Zip rapid battery drain on iOS version 2.41.1

[KateFitbit]

Update 3/21/2018: It has taken the team longer to identify the root cause of why some users are experiencing rapid battery drain with while syncing the Zip to an iOS device. We will continue to investigate, but I don't currently have a timeline for fix. Along with turning off all day sync, we do suggest syncing to a computer or Android device if possible. Thanks for your reports and patience. 

Update 11/25/2017: We are still aware that some users on iOS are reporting rapid battery drain and are working on the issue. Once I hear further, I will update this thread. Thanks for all your reports. 

I've been notified that there are reports of Zip battery draining quickly on iOS version 2.41.1 and our team is currently investigating. If you are experiencing this, we recommend disabling all-day-sync for now. I'll update this post once I hear more. Thanks as always for your patience and understanding. 

Turn off All-Day Sync:

1. From the Fitbit app dashboard, tap or click the Account icon in the top right-hand corner. 
2. Tap on your device 
3. Find the option to turn off All-Day Sync.

[SunsetRunner]

My previous experience with fitbit didn't teach me a lesson. I had an Alta HR and it died after a couple of weeks. I spoke with a tech at fitbit several times and when their advise didn't work they sent me another one, of course after they received mine, and that was a dud as well. I got an iWatch for Christmas and I love everything about it except it doesn't count individual steps so I decided to use my old Omron pedometer. But as I stated before it doesn't count the activity on my recumbent bike. I thought, silly me, that fitbit could get a pedometer to work over time, not just a few weeks or even six months. It seems not, but probably just for iOS users. So this time I will not sync onto anything but my iMac. Any chance that this will help correct the battery drain?

[H-zip]

I take my battery out daily and revert to my Alta once I get in from work. I sync twice a day, once I’ve put the battery in and just before I take it out though I think it retains the info? I do this 4 times a week...this is when I need the zip for work. I do sync to my iPad but have Bluetooth off as soon as I’ve synced in the morning,. This is highly inconvenient but easier than trying to boot up my pc every morning and wait for it to find the zip and sync which some morning took over 20 mins which I don’t have to waste holding by zip on the dongle! This has helped the draining issue slightly.
BUT this is not how the product should work so it remains a pain in the backside, faulty product that fitbit have not offered to replace.

Instead of wasting all your customers time messing around with your faulty product, do the decent thing...recall it and give us all a zip that works as you’ve now got an updated version. I have no more patience. You should be ashamed of the service you are giving to hundreds of valuable customers. All these customers now have a bad taste in their mouth, will not recommend you or your product which means long term you’ll have no business.

Happy customers buy more products and recommend you to their friends and colleagues increasing your customer base and revenue stream.

Unhappy customer don’t buy into your company and won’t recommend you to their friends and colleagues means your revenue stream dries up. How many possible recommendations do you think you could have had off the back of all theses zip customers? It’s the perfect product for the national health service and care sector. When colleagues in the hospital  have asked me about it I’ve to,d them not to waste their money...stick to traditional nurses watch and find an alternative to measure steps...there are plenty more products out their with a more professional support service and moral/ethical standard towards their customers.   Truly disappointed 

Tried to email their zip email team but even that doesn’t work!!!
I totally agree with you. The have no understanding of the basics of customer service and business. The loss of revenue due to negative reviews, which the often delete, lack of recommendations will eventually bite them where it hurts. A shame as the product had great potential in the health care sector but you need a reliable product.

Sent from my iPad

[Bone_Jumper]

Here is Supports response to me: Fitbit's limited warranty covers the first 365 days from the date of purchase and upon review we found that your Zip falls outside of the warranty. (This happened because they waited until my warranty expired before doing anything). Nevertheless, to help you continue working towards your goals, we are happy to give you a 25% discount towards the purchase of a new tracker via fitbit.com which includes the Blaze, Charge 2, Alta HR, Alta, Flex 2 and Zip. (I started laughing & couldn't stop!) You may also use the discount to purchase one of our latest smart fitness watches, the Ionic. Note that for the Ionic the discount is 40% off its original price. It does not apply to our other smart fitness watch, Versa and our latest tracker, Ace as different policies apply to them due to their unique feature sets. For more information about our warranty policy, visit Returns and Warranty.

The discount will come in a separate email containing a link, which will direct you to our online store to make your purchase. Note that the discount is only valid for a purchase through fitbit.com and you have 30 days to complete this purchase or the discount code will expire. It will be automatically applied at checkout.

Also, we wouldn't want to leave out these awesome benefits that you will get when you use the 25% discount:
​45-days Money-Back guarantee.
Fitbit limited warranty would be renewed (1 year)
Lastly, if you'd like to upgrade you can take this chance to do so using the discount. In line with this, you may want to consider the Charge 2. It's a better version which offers more than just staying active with its added features such as:
Ability to track your heart rate, cardio fitness level and activities like running, walking, hiking and others.
Multi-Sport tracking feature to track your exercises like runs, bikes, weights, treadmill and others.
Connected GPS will give you more accurate results when it comes to distance and pace and map of your routes.
Guided Breathing Sessions for relaxation.
Sleep Stages will give you a more in depth analysis of your sleep.
Interchangeable bands so you can pair with your style and depending on the occasion.
You can learn more about Charge 2 at https://www.fitbit.com/charge2. You can also use our comparison table so you can have a better understanding of what are the differences of our new trackers.
I'm writing to the BBB.

Moderator edit: Format.

[Topcat54]

This issue goes beyond "battery drain".  I am being forced to replace batteries that test as only partially discharged, and still well in to the green on my battery tester.  I have two testers, both show the battery has plenty of charge left in it.  I would insert photos but the insert photo function on this page must be a joke, I guess drag and drop is too hard to implement.

By the way, I am getting the impression this difficulty is deliberate or a the very least not even a low priority for Fitbit to fix.  FYI, if I am forced to abandon my Zip it will not be to purchase another Fitbit product.  Ever again.  I just want a simple, reliable step counter paired with a good app.  That was what I had until the battery issue popped up.  I went from about 4 batteries a year to two a month.  

[jaks97]

I received the same offer when I had issues with my original Zip. I couldnt get the back off and now its stripped so I cant replace battery. Now I bought a new zip and I have the battery issue

[YojanaFitbit]

Thank your all for sharing your experience here in the Forums!

Sorry for the issues with your Zip. Thanks for the feedback, it's very important to us to have your thoughts in regards our product and your customer support interactions. Fitbit is always trying to provide great products and customer experience. Each scenario is different, but I think that you can use the option available according to your warranty information if it is needed, as our support team checks all the cases and looks for the best way to help you out. 

We don't want to create frustration in our customers. Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on what you share here. Our team is working hard on finding a solution for this issue.

Thanks for your understanding. 

[H-zip]

My zip was a gift and the purchaser does not have the receipt. The product has never worked as marketed and I not been offered a replacement or any helpful advice that renders the product anywhere close to his the product has been marketed so what do I do?

Sent from my iPad

[Cooper2008]

I was originally told it was a problem with an upgrade to my iPhone. This is obviously not true as you state that the new version shouldn't be causing syncing issues. Do the right thing and replace the zips that have a battery issue. This is not how a reputable company operates. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back @H-zip and @Cooper2008! 

@H-zip As you mentioned that you were having issues since you received your tracker I've requested a new case for you. Our team will be checking your case to provide the best option for you using the Fitbit warranty. 

@Cooper2008 Thanks for the information that you're providing about your case. If you already tried all steps for syncing issues with your Sip, it will be best to contact our team to check the details of your case. If your iPhone is in the list of tested devices it should be able to sync, the issues with the iOS version 2.41.1 is more related to battery drain. If you haven't got in touch with support I can give you a hand with that.

Let me know if I can further help.

[Camarogrl]

I’ve had problems and followed all of your steps! I posted in here about a year ago but never contacted support because you said it was an issue with the software and you were working on it. Now, my zip is out of warranty and you still haven’t fixed the issue! It’s been over a year and you seem to blame us and not your product. Funny, that you made new ones without this issue and all of us are stuck with the problematic one and zero support from you. I have a Zip and a Charge 2, but when I need new ones I will not be buying another Fitbit! I can’t use the sync all day which is supposed to be a feature and you cost me a fortune in batteries. I’m out.

[Topcat54]

I suspect this is a Fitbit software issue, I have turned off All-Day Sync and so has my wife. We both started having the same problem at about the same time. It is inaccurately reporting a battery as discharged that still has significant charge remaining. This is in addition to lasting weeks instead of months.

[YojanaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back @Camarogrl and @Topcat54. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the Fitbit product.

Sorry for the issues with your Zip over the time, but our team is still working on this. Thanks for the feedback, it's very important to us to have your thoughts in regards our product and your customer support interactions. Fitbit is always trying to provide great products and customer experience. Each scenario is different, but I think that you can use the option available according to your warranty information, if you haven't check your options I can give you a hand with that. 

We don't want to create frustration in our customers. Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on what you share here.

Thanks for your understanding. 

[H-zip]

Response,

Hi Helen,

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience you've had.

With regard to your concern, replacing the tracker will not resolve the issue you are currently experiencing since there is no issue with the hardware itself. It has something to do with the software or firmware the tracker is using which drains the battery once paired to iOS devices, particularly those on version 2.36 and above.

In the meantime, we suggest that you pair your Zip to a computer or an Android device while we wait for our engineers to come up with a fix for this issue that is affecting iOS device users.

We thank you for your patience and kind understanding on this matter. Feel free to reach out to us if you have further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

I had the exact same problem on a regular basis which is why I went back to sync on my iPad twice a day with Bluetooth off after every sync. Doesn’t seem to matter what you do it’s unreliable. Great shame as it had potential to be a brilliant product and once sold they really don’t seem to give two hoots just fob you off with the same standard response...our engineers are working in it...think they need new engineers as this is such an old issue 2-3 years old.

[ADKzip]

it all due respect, and for the umpteenth time, some of us are having the exact same battery drain problem when we sync with the Fitbit app on a Windows 10 PC.  In fact, the battery I inserted in the replacement Fitbit that I received June 1 has shown a low battery icon or I have received a low battery email from Fitbit on July 1, July 6, July 22, July 25 and July 31.  Although, to quote Monty Python, it's not dead yet, this is not seem to be just an iOS problem.

And just to make matters worse, tonight my Fitbit won't sync with my Windows 10 app.  It synced this afternoon but tonight it cannot seem to find the tracker.  This is utterly ridiculous.

Dearest Yojana,

Since I have been scolded for inappropriately posting a message re the ongoing problem, I will try again to post this message correctly, which is:

I continue to have the exact same battery drain problem when syncing with the Fitbit app on a Windows 10 PC.  In fact, the battery I inserted in the replacement Fitbit that I received June 1 died after failing the sync on August 1 -- precisely two months after it was inserted.  Furthermore, after I put in the new battery (the last one I have and the last one I'll use prior to buying one of the other clipable trackers that exist since the Zip is clearly a failure), the steps that the Windows 10 app had last tracked were synced to the Zip (approx. 4,000) rather than the actual number of steps tracked on the Zip (7,500). 

Furthermore, when Yojana decided that my message needed to be edited, she conflated it with someone else's message.  So not only does Fitbit's software ineffectual, so is it's editing.

Moderator edit: merged reply

[YojanaFitbit]

Thanks for sharing the feedback of your case @H-zip. Sorry to hear about the issues that you are having with your Zip. I'd consider checking with our team again since, as they mentioned this issue is with the iOS devices version 2.36 and above. As we have to check what is the next option in your case. Have you informed this information with them?

@ADKzip Thank for your quick reply, I really apologize for the misunderstanding regarding your recent posts I already fixed the mistake. About the persistent issue with your Zip, I think that the issue is not only with the battery as it was specify in the update that we had early this year. In this case it's best to keep the communication open with our support team, as they will be able to provide you with the next step. 

Thank  you for your understanding. 

[SunsetRunner]

My new Zip is on back order and I've decided to try and avoid all the problems I had with the first one and, after the initial connection to my computer, I won't sync it with anything. Not my iPhone, or my computer. Am I right in assuming that if I don't plug the dongle into my computer that the zip won't try to sync? I would definitely not go to all this trouble if the Zip didn't give me the advantage of counting my recumbent bike 'steps'.

[SunsetRunner]

I want to add my voice to the flood of frustration about this (1 - 2 weeks of battery life on a Zip). I actually purchased a new Zip from the Vitality Store, thinking the problem was that my old Zip was getting quite old and was becoming crotchety. I was wrong - the new Zip has had the identical problem since I got it about 6 months ago. Why not enable the Zip to turn on Bluetooth 3 or 4 times a day - if a synced device is available, sync and then shut off Bluetooth till the next check; if no synced device is available, shut Bluetooth off after, say, 5 minutes until the next check. I suspect the problem is with the Zip having Bluetooth always on.

[SunsetRunner]

Well -- here I go with another incredibly infuriating Fitbit zip story.
Because of the battery drain, I deleted the fitbit app from my iphone
several months ago and only synced to my laptop (PC -- Windows 10). That
was working and my battery wasn't draining...until July 5th. NOW the Zip
won't sync to my laptop -- it indicates I need to update my Windows 10 --
this is a laptop I use for work and it automatically updates -- there are
no available new updates. So I tried removing the Zip from my computer app
(as instructed on the fitbit website) and then re-setting it up. But when I
tried to set it up, I get the following message "your fitbit is busy
communicating to another device" -- oh how I wish that were true, but alas
the ZIp no longer communicates with anything (not my iphone, not my
computer) -- clearly FITBIT doesn't give a s..t about the Zip. I will NEVER
BUY another Fitbit product -- I really like the idea of the ZIP and have
had one for a number of years, but now I can't sync it to any device, so
what good it it. I am so so frustrated. And there is NO WAY TO TROUBLESHOOT
this problem -- what's the point of tracking your activity if you can't
keep track of your activity on any device. Guess, I will have to do it the
old fashioned way and write my steps down on a piece of paper every night.
What a joke!!!

[H-zip]

I’m reliably informed that you are mistaken. The fitbit engineers have been working tirelessly to improve and update this product and care deeply about their customers. However, you will need to bear with them for a time....I’ve been waiting since before Christmas.

The product itself is not faulty but it’s user error or system incompatibility...mine too did not like modern technology so reverted to older technology the pc which regularly was unable to find the zip even when placed directly on top of the dongle provided. I reverted by to the modern technology, remove the battery over night, only use it for 9 hours per day for four days only and then use the Alta. 

So the product does do what it’s marketed to do providing you don’t want to use modern technology have to receive numerous email detail all the things you are probably not doing correctly to cause the battery drain...not dusting the inside regularly was the last one....for real?? Goiod luck  

[H-zip]

I too get scolded, shame customer service for repair is not so speedy in resolving the issue so Yojana didn’t have to spend time monitoring post from customers with a faulty product...honestly.