I’ve had occasions when my Versa 2 failed to vibrate for text and call alerts from my Android smartphone. And I know from experience how frustrating that can be. But why is your Fitbit notifications not working in the first place?
Generally, you’re not getting text messages and calls notifications on your Fitbit because airplane mode is active, DND mode is active, or your phone is not in range. Also, you won’t get an alert if time on Fitbit is wrong, if system notifications is inactive, and if silent mode is active.
In this guide, I show you exactly how to fix these problems so that you can start getting notifications on your Fitbit from your Android or iOS smartphone again.
While I’ve applied these fixes to my Fitbit Versa 2, they should apply to any model, including Charge 4, Inspire 2, Sense 2, and Versa 3.
Why is My Fitbit Notifications Not Working?
If your Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker is not showing notifications from your iPhone or Android smartphone, it could be for one or more of the following reasons:
| Probable Cause | Possible Solution | |
| 1. | The DND mode is active on your Fitbit. | Turn off the DND mode on your Fitbit device and your smartphone. |
| 2. | Fitbit companion app is not up to date. | You should update the Fitbit companion app to the latest version. |
| 3. | There is a possible software glitch issue with your Fitbit. | Restart your device to stored cache, close conflicting apps, and clear system glitches. |
| 4. | Your phone and Fitbit are not in range. | Ensure your phone and Fitbit are in range. Otherwise, you won’t get alerts. |
| 5. | Bluetooth connection is off on Fitbit, your phone, or both. | Ensure that Bluetooth is active on your phone and tracker or smartwatch. |
| 6. | You already have a conversation opened. | Exit the conversation. Also, close all apps to avoid marking messages as read by error. |
| 7. | The time on your Fitbit is incorrect. | Fix the time on your Fitbit device, and possibly on your smartphone, too. |
How to Get Fitbit to Show Notifications
Here is what you need to do if your Fitbit is no longer sending you notifications:
1. Turn DND Mode Off
Here’s the deal:
Constant alerts on goal celebrations, reminders to move, live calls, and important messages make Fitbit an invaluable wearable.
But if the DND mode is active, your smartwatch or fitness tracker won’t vibrate, the Fitbit screen won’t turn on, and you won’t get notifications.
To start receiving Fitbit notifications again, start by checking whether you activated the DND mode and forgot to turn it off. To do this:
- Press and hold down the side button until the watch vibrates.
- Enter quick settings by swiping the display to the left.
- Look for a little circle with a line at its center.
- Tap the circle to deactivate DND.
If you’ve turned off the DND mode off on the watch but you’re still not getting text, calls, apps, or reminder alerts, check if DND is active on your iPhone or Android and turn it off.
For Android:
- Go to Settings
- Select Notifications
- Choose Do Not Disturb
- Switch the mode off.
If you use an iPhone:
- Open the Settings option
- Select “Do Not Disturb”.
- Tap to turn it off.
2. Update the Fitbit Companion App
Sometimes the reason why you aren’t getting any alert when your Fitbit vibrates is that the Fitbit companion app is obsolete.
This is a common issue, though.
As I’ve mentioned before, obsolete apps tend to have bugs, security issues, and inconsistencies in performance. So if DND is inactive on your Fitbit and smartphone, the next step is to check for app updates and install them.
To update the app on Android:
- Launch Play Store.
- Search for Fitbit.
- Tap the Update button.
For iOS:
- Go to App Store
- Select the profile icon of your account.
- Scroll until you the Fitbit app.
- Tap the Update button.
And that’s it.
3. Restart or Reset Your Fitbit
Are you noticing instances of your Fitbit hanging? Or maybe some apps aren’t working properly while others don’t respond at all?
You’re more than likely that your Fitbit has a system glitch, which also explains why notifications aren’t showing on the screen even when you swipe.
Restarting the device tends to fix all software glitches, not to mention clear the cached memory, close background apps, and free up space so that the watch works well again.
- Turn off the device by pressing and holding down the button until you see the Fitbit logo on the screen.
- Press the button again to restart the device.
If restarting doesn’t fix the problem, do a hard reset. However, note that hard resetting the device will delete all your data.
- Go to the Settings app on the watch.
- Tap About or Device Info.
- Choose Clear User Data or Factory Reset.
- Now confirm that you indeed want to reset your device.
You will see the Fitbit logo on the screen followed by a vibration to indicate that you have reset the device to factory default.
You then have to set up the Fitbit the same way you did when it was new.
4. Bring Your Fitbit and Smartphone Closer to Each Other
Fitbit use the Bluetooth technology to communicate with your smartphone.
Even if you have limited knowledge about Bluetooth, at least one thing that you know is that it works within a given range.
So if your Fitbit is in good condition but it won’t vibrate for call and text messages, it’s likely that you’re far from your phone.
To fix this problem, bring your phone and the Fitbit close to each other. They should be not more than 30 feet apart. A 5 to 10 feet range is ideal for the best results.
5. Don’t Worry If You Have a Conversation Opened
Fitbit smartwatches and activity trackers don’t treat opened or read text messages as new notifications.
Rather, the watch assumes you have already read them, hence no need for an alert.
You should close the messaging app that you have opened for notifications to resume.
6. Check If Bluetooth Connection is Active
I already mentioned that Fitbit requires Bluetooth to connect to and synchronize with your iPhone or Android smartphone.
So you need to ensure that Bluetooth is active on both your watch and the wearable.
Also, note that your Fitbit and you phone need to stay connected for smart notification feature to work. And that means you need to keep Bluetooth on all the time.
7. Update Time on Your Fitbit
You won’t get notifications if the time on Fitbit is wrong or different from what you see on your smartphone.
Keep in mind that your smartphone and the Fitbit must be in the same time zone and display a matching time for smooth operation.
To fix this:
- Open the Fitbit app on your phone.
- Go to settings.
- Set the Fitbit app to allow the watch to use the network-provided time under the automatic time zone option.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is My Fitbit Not Vibrating When I Get Texts?
Your Fitbit doesn’t vibrate when you get a text because you haven’t turned the vibration option on.
To activate this feature:
- Open the Fitbit app
- Tap on the Account icon
- Select your Fitbit Image and tap Notifications
- Find the vibration option
- Select the Always Vibrate option to activate.
2. How Do I Reset My Fitbit Notifications?
First, make sure you’ve granted the Fitbit app permission to run in the background.
Then, press and hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn the phone off. Wait for about30 seconds and turn on the phone.
Your notifications should now reset.
Final Thoughts
The notifications feature on Fitbit is important because it provides important reminders that you don’t want to miss. That includes call alerts and text messages from the people that matter the most.
Of course, whether to use smartwatch notification or not comes down to a personal choice.
But if you’re depending on this feature on a daily basis because it gives you more convenience and increases your productivity, you should be concerned if it doesn’t work.
And as we’ve seen, fixing a Fitbit that doesn’t get text and call alerts isn’t difficult at all. You just have to implement the recommended fixes, and you should be good to get back on track.
