Sync issues on iOS

[RobJ_]

Hi, (cross post from SDK forum as am stuck and need help pretty urgently!)

Project I'm working on seems to be experiencing an iOS-only issue. 

We're using the web API to pull in Fitbit data into our own app.  However it appears that the iOS version of the Fitbit app does not appear to reliably sync the wearable data. For example, there is sometimes a delay between waking up and sleep and heart rate data then appearing in our app via the Fitbit APIs.  Sometimes the data doesn't appear at all and only works after opening the iOS FitBit app, forcing it to sync.  This same behaviour does not seem to affect Android. 

Situation:

• Our App and Fitbit App in memory
• WiFi connected
• Bluetooth turned on
• Fitbit set within iphone settings to refresh in background
• Time awake on day 1 and day 2: hours
• Frequency with which we’re taking data from Fitbit APIs - every 5 mins

Result Day 1

• All data in appeared in our app – as expected

Result Day 2

• Nothing but steps data in our app 

Questions

1. Is sync frequency dependent on device or age of device?
2. Is sync frequency dependent on whether on a wifi or mobile data connection?
3. Is sync frequency dependent how active you are?
4. Is sync frequency dependent on phone os  / device type / some other user controllable configuration?
5. Is sync frequency dependent on their being a min amount of data to sync to make it worth while?
6. How long after data is synced from the phone to the Fitbit servers is the data available via the Fitbit Apis?
7. What is the lag between when someone wakes up and when their sleep and resting heart rate data becomes available?
8. Why would steps data be available but not heart and sleep?
9. Any recommendations on how to overcome the above?
10. Are there instructions we could include within our app to make sure the user do all they have to do to get it working?

[Gordon-C]

Hi @RobJ_ 

The Web APIs can only make the data available after the iOS app and the device finish a successful sync and process the data.  It could take a few minutes for the data to go through our algorithms and finish processing.   The questions you have are actually related to the iOS and its behavior.  So, I'm moving your post to there.