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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.
@lorinj Yup, leave it at home and get something different. FitBit is not interested in your usability. Have fun on your next vacation with your Garmin. @davemanford over two years! I have a Samsung Gear Fit 2
I came here not knowing how recent the problem of being able to use basic functions like synching the time and setting silent alarms without access to the internet was. I thought maybe it was just an oversight in recent Fitbit models. I am completely shocked and angered that Fitbit has known for 3 years that people often need these simple and obvious features in places where there is no internet connectivity, which is still a common situation!
If I had known that Fitbit was so customer and usability hostile, I would not have bought one. There are no excuses for this fundamental failure to have remained uncorrected for so long.
I understand that the app is just showing data stored on the servers, and that my info is not stored locally, but like many other users, I go on extended trips without wifi or data. I know the issue of wanting an option to store the data locally, and be able to view it through the app has been made many times over the years and has been rejected by Fitbit - which is disappointing.
My alternative suggestion is an option to store the data off my Fitbit onto the phone as a file, which could then sync with the server the next time a connection is available. I would want to be able to do this multiple times so I don't loose all my data from month long (or more) trips, but it wouldn't bother me so much if I couldn't access the data via the app until after I was connected to the net and the sync had taken place.
This issue is important enough that I intend to change to a different system when this device stops working if something hasn't been worked out.
@Brad_Cage, good luck with that. Might as well look for something else. I recommend the gear fit2. I have told many of my friends too and fitbit has great marketing and they think it won't matter to them so they buy it. Then it hits. Buyer's remorse.
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.
I pre-ordered the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro. It will work in the pool and replace both the Fit2 and One. I wish Samsung has a website but at least I'll be able to see what is going on when we travel.
I've been watching this thread for some time. My Fitbit is getting tattier and tattier (I wear it when working on my smallholding) and I suspect it is not long for this world. I have been very impressed by Fitbit's support but I need it to work away from an internet connection for travelling. So, I will be looking very carefully at other offerings!
I am wondering if data is actually already stored locally...well historic data anyway.
I have turned off all internet (wi-fi and mobile data) and found if I go into the app, press the steps "circle" it shows a graph of the steps for the week.
Then pressing the "square" in the top right side of that screen expands it to full-screen and a scrolling graph is presented which allows me to go back through my year's worth of step data.
If this was not stored locally on the phone somewhere, how would I be able to do that ?
So the question, and my next test, is to see if only starting the app and letting it upload data from the Blaze to the dashboard will let me do more than the current day before syncing to the Fitbit server.
Maybe if we are not interested in backup on their server, then we don't need a sync at all ?
Yes, of course data is stored locally on your phone. The Fitbit doesn't have any connection to the internet. It connects to your phone via BT, transfers data to your phone, which then sends it to Fitbit's server. As you've shown, when you open the app to look at data it doesn't immediately connect to the internet to retrieve data, it shows the data that's stored on your phone.
Without sync, I don't think the Fitbit will upload any data to your phone, though. Just opening the dashboard won't retrieve data from the Fitbit. That only happens when you sync. Which you can't do unless you have an internet connection.
I have found that an internet connection is required to upload data from the tracker to the phone app BUT you don't have to do a sync.
Just try having an internet connection, location off and open the phone app to the dashboard. Wait a few seconds and then you should see, like I do, that the day's stats update on the phone...NO SYNC.
I do though have the setting for "always on" enabled, though this is only bluetooth.
Then why was all my hiking data not stored for over three days? That is when I discovered this PROBLEM! Only the final day of hiking when I got back into cell coverage was found when I went to see all my statistics.
I don't need to do a sync to update time, only have my tracker paired with my phone and start the Fitbit app. The app will then update my stats on the dashboard and also update the time. BUT I do need an internet connection for this AND have "Always connected" enabled in the tracker settings for the app.
This is with my Samsung S5 running Android 6.0.1 and a Blaze
I think you'll find if you have no data connection the tracker will Not update the app. If you have "Always connected" chosen it's really syncing in the background, without you being aware of it.
The point of this thread is to allow data transfer from the tracker to the phone WITHOUT a data connection. That's not possible whether you have "Always Connected" checked or not.
The "Always connected" is for the BT connection as it states...to improve reliability of notifications and related bluetooth connectivity. Until I had that enabled, my notifications would be delayed and sometimes not even come through.
You are correct that it will not update data in the app from the tracker if an internet connection is not available and I agree that one should not be needed to temporarily store data from the limited tracker memory to the vast amounts of phone storage available until an internet connection is accessible.
The fact that everything can be done without actually doing a "sync" makes me wonder if this functionality was originally meant for what we are asking...upload from tracker to phone as temporary storage...but somehow got changed or interfered with during previous app functionality updates.
KLeBlazeS5 it seems that you stay in one time zone, and never need your band to change time with daylight savings. When you travel, the only way your band will update its time or alarms is when it connects to data, through a dongle or phone. For some people that do not want to pay crazy amounts for data, this means a lot of fitness data is lost (the device only stores 7 days of detailed data). Plue the time is wrong so there is no point having it on your wrist. I know a lot of service personnel are now regretting purchasing these devices, as they can't capture their data and the devices are useless. WORSE - Fitbit keep asking for us to vote for this on update, but this thread and others have been going for years I for one have no problems with fitbit data going to the cloud - but why they will not allow the phone to act as a server to keep the device up to date, and to buffer data is beyond me
I do travel Mike, to the US each year and other states here in AUS as well as I said in my very first post about time updating.
The point I'm trying to make is that while Fitbit says you need location turned on and do a "sync" to find the tracker and update time, the app actually does everything without explicitly telling the app to "sync" and that all that is needed is an internet connection.
The idea that an internet connection is needed to update time or save tracker data is rediculous as I have also mentioned in my first post about time updates.
Another thing I do not understand is that time was never stopped from updating when the tracker was off before a few updates ago, so why did Fitbit change it ?
I travel all the time & not once has the time synced until i get to a hotel & enable data. I have all day sync in & have tried forcing a sync on the phone to change tine but it just wont
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