Food log not working

[Maisiemugwump]

When adding a new food from the food database I just keep getting the spinning icon. This is happening more and more so frustrating when you are trying to log your food. Have tried logging out of the Fitbit app. Shutting the phone down then logging in again no success 

Moderator edit: subject for clarity 

[MrSpock314]

I feel your pain.  I had trouble for the first 5 months of 2021.  Since then, I've been OK.  Here's what I learned.

1. Use only 1 device for BT connection. (I use my iPhone.) "Forget" fitbit app on ALL other devices.

2. Turn off BT on any nearby devices.

3.  On your prime device, "forget" and then "join" BT and the fitbit app.  The phone will pop-up a "handshake" message, wait for it and then say "Yes, connect".  I have to do this once every other week or so.  If you can't join, try rebooting the watch.  I need to do that about once a month.

4.  Normally, when you start the app, pull down the title bar and the sync line should move a quarter inch immediately.  Then, it will finish in 30 to 120 seconds.

5.  The server gets slow at dinner time so don't fight it. Wait a half hour.  Sometimes I get the spinner; sometimes it just freezes.

6.  I also use my tablet or my desktop, but I never connect via bluetooth.  Be sure BT is off and/or forgotten on these devices.

7.  Of course, be sure each and every Fitbit apps is up to date.  (On the watch, too.)

8.  Keep your phone charged to at least 50 percent for best BT performance.

Good Luck.

[tdkwiat82]

Thank you so much!

[JenBNE]

Thanks for suggesting this workaround Stefanoandrea, I think I’m going to do this. 👍

[GuyFit]

It might work for you, but, I don’t understand why we (the users and customers) have to find workarounds? It’s about time Fitbit just made it work, properly, for everyone. Enough data and information has been supplied on the errors encountered daily by so many users over a very long time. We need a proper, permanent fix from Fitbit.

[Rsullivan13]

Agreed.  We bought the product and service - we should expect it to work

[The-Evangelist]

There is clearly a major flaw in this software that affects many many people. 

FitBit really needs to suck it up, accept that there's some bad programming in their app and just fix it!

They are very good at marketing, but not good at customer service - it's mostly faceless. I bought a new FitBit for my daughter's birthday recently. I paid for expedited next-day delivery. It didn't arrive and when I contacted the courier I was told that FitBit only paid for standard delivery. I spent hours talking to foreign helpdesk people who were incapable of making a decision and kept pointing me at the various small print. After much escalation, they paid me the difference between standard and expedited shipping. Wow - very big of them!

[tlc1196]

I agree but there isn’t anything I can do, other than contact them, to fix this problem.

I have found out the following works 90 percent of the time.

First open app and sync the APP to the fitbit watch by swiping down on the screen.

After they are synced which may take a few seconds.

Then, either use the + sign next to start logging food or click on start logging food.

Using the + sign works fast 95 percent of the time although a bit slow going back and forth.

Clicking on the log food then the plus sign on the top right works 80 percent of the time and is faster.

Not perfect but I think if we keep complaining and posting maybe fitbit will not only take notice but actually do something. Maybe their whole idea is to force us to buy premium, which I have not done.

Sent from Mail for Windows

[tlc1196]

Sent from Mail for Windows
You are very welcome. Be sure to sync you fitbit before trying to log food.

It also seems better if the fitbit is fully charged along with the phone.

[AsheMischief]

I have premium so it's definitely not that. It was fine a year ago so something changed with their data syncs. I notice when I have weird calorie counts in my app, my desktop food log has duplicate food items. So when I add something in the app, the sync that posts that item to other instances of the food log (desktop vs mobile) doesn't work as expected - like it's sending multiple syncs and not recognising it's sending the same data. Removing the duplicates from the desktop website usually fixes the problem in the mobile app after a few minutes, so I suspect whatever tech they have for syncing from mobile to desktop is causing issues. I actually noticed this same lagging and duplication issue is happening in other parts of the mobile app - the water log for instance, does the same exact thing with duplicates and lag with syncing. 

Unfortunately the bluetooth and pull down sync method doesn't fix anything for me. 😞  Items I've added myself in my custom database come up and add immediately but most of the virtual database just spins endlessly when I try to add the items, I'm guessing because the custom database is likely housed in the data on my phone's hardware versus trying to ping a cloud database for the other food items. 

[tlc1196]

Sent from Mail for Windows
Hi, thanks for the feedback.

I am syncing an iPhone with the app, maybe that is why it works for me. Not sure why that would be. I assume you completely deleted the APP and reinstalled.

Sorry I couldn’t be of help to you, you would think fitbit would be all over this, kinda strange.

[annamacc]

Did you ever get an answer to this?

[tdkwiat82]

I did not. I received some suggestions from other folks on how to alleviate the problem but they did not work for me.

I have figured out a workaround which is a total pain but works. When the “spinning” happens, I cancel the log of the item on my phone and record it on my IPad. As my Ipad is synched with my phone, the entry will show up on my phone a few hours later.

Still annoying but it does work.

[annamacc]

Thank you! I appreciate the info. I deleted my fitbit app about an hour
ago and reinstalled it. I then tried to add a food that I wasn't able to
add yesterday and it added just fine. I looked around a bit in my app and
don't think I lost any info.....which surprised me.

Again - thank you for your help!

[Bbillp]

The Food Log problem persists often on very common food items, VERY ANNOYING, WHY DOESN’T FITBIT FIX THIS. My current routine is to enter BIG MAC (McDonalds burger) and adjust the calories when ever the food item fails to resolve.

Sent from my iPad

[annamacc]

My thought exactly! I just can’t imagine it’s all that hard to fix.

[tdkwiat82]

This problem has been with us for over a year now and I have lost all hope that Fitbit has the ability to fix it.

[tlc1196]

My fitbit seems to be working if I sync my fitbit and iPhone first. I have found that hitting the plus sign on the TODAY screen instead of logging food usually works best. A little more time consuming but it seems to work.

Sent from Mail for Windows

[annamacc]

Thank you! I will try that:-)

[Shayonibasu]

I use my fitness Pal due to this issue

[annamacc]

Thank you!