Fitbit Sense stuck restarting after using Developer Bridge

[datyell]

Hi all,

My Fitbit Sense is stuck restarting, with the screen alternating between being blank and then vibrating and showing the Fitbit icon as though it is constantly restarting. It occurred while I was using the Fitbit Developer Bridge with the command-line interface building a clock face on the device. Though the clock face was successfully installed from the command-line to the device, a few minutes later, the device then restarted and was stuck restarting.

This is the second Fitbit Sense I have had with this issue, the first one I exchanged for my current one thinking the issue was the device. 

The Fitbit Sense is using the firmware build 44.128.2.35, which I opted for because I had an issue getting the device connecting to the developer bridge at all without the device restarting.

Pressing and holding the button sensor doesn't appear to force a shut-off or restart, is there a way to factory restart the device without using the device's Settings app or where should I go from here?

Thanks

[TigerPointe]

I don't know if this helps, but I had a similar issue with my Versa 2.  I thought for sure that I had bricked it -- but it was still working without a clock face.  In my case, the firmware updates for API 4.2 hadn't been applied by the mobile app successfully.  So, I deleted my Versa 2 from the mobile app and did a factory reset to force an update.  Bad idea -- at one point, my watch was looking to sync with the mobile app, but there was nothing with which to sync because I had deleted my Versa 2 profile.  That caused me to go into an infinite reboot loop, much like you describe.

Before doing anything, be sure to check your app store to be sure that there isn't an update to the Fitbit mobile app.

I had to hold the button down for a really long time.  I mean, way longer than I would have expected -- like literally 30-45 seconds and it reset.

I also found that when the Fitbit icon displayed, I was still able to swipe to get to the settings.  This allowed me to factory reset it again.

Since I removed my Versa 2 from the mobile app, I went through the whole setup process from scratch -- which is what I was trying to do anways.  After that, everything worked.

One bit of warning ... I found the process to be very bumpy.  During the setup, there were times when it complained about the WiFi ... other times it complained about the network.  I just kept repeating the setup process, it seemed to get a little further each time, and eventually it came back.

The final step was to perform a sync and life was good again.

I read that you have a Fitbit Sense, and I have a Versa 2, but I'm hoping that the fix might be similar. I don't know for sure.  Your actual mileage may vary.

[datyell]

Thank you for your reply and help, unfortunately, this didn't work for me. Even after pressing and holding the button sensor for over a minute, I was not able to swipe to access the settings app to do a factory reset, it just remains stuck at the Fitbit logo.

Thanks again for your suggestion though.

[TigerPointe]

I'm sorry that didn't work.  Did you try setting the device up again in the mobile app?  On my Versa 2, when I set it up again, I popped it back in the charger (which is required to set it up initially).  Then, I installed the Fitbit mobile app on my wife's phone (just to be sure that I was starting completely from scratch).  When it got to the point that it sent the Bluetooth confirmation code, that's when my watch woke up.  Up to that point, it was a brick.

[datyell]

Thanks again for your reply. Unfortunately, that didn't work either. I remove the Sense from my Fitbit account and then put the Sense on its charger. With the watch charging, I tried setting it up as though I was adding a new Fitbit Sense in the Fitbit mobile app. However, my phone would get to the "searching for device" screen and was unable to find it. I also tried using a different phone with a different Fitbit account with the same result of the phone not able to find the Fitbit Sense.

[Jiinxette · Accepted solution]

After a few different emails to support - I finally got a response that fixed my Sense being stuck in a reboot loop. Hope it helps.

Please follow the next steps in order to do a factory reset using the buttons:

1. Don’t plug the Fitbit device into the charging cable. 
2. Press and hold the button for about 8 seconds until the screen turns off. 
3. After the screen turns off, you’ll feel a short vibration:
   1. When you feel the vibration, release the button and immediately press and hold the button again.
   2. Wait until the blue logo appears, then disappears:
      1. Immediately release the button and then immediately press and hold it .again, until you feel a vibration.
      2. After you feel the vibration, release the button. 
         • This vibration indicates they started the factory reset. 
         • After the Fitbit logo appears, the Fitbit device shows the image with the phone icon and setup indicator.
         • Open the app and try to setup the Sense again to the account. 

[datyell]

Thank you for your reply. Though I personally ended up exchanging my Sense for a new one with the retailer I purchased it from, your answer provides a solution on how to factory reset the Fitbit Sense without using the Settings app. I believe this would have solved my issue. I've marked it as the Best Answer, so if anyone else encounters this issue, they will find your answer. Thank you again for your help!

[Chism_777]

I’m having the same problem and I just bought the sense a little over a month ago. This is definitely very frustrating!

[Robin371]

Having same problem. Button reset not working will keep trying 

[chuggerguy]

That worked for me. It was hard for me to get the sequence/timing correct so it took many many tries but it finally booting into a factory new state.

Unless I'm even blinder than I think I am, that info is not in the user manual but... IT SHOULD BE! 🙂