Alta not receiving Notifications from iPhone 8+

[anniemareee]

I recently have purchased an iPhone 8+ and cannot get my Alta to connect. It will connect to the app but won’t recieve any of my messages, so really it won’t connect through Bluetooth. How can I fix it?

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @anniemareee, I hope you're having a great day, it's nice to see you around. 

Have you restarted your Alta and your phone recently? If so, my best recommendation would be resetting Notifications through the Fitbit app to also reset the connection between the tracker and the phone. 

To reset Notifications:

1. Go to the Bluetooth settings on your phone, then check if your tracker is on the list of paired devices. If it is, tap on it and select Forget this Device. 
2. Restart your phone (once again if you have already)
3. Open the Fitbit app and tap on Account > Alta > Notifications. 
4. Enable Notifications and when you receive a pop up asking you to pair your tracker and your phone tap on OK.

Additionally, If your phone is currently running iOS 11, please go to your phone Settings > Notifications > Fitbit and make sure the following is enabled:

I hope this can be helpful, give it a try and keep me posted in case you need anything else. 

[Tamarrisa]

I also just got the iPhone 8 (not the +). My Alta won't even show up on my phone as a device to connect to in my Bluetooth settings.

I talked with Apple last night; this is an issue that Fitbit (and multiple other Bluetooth device manufactures!) needs to correct since all their devices are incompatible with the new iPhone 8's until a firmware update is released for us. Or Apple corrects by giving us access to 'old Bluetooth'... Until then though, FitBits are useless to those of us with the new phones.

[anniemareee]

It didn’t work. My Fitbit won’t even come up in Bluetooth that’s why it won’t connect properly to my phone. 

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @anniemareee, I hope you're doing well, thanks for taking the time to reply. It's nice to have you on board @Tamarrisa, welcome to the Fitbit Community. 

@Tamarrisa, I appreciate your input, I'll make sure to forward the information you provided to our team, it's possible that due a new Bluetooth protocol implemented in the latest iPhone models the trackers are having trouble connecting.

@anniemareee, I appreciate your patience and understanding, I'll make sure to notify this and once I have more information to share with you I'll update the thread accordingly. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply. 

[RLB1]

I am having the same issue...cant even find it. It is very frustrating that now I cannot use the device I paid for.

[RLB1]

This is super frustrating. 

[Gresko]

I also just purchased an iPhone 8 Plus and Bluetooth wouldn’t come up. I logged onto Fitbit and it appeared. Still can’t get text messages 

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @Gresko and @RLB1, thanks for joining the conversation, it's great to have you on board. 

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Which tracker are you currently using? Have you tried to restart it yet? If so, I would like to suggest you to reset Notifications from the Fitbit app following these steps:

- Go to the Bluetooth settings on your phone and tap on your tracker. Then tap on Forget this Device. 

- Force-close the Fitbit app by double tapping the home button on your phone and swiping up the app. 

- Open the app again and tap on Account > Your Tracker > Notifications. You will receive the following Pop-up:

- Then, once you tap on Set Up, the app will begin setting up your tracker with the Bluetooth on your phone, which will prompt the next pop-up:

- Tap Pair

- Once you get back to the tracker Options, tap on Notifications an enable the ones you'd like to receive. 

Please remember that some trackers have a Do Not Disturb mode that might prevent them from receive Notifications:

• Blaze: Swipe down on the clock face to check if Notifications have been turned on or off.
• Charge 2: Press and hold the button on the side for 2 seconds to turn on or off "Do Not Disturb"
• Ionic: Swipe right on the clock face and under Notifications select "Receive from phone"

I hope this can be helpful, give it a try and keep me posted in case you need anything else. 

[Marleedog]

I believe this is a thread for the Alta. I also have an Alta HR...restart is not an option. It still doesn’t show up in Bluetooth after following those steps. Can we get an ETA for when this will be addressed?  I’ve completely stopped using my Fitbit at this point. 

[Lvenz]

I had this same problem. I had to delete the app off my phone and then download it again. Now my Alta HR is paired to my phone, but I am not receiving text or phone call notifications on my Alta Hr. All of the notifications are on. 

[SoDisappointed]

Hi All,

I have spent over 3 weeks trying to sync and fix my fitbit Alta HR and iphone 8 compatibility.  After several hours of trouble shooting I was able to get the app to work.  I have not been able to get my text and phone notifications to my fitbit.  This is a deal breaker for me.

After hours in the forums and trying every possible trouble shooting option several times over I spoke with a fitbit customer service representative.  After 15 minutes of trouble shooting (all the things I had already tried), I got cut off.  I spoke with a second representative and he flat out told me that the iphone 8 is not compatible and there isn't a timeline of when it will be fully compatible.  So some features may work, some may not.  He suggested I keep checking back to the website to see if iphone 8 becomes compatible.

I've owned 3 fitbits and love the platform and wearability.  However after this lack of transparency I am done.  I chased my tail for hours for nothing.

Have great holidays all.  Maybe Santa will bring me an apple watch.

[Viv68]

I have tried all of the suggestions. Restart, uninstall, reinstall, pair again, set up as new device, turn on and off notifications in both the app and in the iPhone 8+ settings. Nothing worked. The phone is updated to iOS 11.2.1. I am seriously disappointed and appreciate the information not to waste time on a call to go through all of the steps again only to be told it's not compatible. Why not make a blanket statement instead of having everyone attempt a useless process? I will be looking in the apple watch direction as well. 

[SoDisappointed]

I just gave up and ordered an Apple Watch from Santa. I am not nearly as disappointed in the lack of compatibility as I am in Fitbit’s lack of transparency and honesty. I estimate I wasted at least 15 hours over 3 weeks trouble-shooting. Getting different answers from different tech support. And not one apology. No solution on the horizon so Fitbit has lost a formerly very loyal customer. Happy Holidays to all!

Sent from my iPhone

[Lvenz]

All of the sudden this evening I started getting text and call notifications on my Fitbit!! Yay! 

[SoDisappointed]

I am a few days into my Apple Watch and I couldn't be happier.  I really wanted to stay loyal to Fitbit but I feel very betrayed by the lack of transparency.  This issue is posted in several other forums and the Fitbit moderator has disappeared; every customer service representative gives you a different story and to be finally told by a rep that "fitbit is incompatible with iphone 8 and there is no timeline for the issue to be resolved-some things will work, some things won't" was the death knell.  No apology, no sorry for your hours of wasted time in troubleshooting, nothing. 

I'm giving my 12 year old son my fitbit to run into the ground.  Never again, Fitbit after owning 4 watches personally and gifting 3 over the past couple of years.

Happy holidays all and I hope your problems are resolved one way or another soon.

[KimDD]

Thanks for the info.  Took 5 days and countless attempts but I finally got the Alta to receive notifications.,

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @KimDD, thanks for joining the Fitbit Community, it's great to have you on board! 

I appreciate your participation in the Forums and for letting us know that after trying the troubleshooting steps listed on this thread several times your Alta is now able to receive Notifications, I'm very glad. 

In case you have some spare time, I would like to invite you to visit our Discussions board where you will find great tips and encouragement from other members and if there's anything else I can do for you, please keep me posted!