Fitbit users struggle with “very frustrating” app bugs for months

Users of Fitbit’s iOS and Android apps have been reporting problems with the apps’ ability to sync and collect and display accurate data. Some have been complaining of such problems since at least April, and Fitbit has been working on addressing syncing issues since at least September 3. However, Google’s Fitbit hasn’t said when it expects the bugs to be totally resolved.

On September 3, Fitbit’s Status Dashboard updated to show a service disruption, pointing to an incident affecting the web API.

“Some users may notice data discrepancies or syncing issues between [third-party] apps and Fitbit. Our team is currently investigating the root cause of the issue,” the dashboard reads.

On September 3, Fitbit also released version 4.24 of its mobile apps. It’s unclear if the update is related to the problems. At least some of the complaints in this story started coming to light before September.

Owners of older and newer Fitbit devices have taken to the company’s online support forum to discuss software problems they’re reportedly having. There are several threads with dozens of pages’ worth of responses pointing to issues, like the app’s dashboard “deleting steps and not syncing properly,” the app recording steps but not distance traveled, the app seemingly showing inaccurate data, and other bugs.

When reached for comment about the complaints, a Google spokesperson told Ars Technica: “We’re aware of the issue and are working hard to get it resolved.”

Monthslong problems

Some of the complaints about the apps have seemingly gone on for months. Fitbit representatives have said online that the issues are being worked on.

For example, in an 11-page thread on Fitbit’s community forum, users say the app inaccurately claims that they’ve taken about the same number of steps per day for several days in a row. The thread began on April 10. On September 8, a Fitbit moderator said that Fitbit “is aware of the situation and is working on a solution to it.”

“We haven’t received any time frame yet, how long our team still needs to solve this. Hopefully it will be fixed soon,” the Fitbit moderator going by JuanFitbit said.

In another thread, started on July 3, a Charge 5 user claimed that their iOS is tracking steps but not kilometers traveled. On September 18, JuanFitbit posted in the thread: “We still haven’t received an update on how long this will take. But our team has this problem as one of their priorities to solve.”

“Insanely annoying”

As expected, the ongoing bugs and broken features have left users frustrated and hungry for a solution.

“This is insanely annoying,” a forum user going by MonkeyPants wrote on September 11. “The app has constant syncing issues especially with the One.”

Since acquiring Fitbit in 2021, Google has ushered sweeping changes to the platform, including removing the online dashboard, social features, and the ability to sync Fitbits with computers. Some long-time Fitbit owners have accused Google of reducing Fitbit support and quality in favor of Google Pixel Watches. For its part, Google has denied that it will stop making Fitbit products.

On Fitbit’s forum, a user called DustyStone claimed they are having problems with the app’s dashboard losing steps and not syncing properly. They said this happened with both an old Fitbit One and newly purchased Inspire 3:

It looks that Google just somehow screwed up the app. Worse yet, nothing has changed in weeks. Google is a tier 1 tech company. But their response to this issue and the deletion of the web based Fitbit platform shows that may no longer be the case.

Similarly, MBWaldo said they are “not sure how serious the fitbit team is about resolving” the app problems while lamenting the lack of an online dashboard, like countless other users we’ve seen.

“Very frustrating!!!!,” MBWaldo wrote. “I have been experiencing this for several days now. I have deleted app and reinstalled it, I have unpaired and re-paired the ONE and looked for app updates in the app store – NADA. And of course the dashboard is no longer available at fitbit.com.”

Some app problems fixed

Based on Fitbit’s forums, it seems that at least some recently reported software problems have been fixed.

For example, some customers recently pointed to a problem with the apps’ “Exercise days” tiles not loading properly being fixed. Some people have also said that they’re no longer experiencing a problem where the app was listing calorie counts for days in the future.

One only needs to go back to the recent Sonos app debacle for a reminder of the importance of ensuring that software changes won’t hurt the experience of already-purchased hardware. A company’s bad app and slow response to issues can ruin otherwise functioning hardware and discourage future purchases.

Although this is different from the Charge 5’s battery problems that were suspected to be caused by a firmware update—Google denied this was the case but didn’t provide an alternate answer—it’s an improvement to see Google at least acknowledge the app problems. But killing features combined with a broken app experience won’t help the wearables brand’s errant reputation. Fixes are reportedly in the works, but for some it may be too little too late.