be without the internet for days at a time. I will be traversing several time zones. I use the charge as my watch. Unless this feature is implemented I will need a different device for my trip.

Marcoguidi
First Steps

I am in the military stationed on a ship with aproximately 5500 people. There are hundereds of FITBIT devices onboard. We may be in navigation, with no source of commercial WIFI or cellphone signal for several weeks currently 7 weeks. The inability to sync FITBIT watch to the FITBIT app is so frustrating that I am looking for another watch. Physical excercise is one of the few things that keeps us going, wearing a delicate fitness tracker that costs almost $200 that cannot sync with the device I have with me as source of music is puzzling.

PLEASE ALLOW THE FITBIT WATCH TO SYNC WITH THE APP REGARDLESS OF INTERNET AVAILABILITY!!

LindaOZ
Jogger
Add me to the list who want local syncing. I work FIFO and would reaaly like to keep the daily data that is produced during my working hours.
Gutterflower
First Steps

Extremely dissapointed by this. 

Like many many others on here I work away from an internet connection for up to a month at a time and for over half the year. I have a Fitbit Alta and why i can see some of the days starts they are watered down to the neares 1000 steps. 

 

Esentially with this rediculous necessity for an internet connection the Fitbit Alta is usless as a tracker for half the year. Only giving stats on the day. 

I've had a flick through this thread and the problem has been obvious for years and I've seen no answers as to why this isn't fixed from Fitbit themselves. It's incredibly frustrating and something that really doesn't seem like it would be hard to fix.

SunsetRunner
Not applicable

I strongly agree on this feature request.

 

I often have no internet connection on my phone at all and I'm not even able to set a fitbit alarm via bluetooth only!! There is no reason not to implement this feature very soon. For me it would be okay if I could sync my stats only with an active internet conncetion, but at least setting an alarm, changing reminders to move, or different clock faces etc. should be possible anytime as these features only require a communication between the wristband and the cell phone but not the fitbit servers.

Lennynz
First Steps

I've spoken to Fitbit directly, and they said that one of their staff would reply to this thread.

That was a few months ago now, and still nothing from them.

So, it brings me to the following conclusions:

1).  This forum is just set up to pay lip service.

2).  FitBit is good at "Spin Doctoring".

3).  We should switch to a competitor (Apple Watch?).

4).  Fitbit should drop the "F" and replace it with "SH".

Willhowe
First Steps
Can you enable a local sync from my blaze to my phone without needing an Internet connection. Not bothered if it does use Internet but I should be able to sync without any Internet. Surely this is just a basic.
SunsetRunner
Not applicable

That be wonderful @Willhowe

 

The idea has been suggested before, feel free to add your vote / comment.

 

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Requests/Allow-Offline-syncing-Store-data-locally/idi-p/8224...

 

coollogo_com-18803402.jpg

 

Farris
Stepping Up

Would you please note lack of internet connection as a reason for sync failure on the page 'Why won't my tracker sync?' (http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1866)? Just spent a long time finding out this is why sync failed on holiday with no internet connection. I appreciate this information is on the main page for the Charge HR (https://www.fitbit.com/uk/chargehr), but I came across no links to this. It is also clear from comments in the community that many people do not know this, indicating that it does not have sufficient proiminence.

 

The status for this item is 'Reviewed By Moderator'. Please indicate what this status category means as it does not appear in the list on the page 'About: Feature Requests' (https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-Community-Basics/About-Feature-Requests/td-p/386470)?


I see the last moderator intervention (from the header) was just under a year ago. On a quick random look through other comments, I would say this is in the top 5 or 10% for votes. Only one topic on pages 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 got more votes.

 

It must be time to look at this request again.

 

I appreciate therre may be commercial reasons to prevent people from directly and immediately accessing data from their trackers and also that some of the more complex data processing tasks may require the power of a server. There cannot be any technical reason (correct me if I am wrong) why much useful and simple information (such as a plot of recent heart rate) could not be presented to the user in real time or parhaps with a delay of minutes.


Please value your customers and provide this facility. I see from other comments that this would also be a selling point.

 

 

56kz2slow
First Steps
Ii want that. I travelled out of country and did not have data service. I could not change the timezone and modify alarms because of that.
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