Fitbit Versa 2 not tracking steps or heart rate

The Fitbit fitness tracker is designed to monitor many different types of daily activity, from tracking steps to monitoring the heart rate. But sometimes, you may find your Fitbit isn’t tracking your steps accurately or at all.

Your Fitbit may have problems tracking your steps if it is not syncing with the Fitbit app, if the Fitbit app is not syncing with Fitbit.com, or if the Fitbit software needs an update.

If you depend on your Fitbit daily, the following information will help you troubleshoot syncing problems and guide you through checking to see if your device needs an update.

Is Your Fitbit Synced Correctly?

If your Fitbit is not synced, it will not accurately report data. First, make sure your Fitbit is correctly set up in the app. For the Iconic and Versa, make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi to complete the setup. Once you have ensured that your tracker is set up correctly, check to make sure it is synced properly.

To reset your tracker’s syncing:

1. Force stop your Fitbit app. This will stop all processes that the app is performing.
2. Next, go to your phone’s settings, turn Bluetooth off, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on. This will clear the Bluetooth signal from the tracker and allow it to reset.
3. After you have turned Bluetooth back on, open your Fitbit app and see if the tracker is syncing. If the Fitbit still doesn’t sync, turn off your phone or iPad. This will close all processes running on the device and allow them to restart fresh.

The Fitbit app will usually sync automatically, but you can manually sync the devices if it does not:

1. Open your Fitbit app.
2. Tap your profile picture.
3. Tap your device name.
4. Tap “Sync Now.”

Make Sure Your Fitbit is Updated

If there is an update to your Fitbit software, it may also affect the tracker’s ability to report accurate information. Updated software allows the manufacturers to monitor for bugs in their programs and allow the tracker to have the most up-to-date operating software.

To check for an update to your Fitbit app:

1. Open your Fitbit app and tap the “Today” tab.
2. Tap your profile picture and then tap your device image.
3. If there is an update available, the pink update button will appear.
4. Tap the update button to update to the latest software.

To check for an update on the fitbit.com dashboard, first, make sure you have the latest version of Fitbit Connect:

• Click on the Fitbit Connect icon (located near the date and time on your computer).
• Open the main menu.
• Click “Troubleshooting.”
• Click “Check for Update” (located under the Fitbit connect number).

Once you have confirmed that you have the most up-to-date version of Fitbit Connect, go back to the main menu, and click “Check for Device Update.” If there is an update, the instructions will appear on your computer screen. Keep your device close to the computer while you are updating your tracker.

Tips to Get the Most Accurate Step Reading on Fitbit

To accurately measure your steps, the Fitbit should be worn on the non-dominant hand and have direct contact with your skin. If the Fitbit is worn over clothing, the Fitbit will not be able to record information accurately.

Enable the “Dominant Hand” setting if you prefer wearing your watch on your dominant hand; this setting will allow the tracker to provide more accurate results.

Final Thoughts

Using your Fitbit regularly can help track your fitness and practice healthy habits. Having a fitness tracker in your life has many benefits, and it is frustrating when it does not work as advertised. Make sure your device is synced and is running the most up-to-date software so that your device performs as well as it is supposed to.

As a Fitbit user, there have been times when the green light of the heart rate monitor on my Fitbit versa just stopped working for no apparent reason at all.

Being an obsessive person, and having gone through this issue with my Fitbit I found out every possible reason why this happens.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through all the troubleshooting options in the order of their priority.

If your Fitbit versa is not monitoring heart rate, the heart rate monitor/tracking on your fitbit might be turned off. On your Fitbit go to settings and tap the heart rate to turn the heart rate monitor on. Also clean the back of your fitbit to improve contact with the skin.

Although this is the most common reason, if you have tried this fix and it didn’t work, there are other fixes you can try.

Turn on the Heart rate Monitor

The heart rate monitor is supposed to be on by default in Fitbit versa. 

However, users have reported that it turns off sometimes for no apparent reason.

If your heart rate monitor is on, the green light on your Fitbit versa should be blinking.

In this case, the solution is simple,

• On your fitbit, get to the clock face screen.
• Swipe leftwards multiple times until you see settings.
• go to settings.
• Tap the “heart rate” option to turn it on.

If you have a fitbit versa 3, turning the heart rate monitor on cannot be a fix because the heart rate monitor cannot be turned off in the first place in versa 3.

Clean the Back of your Fitbit Versa

Sometimes any residue on the back of your fitbit might be causing the fitbit to lose contact with your skin.

In this case, clean the back of your fitbit versa with some cotton and rubbing alcohol.

Test your fibtit after cleaning to see if the green light starts working.

Reboot your Fitbit

Sometimes simply turning your fitbit off and turning it on again can solve the issues. 

Yes, it’s the most classic tech fix, :).

• On your fitbit, get to the clock face screen.
• Swipe leftwards multiple times until you see settings.
• go to settings.
• Tap on “About” and then hit “shut down”.

To Turn on your Fitbit again:

• Look for the non-physical haptic button on the side of your fitbit.
• Press and hold it for 10 seconds until you see the fitbit logo on the screen.
• Sometimes you’ll need to press a bit hard to turn the fitbit on.

Check if this step fixes the heart rate monitor issue.

Change the location of the Fitbit on your wrist

The ideal location to wear your Fitbit is 2-3 finger-widths above your wrist bone.

This lets the Fitbit versa detect your pulse easily.

This is also the prime reason why your sleep data isn't being tracked on your Fitbit Versa

Especially when you are exercising, move the Fitbit a bit further up from your wrist bone so that it's firmly in place.

Some exercises such as weightlifting will need you to bend your wrist and this can cause the Fitbit to slide down your wrist, affecting its efficiency.

Ensure that the back of the device is in contact with your skin.

However, make sure that it’s not too tight that you're uncomfortable. If your Fitbit is worn too tight, it can constrict your blood flow. 

If Fitbit Heart rate monitor is too high/low

Sometimes during heavy and intensive exercise routines, the heart rate monitor may show alarming spikes or dips.

There’s nothing to worry about here as it's the Fitbit trying to actively find your heart rate.

Hold your arm still and relax for around 10 seconds as the Fitbit does the work.

If Fitbit Heart rate monitor is grey

The heart rate monitor on your Fitbit turns grey when it’s searching for a stronger signal.

The signal received by your Fitbit might be weak depending on a multitude of reasons.

In this case, you only need to wait until the Fitbit gets a strong signal.

Change the accessory band

Certain accessory bands may cause the Fitbit to be too loose. 

This could be due to the design of the band or if the size of your band is not right for your wrist.

Try switching the band to see if that solves the problem.

Change the clock face

This might sound random, but sometimes changing the clock face of your Fitbit can solve the issue with the heart rate monitor.

There is no clear explanation for this, but for many users, this seems to solve the problem.

Try syncing with your phone/tablet again

Sometimes re-syncing your Fitbit with your device can help.

To do this:

• Go to settings in your phone/tablet.
• Tap on bluetooth and choose to forget your fitbit versa.
• Next, open the fitbit app on your phone and set up the connection again to re-sync the device.

This fix won’t affect any of your saved data, so don’t worry about that.

If your fitbit is wet, dry it

Although the Fitbit versa is waterproof for swimming up to 50 meters, moisture on the device can affect the heart rate tracker.

In this case, you need to take off the device and let it dry for a bit.

Do not under any condition expose the Fitbit to any liquid other than freshwater, including saltwater, shampoo, or soap.

Hard Reset/Factory reset your fitbit

Resetting your Fitbit back to factory state should be one of the last resorts if everything else fails.

The problem with factory reset is that it wipes all your stored data such as alarms, notifications, and goals you set.

However, any data that’s already synced to your Fitbit app will be available after you set up the device again.

To do a hard reset on your Fitbit versa, do this:

• On your fitbit, get to the clock face screen.
• Swipe leftwards multiple times until you see settings.
• go to settings.
• Tap on “About” and then hit “factory reset”

So that’s how you do a hard reset on your Fitbit versa via the screen.

Now, sometimes you cannot even get to your settings screen due to some error.

If that’s the case, you can reset in the following way:

• Take the charging cable of your fitbit and connect your fitbit versa to it. 
• There are three buttons on the sides of your fitbit. One on the left and two on the right. Press and hold all three buttons together for around 15 seconds until you see the fitbit logo flashing.
• Keep holding until the fitbit logo disappears. At that point, release the button on the bottom right and keep holding the other two buttons.
• After a bit, you’ll sense a strong vibration, which means the factory reset operation has been initiated in the fitbit.
• Once the factory reset begins, it will take some time until the logo reappears, which indicates the device has been reset.
• Make sure to release the bottom right button in time. Not doing so can cause the fitbit versa to simply reboot instead of doing a factory reset.

Replace if within warranty

If every step above fails to fix the issue with the heart rate monitor of the Fitbit, then your device might be broken.

If your device is still within the warranty period, you can get it replaced with a new one.

Fitbit offers a formal warranty of one year from the date of purchase on its products.

If it’s outside the warranty period, unfortunately, there’s nothing much you can do except buy a new one.

Sometimes Fitbit offers customers a discount on the new Fitbit if their current Fitbit breaks down and it’s outside the warranty period.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is my Fitbit reading my heart rate wrong?

A Fitbit is capable of reading your heart rate correctly, and for most people, it does work as advertised. However, if you are doubtful about the readings, verify it with another Fitbit or check your pulse manually using your fingers.

If there is a difference in reading between your Fitbit and what you measured, try these steps:

• Clean the back of your device with a cloth.
• Make sure fitbit is resting 2 finger widths above the wrist bone and is not loose.
• When exercising, tighten the fitbit a bit more than usual, ensuring that the back of the fitbit is in contact with your skin.

How accurate is the BPM on Fitbit?

During multiple tests by independent agencies, the BPM on Fitbit was within 5 beats per minute of the ECG reading, around 90% of the time. This means the BPM on Fitbit is accurate enough to be useful for most daily purposes, but not so accurate as to be a replacement for a medical device such as ECG.

Why is my Fitbit not tracking my steps or heart rate?

Why is my Fitbit versa 2 not showing my steps?

Why is my Fitbit versa 2 not tracking my heart rate?

Why is my Fitbit versa 2 not tracking my exercise?