Integration with Strava only worked once

[Ziegel]

How annoying:

I was really, réally glad when I finally got Strava working with the Fitbit Inspire HR.

But somehow it worked only once. The next time I started the exercise on the fitbit and Strava no data was exchanged whatsoever.
I restarted the phone, I restarted the watch, I deleted the connection between the two, I reconnected (several times), whatever I try it is impossible to get the heartrate into Strava and it is also not possible to import a TCX file into Strava since that exported file is empty.

Strangely enough Fitbit know how far I have been cycling...

I thin I should have bought a proper device, Fitbit seems to be a 1-time working device. Maybe I did something wrong but to reconnect again has taken hours and hours of puzzling and still it is not working. Very annoying and a waste of money.

Moderator Edit: Labels

[SilviaFitbit]

Welcome to the Community @Ziegel. Thanks for the details mentioned and the troubleshooting tried. 

Sorry to hear that you're experiencing this with your Fitbit device and Strava. Fitbit will sync activity recorded with GPS on device and Strava will sync runs with GPS to Fitbit. It won't sync heart rate information. 

Regarding the data that you would like to export please confirm you're following these steps: How do I export my Fitbit account data?

I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[Ziegel]

<iframe height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/activities/2476830403/embed/48fa0a68f107dca3bd2b7e1fb3a88637b7f3ebe0'></ifram...>

Your answer just confuses me more...  As you can see in the Strava-ride above there is heartrate information included. I did not put it up there, I just started the Fitbit Training ánd the Strava recording with the above as a result.

You say:

"Fitbit will sync activity recorded with GPS on device and Strava will sync runs with GPS to Fitbit. It won't sync heart rate information. " 

Maybe there is a language barrier. Can you please answer the following with a simple "yes" or "no":

- The Fitbit Inspire HR does not records GPS data?
- The Fitbit Inspire HR gets its GPS data from the mobile phone?

- Heartrate-data from the Fitbit Inspire HR needs to be exported and imported into Strava manually?
- The integration of Fitbit and Strava is only to calibrate start- and end-time of a training, no data is transferred, except when it's done manually of course?
- There is no automatic synchronisation between Fitbit Inspire HR and Strava during the training itself?
- How the heartrate-data came into Strava in the ride I linked to is a complete mystery?

Thank you for your response.

Ziegel

[LostEchoes]

@Ziegel 

I'm not sure if that's what you're asking for, but I think it works like that: 

- If you start tracking an activity manually from your Fitbit tracker and it is considered a "GPS activity" (such as walk, run & some others), then you will get a GPS map and HR on your Fitbit activity stats. And those data will be synced to Strava, too.
- If you don't manually start tracking an activity and let Smart-Track recognise the activity, then you will get HR info but no GPS map. And this activity will not sync to Strava, as Fitbit -sadly- has not fully implemented the related API standards. (meaning: if your activity does not have GPS data, it won't be synced to STRAVA).

Have a look here. This is people suggesting that Fitbit should finally enable the NON-GPS activities sync to Strava. All they have to do is make a change to their API so that it complies with the current standards, as most of the other major platforms do (e.g. Garmin). It is FITBIT's choice for us to not be able to sync non-GPS data to Strava automatically.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Surge/Syncing-Non-GPS-activity-with-Strava/td-p/1100001

And here is the related Feature Suggestion. Please vote for this if you want it and promote it to other fellows, too. Let's hope they will start thinking about it seriously.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Allow-all-workouts-recorded-with-Fitbit-to-Strav...

[Ziegel]

Dear LostEchoes.

I start the exercise (cycling) manually on the FitBit Inspire HR, then I startup Strava.

Once, I repeat, only once there was data-exchange between the two: there was a map available in the FitBit application, there was HR-data available in the Strava application.

I just don't know whether it worked once before that update or after... 

I have put in too many hours to solve this issue, I think something is broke: hardware or software. Maybe there is one possibility for me left:

Is there anybody else in this world that uses a Fitbit Inspire HR in combination with Strava?

[LostEchoes]

@Ziegel 
This seems strange.
Strava is not able to see Inspire HR (or any other Fitbit tracker) as an ...HR sensor.
Only platform based automatic sync can happen and this *only* if the activity you log via the band is a GPS-activity.
Have a look here if you want:
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Third-Party-Integrations/No-Charge-2-Heart-Rate-in-Strava/td-p/15931...

[Ziegel]

https://www.strava.com/activities/2476830403/analysis

(I don't know if you can see it)

I have no explanation for it. I just know I was very happy with it.

But even when I now try to export the Fitbit-data, the file that is exported is empty (1 Kb).
I will look into your link asap. Thanks!

[LostEchoes]

Yeah, I can see that activity.
My guess is that, this activity is just a common logged activity that was started with (and on) your Inspire HR and when it finished, it was synced / uploaded to Strava (automatically - because you have enabled the Fitbit<->Strava sync).

Strava supposedly does not allow duplicate activities. So (my guess is that) when you pressed "finish" on both the Inspire HR and the Strava app, Strava checked the time frame and chose to show only the one with the most stats. Which, in this case, was the one that synced from your Fitbit Inspire HR to the Fitbit app and then to Strava. 

[Ziegel]

Dear @LostEchoes 

I am sure you are right.

The thing is that whatever I try, it (automatic uploading/syncing into Strava) is not happening again sadly enough.
And a manual export of the Fitbit-data is also not working (empty file, 1Kb small).

I am not sure I do understand the "duplicate activities"-part: I have used the export Fitbit to Strava tool and it creates another ride with the same timestamps as the original one in Strava but it does not combine the two into one data-set-ride. 

Thanks anyway for thinking with me.

All the best.

[LostEchoes]

@Ziegel 
I'm sorry it does not work for you.
I also have an Inspire HR and the sync to Strava works fine, but ONLY if it is a GPS activity.

You could try going to the Fitbit web dashboard -> click on the Settings wheel (top right corner) -> click on Inspire HR -> then go to Applications and see if Strava is actually connected / approved. 

If it seems connected you could try to Revoke Access and then go again to
https://strava.fitbit.com/
and reconnect them, and see if it now works (by doing a GPS activity, such as walk, run, etc - an activity that will be logged with a map on your Fitbit app and web dashboard).

[Ziegel]

I revoked and reconnected lots of times. Also:

I expect 'cycling' to be a GPS-activity.


Really, my last question on this topic, just to make sure:

Should I start Strava when I am about to start a trip or shouldn't I start Strava (to avoid this doubling-data-issue)? So far I always started the exercise on the Inspire HR ánd I started Strava. Was that the wrong way? Should I ignore Strava and will Inpsire HR send the data to Strava after I end the exercise...?

Again, thank you for all the time you have put in helping me with this.

[LostEchoes]

You will confirm whether or not Cycling is a GPS activity only if you see it is logged with a map at the Activities section of the Fitbit app and web dashboard.

Now, regarding Strava. No, you are not supposed to launch / start and log an activity from the Strava mobile app.
You should only start (logging) the Cycling activity from your Inspire HR. Once you start the activity on the band, IF it is a GPS activity, it will show you (on the small screen of Inspire HR) a small icon like a phone saying "connecting" or something like this. This is there to indicate that the Inspire has connected to the GPS of your phone ! This is another clear indication that your activity is actually a GPS activity.

When you finish your activity on your Inspire HR, if the sync-to-Strava settings are OK, your activity will automatically upload to Strava complete with a map and nice statistics 🙂

[Ziegel]

My word...!

😱

🤣😂


It's been a long time I felt as stupid as I do now... 🙂 

I will test this and let you know the result! Thanks!!!

[Jstyle2]

I have the same problem  Fitbit don't sync with Strava. 

I do a lot of workout in the gym what 48 track and want to sync this with Strava  Won't work. Even manually it is recognised as a empty file 

Stupid problem  It seems so easy to solve  Fitbit  Shame on you  

I will return my product tomorrow and switch to Garmin. Only because it doesn't sync with strava  

[AlejandraFitbit]

Hey @Ziegel and @Jstyle2, it's great to see you around and @LostEchoes, thanks for the input.

If you are having problems connecting your Fitbit account with your Strava accounts, I recommend taking a look at this post and follow the instructions provided there.

I will see you around. 🙂

[Jstyle2]

I remove the connection and added it again 

No result  

Any other solution  

[LostEchoes]

@Jstyle2 
Which Fitbit tracker do you have and which "activity" do you select to track your GYM workout?
If you are using the "Workout" generic option or other NON-GPS activities, they will never be exported / uploaded to Strava, because they do not use the GPS so they do not have GPS info.
Fitbit does not permit the uploading of non-GPS activities to Strava, as I have already explained with my previous posts in this topic.

[Ziegel]

Too bad:

- I started the cycle exercise.
- I waited until the watch said it was connected
- I started it when it said it was connected
- I stopped when I finished my ride
- I synchronized a few times

The dashboard shows the activity itself but it does not have the GPS-data (there's no map or # km's). 
Strava is not updated neither.

Maybe it will appear magically later but for now I think it's just not working. I will update in both cases.

[Ziegel]

Dear @AlejandraFitbit ,

of course I checked it out but sadly enough without any results.

Considering the fact that so many people are having troubles with this synchronizing between FitBit and Strava there just seems to be a bug in your software or hardware since Strava is the passive party in this communication between apps.
You should have informed the buyers of your Fitbits before they made their Fitbit purchase. Now it seems to be real bad marketing since none of these users will recommend Fitbit so others. Au contraire.

Good luck.

[LostEchoes]

Judging from your screenshot, maybe this is the reason why your activities do not sync to Strava. They don't have GPS data. Maybe we should focus on that, for now. What phone do you have ?