Unable to develop for Fitbit Versa

[trunkyredstone]

I am unable to use the fitbit studio or cli tool to deploy to a physical fitbit versa, as i receive the error:

Sideload of app failed. Connected device does not support API version requested by app.

I have selected API version 4.1.0 and the fitbit versa is up to date. The template used was the watch face and the minimal, both failing

Please can i have some help with fixing this issue?

P.S: Also tested on cli tool and does not work

[Zakriah]

I am having this issue too, and i have tried to manually edit packages.json to a lower version which then gives me an error message saying Studio no longer supports that version of the SDK, please help!

[Gondwana]

What version of firmware is your watch running? I might be able to deduce what SDK version would match it.

If your phone OS or Fitbit app aren't current, the watch may not receive the latest firmware.

[trunkyredstone]

I'm using version 32.33.1.30, and both the app and fitbit connect on pc say this is the latest.

[Gondwana]

33.1.30 is SDK 3.0, so a fair bit out of date. To be offered an update, your Fitbit app will need to be pretty much the latest version, and to get the latest Fitbit app version, your phone/tablet operating system will need to be fairly recent.

[trunkyredstone]

Well now my fitbit won't even sync to the app. Can you recommend any steps to take to fix this?

[Zakriah]

My watch is on 27.33.1.30 (it's a fitbit ionic)

I'm on iPhone 11, and just removed and reinstalled the fitbit app to see if that makes a difference. I see no option to update the firmware, only to leave Sync All Day switched on and it will trickle in the background..

are you able to see which SDK is matched to this?

[NoelYYC]

Whooa! So I have to buy a new phone to develop for 4.1? Even if the Play Store says it's current - but it isn't? The Fitbit App was updated Sept 6 / 3.4.1, so it isn't the December version, and there isn't an indication that it isn't the current version or can be updated.

Is there a way to force update the App to get 4.1 firmware support for the Versa?

[Gondwana]

The Play Store might just show you the most recent version of the Fitbit app that's compatible with your operating system.

I think you can find out what the latest version of the Fitbit app is from https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2025/

[NoelYYC]

Thx... I'm 3.4.1 so quite out of date. I don't want to root my phone for a newer OS because it would no longer be a reliable test platform... so I guess a $200 watch is going to cost another $600.

[trunkyredstone]

Wow ok... i guess i have to get a new phone.. disappointing

[Zakriah · Accepted solution]

I was able to get it working on my watch using the Fitbit CLI. You don't need to worry about your firmware version, but you need to know your firmware version so you can map it to the relevant SDK.

Here are the steps i did to make it work

1. Follow all the steps to install the FitBit CLI here: https://dev.fitbit.com/build/guides/command-line-interface/#building-and-installing-your-project (Watching the video tutorial is useful too if you want to do it step by step).

2. If you read the 'Updating Existing Projects' section you will see an option to modify the packages.json file. Look under 'Dev Dependencies' to see the SDK version.. (by default the fitbit SDK is currently pointing to 4.1.0)

3. You will need to select an older version of the SDK that your firmware will work with, i had to revert to 3.0.1, but whatever version you choose, you'll need to download the SDK from NPM (https://www.npmjs.com/package/@fitbit/sdk/v/2.0.1), click on the versions on the top right to select which SDK you want.

Alternatively, in your project space, use the NPM command "npm i @Fitbit/sdk@<version number here>"

4. After you download the SDK, you need to rebuild the app and you can then deploy to your phone/watch.

npx fitbit-build
npx fitbit
fitbit$ install

5. On your watch under - Settings / Developer Bridge - you need to connect to the server, the watch will notify you once connection is successful

6. On your phone, under your watch, look for 'Developer Menu' and connect the developer bridge

7. Run the build install and voila, installs to your phone!

fitbit$ bi

IMPORTANT - running an older SDK may affect how your app behaves. I had to rewrite some blocks of code to make it work with the older SDK. You may want to test with the simulator first.

[NoelYYC]

Thanks Zakriah! I'm going to give that a whirl. I didn't know anything about the cli - like local builds... I thought downloading a project was just an editor/IDE/github convenience and the online Studio was still needed for the final build/deploy. This is good news!

I did end up buying a new iPad as it was less expensive than a new phone. Of course now I have to wait for the 4.x upgrade to roll out to it, so this cli method will be useful until it does.