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Fitbit: Troubleshooting Connection and Data Issues

Fitbit Data Does Not Display in MyDataHelps

Occasionally the Fitbit app stops transmitting data to the MyDataHelps app, or expected Fitbit data does not display at all. Please have the participant check the following before trying any troubleshooting steps below.

What to check:

  • Make sure they have connected your Fitbit to MyDataHelps. 
  • Confirm they are logged into the correct MyDataHelps account (email- vs. phone-based account).
  • Make sure they are wearing their device and that it’s syncing to the Fitbit app on their phone.
  • Open the Fitbit app regularly to trigger a data sync from the device.
  • Note that syncing is not always immediate or real-time. Fitbit sends data to MyDataHelps periodically, so it may take some time for their data to appear on MyDataHelps Designer.

While the issue of Fitbit data not displaying can happen for various reasons, the sections below address the majority of the causes.

Sync the Fitbit App with the Fitbit Servers

  1. Have the participant open the Fitbit mobile app and ensure that it's fully synced. They may need to refresh the screen by pulling down on the screen with their finger.
  2. They can confirm that the sync is complete by viewing their dashboard in fitbit.com and verifying that the data is correct there.
  3. After the sync is complete, have the participant:
      • Open MyDataHelps and select the tab that the Fitbit linked account displays on. The tab can vary depending on the project's configuration.
      • Touch the circular arrows to manually refresh their Fitbit data.
      • To see their refreshed data, they may need to refresh the screen by pulling the screen down with their finger.

Ensure the Participant's Fitbit Model Supports the Data in Question

For example, some Fitbit models do not track heart rate data, and some models do not track elevation data (floors climbed).

To check which Fitbit device is set up on Fitbit, have the participant:

  1. Open the Fitbit app.
  2. Tap your profile icon > Tap your current device.
  3. Check which device (e.g., Sense 2, Charge 6, Inspire 3) is connected to the Fitbit account.
  4. If an older device is showing, tap the gear icon and remove it from your account.

If the participant would like to connect a different Fitbit device (within the same Fitbit account), they can do so by opening the Fitbit app and pairing the new device there. Once the new device is connected to their Fitbit account, MyDataHelps will automatically begin syncing data from it.

Ensure the Participant Enabled the Necessary Fitbit Access

To determine which data type accesses are enabled, the participant will need to sign in to their account on fitbit.com, navigate to "Settings," and then select "Applications" from the menu.

We request access to the following Fitbit data: activity and exercise, profile, heart rate, weight, sleep, and food and water logs. If the participant denied access to any of these (and the study uses any of these data types), that data will be missing.

It is also a good idea for participants to allow access to Fitbit devices and settings; this access helps with syncing Fitbit.

If the participant wishes to change access, they will need to select the Revoke Access button for CareEvolution on Fitbit, and then sign in to Fitbit again in MyDataHelps. Have the participant try the following steps: 

On Fitbit app:

  1. Open the Fitbit app on your phone.
  2. Tap your profile icon (top right corner).
  3. Select "Your data in Fitbit".
  4. Select "Connected apps and devices" > "Manage connected apps".
  5. Look for CareEvolution in the list of connected apps and tap it.
  6. Tap "Disconnect" or "Revoke access" then "Confirm and disconnect".
  7. Open the MyDataHelps app and go to the menu (☰) in the top-right corner.
  8. Tap Account > Providers / Health Plans / Devices.
  9. Tap "Reconnect".
  10. Follow the prompts to log in to your Fitbit account again.
  11. When prompted, make sure to click "Allow All" or select the data you want to share.

On Fitbit site:

  1. Go to fitbit.com and log in.
  2. Click your watch icon (settings) in the top-right corner.
  3. Choose Applications from the left-hand menu.
  4. Find CareEvolution in the list and click Revoke Access.
  5. Open the MyDataHelps app and follow the steps to reconnect your Fitbit account with the correct data access.

Ensure the Correct Fitbit Account is Linked to MyDataHelps

Participants may have multiple Fitbit accounts. This can happen if:

  • They are logged into the wrong Fitbit account on MyDataHelps.
  • They connected a different Fitbit account than the one your device is actually using.

Fitbit now requires all new accounts to be created using a Google login. If they previously had a Fitbit account before this change, they may still have a login with Fitbit directly (i.e., using an email + password).

When connecting your Fitbit account to MyDataHelps, they will be given two login options:

  • "Log in with Fitbit" – use this if they created their account before Google acquired Fitbit.
  • "Continue with Google" – use this if they created their Fitbit account more recently, or are logging in with a Gmail account.

The below instructions will step through how a participant can check which Fitbit account is connected and connect a new one if necessary.

First, check which email was used to create the account in Fitbit:

  1. Open Fitbit app
  2. Click the account image in the top left
  3. Scroll down to Settings and click Account Settings
  4. Click Change Email
  5. The Current Email listed at the top of the screen is the one connected to Fitbit account
  6. Note this email address for reference

Next, connect your Fitbit to MyDataHelps using the email address in your Fitbit app:

  1. Open MyDataHelps.
  2. Tap the ☰ menu > Account >  Providers / Health Plans / Devices.
  3. Tap the trash icon to remove the Fitbit connection.
  4. Go to the MyDataHelps Discover page by tapping the ☰ menu > “Discover” under MyDataHelps.
  5. Tap "Connect Devices".
  6. Tap "Connect" next to Fitbit.  
  7. Log into the same Fitbit account you use in the Fitbit app.
  8. On the data sharing screen, tap Allow All or select the data you want to share.

Reconnecting Fitbit to MyDataHelps

Normally a participant will only need to connect with Fitbit once, when they first connect. If their Fitbit tokens somehow become invalid, they will need to connect to Fitbit again within MyDataHelps. When this happens, they will see an "Access Expired. Please reconnect for us to pull your latest records." message. To reconnect, they would touch "Reconnect" and follow the onscreen prompts.

  1. Open MyDataHelps.
  2. Tap the ☰ menu > Account >  Providers / Health Plans / Devices.
  3. Tap "Reconnect".
  4. Log in to the same Fitbit account you use in the Fitbit app.
  5. On the data sharing screen, tap Allow All or select the data you want to share.

To see their refreshed data after reconnecting, they may need to refresh the screen by pulling down on the screen with their finger.

Failed Sync

On occasion Fitbit fails to sync. This can happen, for example, when the Fitbit server is down for a short period of time. MyDataHelps will be updated once the Fitbit issue is corrected.

This could also happen when the participant has exceeded the download data limits allowed by Fitbit for the hour. The participant would need to wait until a new hour begins (e.g., if they tried and the sync failed at 3:45 PM, they would need to wait until after 4:00 PM to try again).

Getting an Error When Trying to Connect to Fitbit

An error can occur if they are not using the same user name and password that they used to sign in to Fitbit on MyDataHelps that they use to sign in to the Fitbit app.

If they are connected to a different Fitbit account on MyDataHelps, please have them follow the steps to manually remove and reconnect your Fitbit.