Fitbit Premium workouts always freeze on Google Cast

[Yoddle]

It's been more than a year now, I thought this would get fixed sooner but, no. Whenever I cast a Fitbit workout to my TV via Google Cast (the TV already has Cast enabled), the workout freezes about 1 to 2 minutes in. The sound plays fine and but the video feed freezes.

Only rectification now is to pause the workout, stop casting, then resume the video casting before it works again for about 2 minutes, then the freeze happens all over. It's impossible to do a workout longer than 10 minutes without going insane.

It's not a network issue either because I use the same phone to cast entire Netflix movies to the same TV in the same room with no problems. 

Phone: Google Pixel 6

TV: Sharp Aquos

[Williehutch03]

Hi Toddle,

It really sounds like a phone issue.  I cast the video workouts from my phone in the morning with no problem. You mentioned that you have no issues with Netflix...Keep in mind there is a difference between logging in the Netflix or YouTube app on your TV and using you phone to control your content than mirroring your phone on the TV. 

Perhaps you can try installing the fitbit app on another android phone and test it to compare. Let us know if this helps! 

[Yoddle]

Hi Willie, 

Thanks for your reply! I think you may have misunderstood what I meant by Google Cast.

So when you start a workout on the Fitbit Premium app, the video of the workout goes full screen, and if you look to the top left of the screen, you should see a Google Cast icon if you have a Cast enabled TV in your home. The function works the same way as the Netflix app where you can basically control the workout (start stop play) using the Fitbit app, and you only cast the workout video itself,  not mirror your screen. 

However, your mentioning of mirroring my phone's screen on my TV via Google Home actually solved my problem! If I mirror my phone's screen on the TV, the workout video plays with no issues at all. It only freezes and acts up when I am trying to Cast the video using the app. 

So I think this is definitely an app issue and not a phone issue, and there is indeed a workaround. Just that it's still something the Fitbit app team might actually want to fix!

[Williehutch03]

Hey Yoddle,

I'm so happy I was able to help! 🙂 Screen mirroring always has been the best option for me. The only time the Fitbit app "cast" option worked seamlessly is when there was a universal Windows 10 app (UWP) that was on the PC and Xbox. If i remember correctly, there were 2 apps, a normal Fitbit App and a dedicated Fitbit Coach app where you could sync and control the video workouts etc. from your phone. When the windows app was cancelled on Xbox i just started mirroring ever since!

If Fitbit decides to release a Google TV Fitbit App (like Netflix, YouTube Spotify etc..) then the cast from the app option could work. You woud just need to sign in with your Google account and all woud be good!  But until then use mirrioring instead.