In 2022, fitness trackers have become an integral part of our daily life. These are devices designed to help you monitor sports activity and keep many aspects of your health under control.
Is your Fitbit not syncing? Here are ten ways to fix
Among the many existing models on the market, Fitbit ranks as one of the most loved of all together with the Apple Watch thanks to some very interesting features designed to make the sporting activity better and to monitor some vital functions. Although it is a high-quality device and can offer a lot, it often happens that small problems occur, fortunately, they are easily solved. Is your Fitbit not syncing? Do not worry, there are many ways to solve this unpleasant problem that does not involve any cost and that will take a few minutes of your time.
What happens if your Fitbit doesn’t sync?
As already mentioned, Fitbit is a device designed to keep some important vital functions under control. For this reason, the fitness tracker should be worn all day and all night, to give you as detailed an overview of your physical condition as possible. If Fitbit doesn’t sync with the app, it won’t be able to save your data or track your progress. Let’s see what are the best ways to solve the problem.
1. Restart your Fitbit
It sounds too simple, yet often the best way to fix the sync problem is to just restart the device. The restart can be used to solve some small software problems and improve the performance of the fitness tracker. The Fitbit restart procedure may vary depending on your model – however, on most models, just press the power button for about ten seconds. Once it has restarted, you can try to sync it with the app again.
2. Check your phone’s Bluetooth connection
If the Fitbit doesn’t sync, you should immediately check that the device is connected to your smartphone or tablet. To do this, go to your phone’s settings and check that the Bluetooth connection is working properly. For the fitness tracker to work properly it is important that it is connected to your device via Bluetooth and that it is obviously within range of your phone. Here’s how to check that Fitbit is connected correctly:
- Open the Fitbit app
- Tap the Today button
A pop-up will open that will notify you if Bluetooth is off or if the app is unable to synchronize with the device. More often than not, a good way to fix the problem is to turn Bluetooth off and on again.
3. Force quit the app
Another quick and easy method to try if your Fitbit isn’t syncing is to force quit the app. Often this simple move is enough to fix some small bugs that prevent it from working properly. Here’s how to do it with iPhone and Android smartphones:
- iPhone: Open the Fitbit app in the running apps list and swipe up to close it
- Android : Tap Settings> Apps & notifications> See all apps . Here you will find the Fitbit app: click on the icon and tap Force Stop.
After forcing the app to close, reopen it and check that it synchronizes correctly with your Fitbit.
4. Check for app and firmware updates
Often, a great way to experiment when your Fitbit isn’t syncing is to update the app. Updates may be released precisely to correct some bugs and to improve the performance of the device. Furthermore, by updating the app you could also get new features aimed at improving sports activity and monitoring vital functions. Here’s how to check for new updates:
- Open the Fitbit app
- Tap Today
- Tap your profile picture (top left)
- Select your device
If there are new updates available they will appear on this screen. Conversely, if no message appears, your device is already running the latest version available.
5. Try reinstalling the Fitbit app
Although the Fitbit app is one of the best for keeping fit and monitoring vital functions, it can sometimes happen that it doesn’t work properly. If you’ve already tried all the methods suggested above and your Fitbit still doesn’t sync you could easily fix the problem by uninstalling the app and reinstalling it again. Even this process, although simple and fast, is an excellent way to correct any bugs that undermine the correct functioning of the device. Once reinstalled try to sync the device with your smartphone again.
6. Unpair and re-pair your Fitbit
Another effective method to try when your Fitbit isn’t syncing is to unpair the device with your smartphone and reset it. This simple trick is often enough to reactivate the correct connection between the two devices. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Fitbit app
- Tap the Today button.
- Tap your profile picture (top left)
- Select your device
- Tap the Remove button
To repair the device you will need to follow a few further steps:
- Tap Set up a device
- Follow the directions on the screen
7. If Fitbit doesn’t sync, try turning off WiFi
It often happens that the WiFi connection interferes with the Bluetooth making it malfunction. To solve this problem, just turn off the WiFi temporarily and check that the synchronization resumes working correctly. You will be able to reactivate it once the problem is resolved.
8. Try using your Fitbit with another smartphone or tablet
If your Fitbit doesn’t sync, it may not be the device to blame but your smartphone or tablet. In this case, the best way to check what the problem is is to try connecting it with another phone. If the fitness tracker works properly with another device the problem could be your phone.
9. Wait: The server may be down
More often than not, the best way to solve the synchronization problem is to wait. The source of the failure could be the server. In this case, you will not be able to do anything but wait for the problem to resolve itself.
10. Reset your Fitbit to factory settings
If trying all the suggested methods didn’t solve the problem you can give it a last try by resetting your Fitbit to factory settings. However, this will result in the loss of all your data: Before proceeding, remember to make a backup so that you can restore the device at a later time. Here’s how to proceed:
- Go to Settings
- Tap information
- Tap Factory Reset
- Tap Yes
Once reset, your Fitbit will be back to its original state. You can then proceed with the synchronization.