Fitbit not syncing with Strava

[Hayley93]

My fitbit GPS runs aren't loading to Strave.

I've tried Disconnecting and re-connection through Strava but this doesn't work.

The Strava app doesn't come up in my fitbit settings under 3rd party apps. But Strava says they're connected.

Any ideas?

[HannahWincester]

Thanks - I hope you don't lose your connection!

I'm assuming you use Fitbit to record activities and those activities are automatically synced to your Strava account, yes? Which is what used to work for me and suddenly stopped working about 2 months ago.

I wonder if it works the other way around -- using Strava to record an activity and have it automatically sync to Fitbit...? Maybe I will try that for my next walk.

[t.parker]

@HannahWincester I reconnected and it still works. I will describe the steps:

- Disconnect the Strava link in the Strava app on the mobile phone (Settings (cog icon) -> Link Other Services). If Fitbit isn't there then you're not linked. If it is then tap it to disconnect.

- Fitbit doesn't appear in Partner Integrations (which is bizarre, I can see Garmin, Zwift and a number of other services I use but not Fitbit)

- Go to your Fitbit web dashboard, Settings -> Applications, and revoke Strava access (if it's not there but it should then it's something wrong)

- Go back to the Strava app and again: Settings->Link Other Services and add Fitbit. And now one thing. At first, it didn't work for me because I was logged into the wrong Fitbit account (automatically). If you have more than one (I have one for the devices and one for the forum) make sure you're logging in using the correct Fitbit account.

- After logging in Strava will show the Fitbit web dashboard (no idea why, this is a bug, it should skip that and just go to the window confirming the link). You may either tap back or simply - kill Strava and reopen. The accounts should be already linked.

- Check Fitbit web dashboard Settings -> Applications if Strava is there (should be).

Now, test it (I just put my hand out the window, started Run and waited for GPS, gave it a few seconds more and stopped). The sync should be almost instant (as long as the activity is synced with the Fitbit app, too).

I don't think I did anything here that you haven't tried already. Surely, it does work for me (I almost feel bad about it :D).

[HannahWincester]

@t.parker  About to try all your steps, thanks! Although I believe they are identical to what I've already tried (twice) but maybe I didn't follow the same order.

Can I ask which fitbit device you have? And, when you say you started Run with your hand out the window - do you mean you started Run on your Fitbit watch, the Fitbit app, or the Strava app? 

I have the Fitbit Charge 5, and I usually am recording walks. Since the Charge 5 doesn't allow you to start anything except a run from the actual watch, I start recording an activity in the Fitbit app. I'll test a run from the watch and see if that works.

[t.parker]

@HannahWincester I currently have Sense 2. I always start activity on the watch. I needed to put hand out the window to connect the GPS. If you track directly with Strava app the activity won't appear in Fitbit account. At least, that never worked for me.

[HannahWincester]

@t.parker I tried your steps exactly. They were in a different order than I had tried previously so I was hopeful (previously I had revoked Strava from the Fitbit app and then disconnected Fitbit in the Strava app, and also I had previously initiated re-linking through Fitbit not through Strava as you did. But sadly, even though both apps say they are linked, activities still do not sync. After following your steps I tried starting a run from my watch, and later started a walk through the app, and neither activity synced. (I hadn't expected the run from my watch to sync, because they never have. Fitbit says only activities with maps will sync, and a run started from the watch oddly does not produce a map. Another thing I hope the Fitbit devs have on their 2023 priority list.) 

Thanks for giving such detailed help - maybe it will help others. Possibly this is device-specific...?

[HannahWincester]

@t.parker it was the opposite for me - never synced from the watch - only from walks or runs started in the Fitbit app. Worked very well for over a year.

Does the Sense 2 produce a map for the activity?

[t.parker]

Yes. Charge 5, too. If you have no map check your GPS settings. Only GPS activities sync to Strava so this is first thing you need to fix.

[HannahWincester]

Oh wow, starting a Run from the watch has never produced a map for me, so I just assumed it wasn't a feature. 😞

Have changed the GPS type on my Charge 5 from Dynamic to Built-in GPS, so will see if maybe that does something useful.

[t.parker]

@HannahWincester you don't need to run for real to test. Just start bogus run on the tracker. Let it acquire GPS and then stop tracking, sync and see what happens. After all, you can always delete this activity later 🙂

[HannahWincester]

Yes, that's what I did. Today and every other time I've started a run from the watch, it has found and connected to GPS, works fine during the exercise, and syncs all data to the app EXCEPT it has never produced a map. I just assumed it wasn't meant to. Also, it has never synced to Strava. But since it didn't produce a map when recorded this way I knew it wouldn't sync to Strava because that's one of the things Fitbit support tells you.

So all along I have been starting activities through the Fitbit APP, since starting an activity that way results in a map AND syncs to Strava. I have hundreds of activities that were started in the Fitbit app and successfully synced all data to Strava. That's what stopped working a few months ago.

[Marck1984]

I have the same problem everything mentioned I have tried and still no luck please Fitbit contact me to sort this out 

[Larapalooza]

Hey! I've literallt had the same issue since early Novemeber too. One day my run synced automatically and the next day it didn't and since then I've had to upload the manually on the Web pages which is so long! 

Fitbit have told me that it's an issue they're aware of and that they're working to resolve it, but they have also then told me it was an issue with Strava! Really frustrating as I've also spent so much time looking into it and have followed every solution I've come across and been told to try but still no luck! 

It seems that there are a few people who are experiencing the same issue since November so it must be an update or something?!

[M4X1M]

I have the same issue since 2 weeks. Did you find any solution so far?

[isla.k]

No unfortunately not yet! 

[ShustOne]

I tried the reset steps laid out here even though I had already done this multiple times. My Fitbit hasn't tracked to my Strava in over 2 weeks. It's been syncing for over a year without a problem. All my maps show, everything shows like normal on the Fitbit side. This is very frustrating. Clearly there is a problem somewhere between the apps communicating.

[Lynne2807]

Hi HannahWincester

I'm having the same issues too! If you walk a lot you can change your exercises which start up on your watch to save you opening an activity on the app. If you go to settings- activity and wellness - exercise you can change the options on your watch. It doesn't help with the lost strava link but it might make life a bit easier.

Please let us all know if you fix your link 

[HannahWincester]

Thanks, but I prefer having the map recorded, which I don’t get if I let the watch auto-record an activity. And it’s dead simple to start an activity from the app, literally just two taps. 

I miss having the sync with Strava, since many of my friends and family are there and it’s motivating to share encouragement. So when this watch inevitably stops working I guess I’ll go back to a garmin. 

[Crazydrummerman]

I am too overly frustrated ...especially when I paid 80 dollars for STRAVA and it used to sync seamlessly until November...I have tried all the above (revoke access, resync between FitBit and Strava...etc)

[Crazydrummerman]

I have the same problem ever since this year when I renewed Strava...no matter what I do and even thought it "says they are synced" FITBIT (Versa 3) and Strava do not work together anymore for me

[markpratt]

Same issue here since November too - Contacted Fitbit but they were no help whatsoever other than to blame it on Strava!