Notifications are so hit and miss

[Fitnow22]

I had a Charge 2 for years. Not fancy but reliable. This Sense is so unreliable.  Notifications works sometimes and not others even with Bluetooth on. I needed Find My Phone and it worked once and then not the next time even though the phone was actually nearby.  If I don’t sync every morning I can’t rely on it and I miss texts and calls that should have registered. I would return it if it wasn’t a hassle to do so.  Don’t waste your money on this one. 

[DramaQueenDiva]

Hi @Fitnow22,

Which OS do you have?  I have Android and I found that the notifications are more reliable if I have the Fitbit app running in the background.

[Rich_Laue]

With either phone, yes the fitbit app needs permission to run in the background since part of the fitbit app gets loaded at the phone start-up. 

Also at the top of the Sense screen, if the Sense lost connection with the phone, you will see a phone icon with a slag through it. 

[Fitnow22]

Yep. Phone didn't have a slash through it. Bluetooth was activated. It's
just an aggravating bit of tech that doesn't seem to work consistently. I
cannot find any rhyme or reason when it works and doesn't.

[Guy_]

Hi @Fitnow22 - the newer versions of the Fitbit App and watch firmware work differently to what you had before, and even new phone updates have an impact.

It would look like the phone settings aren't optimal and as has been suggested the Fitbit App AND Bluetooth need to be running all the time for good syncing and notifications.

Check the battery optimization on the phone is not shutting down either. If it is you will need to sync manually.

You can use the SimpleCheckUp app to see when the watch last synced and if it can connect anytime.

If it can't connect (second test) when you run it it is a sure sign that something, probably on the phone, is not quite right.

[Fitnow22]

Running things in the background all the time to keep everything in sync really sucks up the battery life.  It hardly lasts two days doing all that.  I have my phone sitting next to my watch and it cannot find it.  I have the phone sitting next to the watch and it is not connected.  Unless I sync manually multiple times a day, it doesn't work.  I don't know if I got a lemon or if this watch just isn't that good.  The Charge was so simple but always worked.  I love the look of this but it is a pretty bauble that is useless over half the time.  I have an iphone 12 so it is not old.  I think the problem is the fitbit Sense, not the iphone.  That has worked reliably for several years.  I appreciate the attempts to help but none of it seems to make a permanent difference.  I wonder if Fitbit offers so many phones and don't really have the tech or the support to make them all that good.  I bought this for the heart sync but it is always normal and I doubt I that could trust it at all given how the other apps works.   I'll continue to try new things until I just buy something else.  Fitbit has let me down after many years of being a solid choice.  

[Rich_Laue]

It shouldn't run the battery down @Fitnow22, yes the charge is very simple, I measured Steps, no heart, no SpO2, no snoring, and no built in GPS. 

SpO2, snoring, GPS are a huge demand on the very small battery. The charge also did not measure breathing rate or ECG. 

Unless there is a need to have them Annoying and SpO2 both should be turned off, and will more then triple the battery life.