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
brossow
Recovery Runner

The inability to sync with your device without an internet connection is completely unacceptable. The Fitbit doesn't need the internet to connect to the device; the device only needs it to sync with the Fitbit.com servers. If I'm somewhere without an internet connection, even for an overnight stay, I can't change alarms, see my sleep patterns (one of the most important reasons I bought my Blaze), etc. even though the Blaze and my devices can see each other just fine.

 

I can't believe this request has been getting votes and comments for nearly three years and hasn't been actioned.  Worse than that, I can't believe the engineers at Fitbit made the incredible assumption that everyone has internet access 24/7 and/or wouldn't want to sync locally or even be able to adjust their alarms and time zones.

edzucker
First Steps

I am planning a trip where I will be off-line (on a ship). I also like to use my fitbit for alarms. This is a must have feature for travelers.

Marcoguidi
First Steps
I hope FITBIT is paying attention. There are probably 500 Fitbits on my
ship, which means 5000 unhappy comments. I think It would be a quick change
to the app. Again I am waiting a little bit longer before looking something
else. But I will not face a long deployment without synch capability.
Gutterflower
First Steps

Same here. I'm back on deployment and still no fix for this. 

Not even a response or an update from Fitbit.

 

Infuriating.

Youknowthebo
Jogger

I know that there already have been feature requests on this topic, but since 2015 there hasn't been any updates on this. 

 

There are so many times that you need to set an alarm and you do not have an internet connection (e.g. Airplane, whilst traveling etc.). It would be great if the Alarm would be decoupled from the sync process (which obviously requires internet or a connection to Fitbit.com, which sometimes also is choppy), so that we could set an alarm in those instances. 

 

I rely heavily on the alarm feature and last night I couldn't set an alarm because Fitbit.com wasn't available. 

 

Is offline sync of the alarm a feature that you will integrate in a future update?

Walt338
First Steps
Why can't we sync alarms offline?? I had to set an alarm on my phone that wakes the entire aircraft cabin up in the middle of the night in cruise whereas I could have been woken by the vibrations of my fitbit charge hr.
Naotaku
First Steps

Please put this on the top of your TODO list. I can't be the only Fitbit user who travels a lot. How many times did I need to change my alarm clock in the middle of the night, only to find out I can't! Either I had no Internet (in the middle of nowhere), or your cloud was "down for maintenance". This is so stupid! Man Sad

Naotaku
First Steps

..just noticed the original post is from a year ago 😞 Maybe I should start looking for a different product.

Musicmagnolia
First Steps
Please add the ability for local syncing. I live in the country in a deadspot for internet access. It keeps me from using my fitbit charge. Seems like not a difficult task to just offer the option. Thank you.
strey
Recovery Runner
Add another to the list of people requesting offline syncing. Local storage on a mobile device, and the ability to upload it later, would be very helpful. I will be without internet for a month or more at a time but I'd still like to manage my fitness! If the above is too hard for engineering, (!!?!) how about being able to at least view the accumulated data on the mobile device and then continue on with Internet syncing later?

To my mind this is a separate feature from the ability to do things like change alarms or time zones through a mobile app. The lack of this seems a silly limitation, but if I had to pick one I'd pick the local storage of fitness data!
Navlys
First Steps

Would love to see this, too.

Navlys
First Steps
I would be very interested in this, too. Thanks for posting, Jenn.
Stef_94
Jogger

Wow, comments on this go back to 2013, and it still hasn't been implemented? This is kind of an essential thing, though.

On my first hike with my brand new Charge 2 last Sunday, I couldn't use Connected GPS tracking, because there was no mobile network coverage at the starting point and so the Fitbit app on my Android phone wouldn't sync with my tracker.

Fortunately, good old Google My Tracks tracked like a charm, even though it does use Google Maps. Also MapMyFitness did a great job of tracking my hike without internet connectivity, but once I import either of those into Fitbit, the two logs get merged and the minute-to-minute calories burned info from Fitbit gets lost. Very disappointing.

 

Also, like many others in this thread, I travel quite a bit, and often to places where I do not have internet. This means I will lose data, as the Charge 2 "only" keeps the last 7 days of detailed data in its memory.

 

Please make syncing/connecting without internet available soon for those of us who like outdoor and/or travel adventures!!

Navlys
First Steps
And just to clarify, it would be great to have one model that has no
bluetooth/internet capability AT ALL. It should be ONLY a data collector
that can be synced via USB once home. Government contractors cannot take
bluetooth/wireless-capable devices into secure facilities EVEN IF the
bluetooth/wireless is turned off. They will be required to leave such
devices in their cars.
SunsetRunner
Not applicable

 Seeing as there is little or no interest from Fitbit Support in fixing it we might consider taking the requests to Twitter (https://twitter.com/FitbitSupport or @FitbitSupport). I was reading a different thread and this technique was mentioned as being more effective than forums like this one.

 
Keith 
Lennynz
First Steps

That's a good idea, keithCh .

I've spoken to Fitbit support via email, and just got lip service.  They even said they would reply to this thread, that was a few months ago.

So, a little publicity might help.  🙂

wbstrong2
First Steps

I came here to voice my concerns and see that there are many out there with the same issues...  Military, overseas travel, rare if any internet connection, and a fitbit full of data that needs to sync.  It looks like this conversation goes back a while, hopefully it is in the works by now. 

Vlayke
First Steps

Adding my voice here.

 

There should be no reason why local communication (Fitbit to phone) should ever require internet connection to be present as well.

Especially interesting point it also, that in the troubleshooting steps there doesn't seem to be Internet connection requirement mentioned anywhere.

http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1866

 

I like the cloud capability but to have a device that stops syncing with your phone, if there's no Internet connectivity available is just wrong.

SevenThousandYe
First Steps
I work on a cruise ship where internet is very expensive. I just received my fitbit and would really like to keep it, but am considering a return because I need to be online for it to talk to my phone (via Bluetooth!). This needs to be fixed asap. Please implement a feature where stats can be moved to the phone via Bluetooth (and alarms can be set from the phone) without the need to be online. Those of us without constant internet access are sorely inconvenienced.
Lennynz
First Steps

I was at one of New Zealand's biggest retailers the other day, and had a look at the Apple Watch, which I will be buying.  Told them that the Sh - er - Fitbit needs internet access to set your alarm, and to download your data.  They were absolutely shocked - their jaws dropped.  I suspect they will think twice about further Fitbit orders now.

Haven't even used mine for the last 2 months, and I'm off to sea again in a few days, so it will be pointless taking it with me.

LindaOZ
Jogger
Yep. I tried to use mine for about 2 months, and have given up. Waste of
$300 (Australia). I work overseas for 3 weeks, then back in Australia for 3
weeks, then overseas etc. My Internet connectivity is unreliable. I'm
writing this on oct 12th from the South Pacific ocean , but it probably
won't be sent for a day or two.
Trimmer
First Steps
Please add the ability to use the paired divice for sync and review of the detailed info without having to access the Internet. There are many situations (as discussed in this thread) such as when travelling, working in the wilderness etc.etc. .... where the divice could be useful, but due to this requirement makes it almost useless. It is already synced with a device that usually has more storage and computing ability than NASA had on the Apollo space modules one would think that would be enough. If the info then has to, for some unknown reason, (hopefully not nefarious) it could be uploaded the next time the Internet is available.


Navlys
First Steps
And, once again, allow one model that doesn't have bluetooth/wireless
capability AT ALL. Having the capability, even if it's TURNED OFF, will
require the tracker to be left in the car when going into some government
buildings. A data collector with a USB method of syncing the data with the
app would be the best.
ClayDalton
First Steps
I agree. Fitbit should allow you to sync and view data without an internet connection. Mandy you would have to connect to the internet every couple of days or after a week but you should at least be able to change setting and view some data without internet. I could really use this and it is what currently keeps me from buying a Fitbit. I hope y'all can find a way to make this change and I will be interested to see what happens. Thanks!
leambiker
Jogger

Fitbit needs the ability for offline syncing - even if it's just for short time periods before syncing online.

 

Poor that you can't change your alarm time or use GPS with the blaze if you haven't sync'd it recently!

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