Okay, so I ran into some trouble today trying to update my Fitbit. It wasn’t the smoothest process, and I figured I’d share what happened in case anyone else is pulling their hair out with the same issue.
It all started this morning. I got a notification on my phone that a new firmware update was available for my Fitbit. “Cool,” I thought, “New features, maybe some bug fixes… let’s do this!” I tapped the update button in the Fitbit app and…nothing. Well, not nothing exactly. It started the process, showed the little progress bar, but then it just stalled. Like, completely froze.
I waited. And waited. Still stuck. So, the first thing I did was the classic – I force-closed the Fitbit app and reopened it. Tried the update again. Same problem. Progress bar barely moved.
Troubleshooting Time
Alright, time for some basic troubleshooting. I made sure my phone’s Bluetooth was on and that my Fitbit was properly connected. Everything looked good there. I even restarted my phone, just in case. Still no luck. The update just wouldn’t budge.
Next, I checked my Wi-Fi. My phone was connected to my home network, which is usually pretty solid. I even ran a quick speed test to make sure everything was okay – yep, internet was humming along just fine.
Then, I remembered reading somewhere that sometimes the Fitbit itself needs a restart. So, I found the instructions for restarting my specific model (it’s usually holding down a button or two for a few seconds). Gave that a shot. My Fitbit rebooted, I went back into the app, and…still stuck on the update.
Deeper Dive
At this point, I was getting a little frustrated. I started googling “Fitbit update stuck” and found a bunch of forum posts and help articles. Turns out, this isn’t exactly uncommon.
Here’s what I tried, based on what I found:
- Cleared the cache for the Fitbit app. This is usually done in your phone’s app settings.
- Made sure my Fitbit was fully charged. Apparently, low battery can sometimes interfere with updates.
- Temporarily forgot my Fitbit from my phone’s Bluetooth settings, then re-paired it. This forces a fresh connection.
- Moved closer to my Wi-Fi router. Even though my connection seemed fine, a stronger signal couldn’t hurt.
I did all of that, one step at a time, trying the update again after each attempt. Still… nothing.
The Solution (Finally!)
Finally, after what felt like hours, I stumbled upon one suggestion that I hadn’t tried yet: Try updating through a computer that installs the fitbit program.
After downloading the program and installing it, I went to the update center, I noticed my fitbit was already being updated, and this time it took about 5 minutes to update and it was done!
I’m not entirely sure why, but it worked. Maybe there was some weird glitch with my phone, or maybe the Fitbit app just needed a break. Whatever the reason, I was finally able to get the update installed.
So, if you’re ever stuck in Fitbit update purgatory, try these steps. Hopefully, you’ll have better luck than I did at first! And if all else fails, consider using the computer to update, that did it for me! Good luck!