Sync clears steps

[Tooty1982]

I had 5 dots and was opening app to see how close I was to finishing and when I t sync it cleared all my steps and said I only had 23. I have my goal set on 12,000. Anyone else have this issue? 

[PureEvil]

Hello @Tooty1982,

Welcome to the community!

Did you by any chance:

• Deplete the battery on your Flex/Flex 2.
• Charge the tracker.
• Started using it and getting steps.

All before you synced it?  If so, then I can explain what happened.  Let us know.

[ZoD2ble]

Looking throughout the forums it's pretty evident that the last app update was a disaster and Fitbit techs and staff somehow have the audacity to still challenge customer intelligence by responding with trivial posts asking if you did something to cause this yourself days later.  Apple Watch anyone???

[Tooty1982]

Oh I have one. I love the challenges on the Fitbit tho. Guess I'll put it back in the drawer til I hear the mess is cleaned up

Thanks,
Kortnie

[Tooty1982]

I wore it all day and had 5 dots and when I opened app to sync they all went away and I had 23 steps. My sister said the same thing has been happening to hers since the last update. Pisses us off really. We work all day for them dots.

Thanks,
Kortnie

[PureEvil]

Hello @Tooty1982,

It saddens me that, while I responded to your post asking you for follow up questions (which still go unanswered), you were quick to accept @ZoD2ble suggestion that there's something wrong with the latest update.

So from your posts, it seems like you have a Fitbit Flex or Flex 2 and that you use it for challenges with friends, which likely means that you don't wear it and keep it charged when you're not participating in challenges.  Assuming that's true, then yes...  It is a symptom of how you're using the device.  For whatever it's worth, this is likely to affect your Apple Watch too (though you're more likely to notice sooner).

The explanation...  fitbits are like (analog) wall clocks:

• They keep time just fine while they have power.
• When they run out of power, they stop.
• When they get power again, they start to keep time, right where they left off.

So if you allowed the battery to expire on say...  3:30pm on 01/05, the moment you charged it back up, it still thought that it was 3:30pm on 01/05 and just continued to keep time from there.

Here's the catch, the moment you sync your Fitbit, it'll correct the time.  However, if you simply strap it on and start using it (go out for a run) before syncing it.  You'll still get credit for all those steps, but your Fitbit still thinks that it's 01/05 and that's where they'll be listed.

If you have any doubts, look at your profile, I bet it has your 12,000+ steps listed somewhere on the graph, but they're simply on a different day (the last day that you were active, which was likely after you last had it charged).  The moment you synced, the Fitbit App set the time on your Fitbit and then it credited you with the 23 steps that you got since the time was corrected.

If you allow the battery to expire on the Apple Watch long enough, it'll stop keeping track of time.  When it's charged back up again, it'll need to connect to your phone (maybe wi-fi will work) before it correctly sets the time again.  This is true as well on your Fitbit.  The difference is that on the Apple Watch, you'll immediately be able to tell if the time is off.  Your Fitbit Flex (or Flex 2) does not have a display, so there's no way to know what time it thinks it is.

So the way to remedy this is:

• Just don't allow your battery to expire.  You'll get an e-mail and notification when it's low in battery.  Just plug it in to charge.
• If you do expire the battery, simply sync it shortly after you charge before you start to wear it.  It'll appropriately set the time.

I hope this helps.

[ZoD2ble]

Good passive aggressive summary. So, my Sync hasn't gone below half battery strength in over S week and after about 10 resets and Bluetooth reconnects after that 'update' I still show, 'looking.'

What recommendations do you have for me? I had a moment yesterday where the app what giving a false positive 'synced' display, with 0 steps updated and no time update either (like it is doing at this very moment save for showing 'looking' vs the false sync).

[PureEvil]

@ZoD2ble,

I'm not saying that there aren't problems with the Fitbit App, nor am I not saying that you're wrong.  I'm simply saying that what I described is certainly the way Fitbits behave, and my explanation is as plausible as yours.  What I lament is that she was quick to assume that it was Fitbit's bug before she even responded to my questions.

I know that I have observed that behavior first hand (with a friend that got credited 21,000 steps on the wrong day about two years ago) and I have responded to at least half a dozen posts about it over the course of months if not years.  If it makes you feel better I can list them.

If you don't believe me...  Allow your Fitbit's battery to expire, wait a couple of days, turn off bluetooth on your phone and try it.

Now, @Tooty1982 may be running into either, but we won't know until she responds.

[ZoD2ble]

No need for extensive lists I believe you, and I advocate for not rushing to judgement or conclusions without a fair amount of due care and diligence. No need to let my battery die either (my device is experiencing the degraded symptoms with a full charge). At this point I desire some official statement from the company and hope their developers are at least looking into these issues.

In defense of Fitbit, this is the first time I am having this problem, but I am disturbed at reading the forum posts to see how widespread it is among the different devices.

Sent from my iPhone

[PureEvil]

@ZoD2ble,

Though now you have me curious...  I wonder if it's what the Fitbit App is displaying vs. what is actually on your account, so I would look at:

• Your online dashboard.  Does it seem to reflect the correct steps?
• Your tracker.  Does it also show zero steps?

While a bug is still a bug, I would feel better knowing that my data is still collected and stored properly and it's merely the Fitbit App that is not displaying it correctly.

Please respond if you have a chance.

[ZoD2ble]

Online dashboard shows no data at all save for some random calorie count, which I am not clear on how it is being populated.

Fitbit device itself tracks steps, but they are not being logged in the app or elsewhere. Time on the device is about 15 minutes slow from not syncing properly with the app either.

Sent from my iPhone

[Tooty1982]

Online device shows nothing. I've had my Fitbit for 2 years and never had this problem. So I don't think I was quick to jump. I was simply stating what I thought.

Thanks,
Kortnie

[ZoD2ble]

I agree and don't think you jumped the gun at all.  I'm going about two years myself and this past week has been the worst, yet I keep reading basic troubleshooting steps pushed to the users, while it seems they are trying to buy time.  I don't own Fitbit stock, so I've no reason to play games on their behalf.

[debosh]

I had over 14,000 steps, synced and it did not record any. I have Windows 10