Why Is My Fitbit Not Working When I Tap It?

2 Fitbits, Black and purple with a purple background.2 Fitbits, Black and purple with a purple background.

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The Fitbit fitness tracker is a common device purchased by many people to help track their daily activities and maintain a healthy lifestyle. When your tracker does not work, it is frustrating!

If your Fitbit does not respond when you tap it, this could be due to the device needing to be restarted or updated. Sometimes, devices just need a little boost to get back to where they’re supposed to be.

Sometimes Fitbits need a reboot to work correctly; other times, there are simpler solutions to get your device to respond again.

Why Fitbit is Not Responsive When It’s Tapped?

The two most common reasons why your Fitbit may not be responsive when you tap it is that it may need to restart or be updated with the latest firmware.

Restart Your Fitbit

It is simple to reboot your Fitbit. All you need to do is make sure it’s plugged into the charger and hold down the tracker’s button for 5 seconds. Release the button and wait for the smiley face to appear and the tracker to vibrate. Once this happens, your tracker has restarted.

Update Your Fitbit

Restarting your Fitbit may not always be the answer to your problems, so if that does not help, see if your device requires an update. Sometimes when a device needs an update, it will not perform correctly.

When your device needs an update, you will get a notification in your Fitbit App. A progress bar will appear on your device and in your app until the update is finished. Updating your Fitbit might take several minutes and uses a lot of battery. It is recommended in the user manual to keep your device plugged in while updating.

To check for an update to your Fitbit app:

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

If your device is up to date, you may need to update your Fitbit.com dashboard and sync your device again. 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.

Usually, the Fitbit app will automatically sync with your device, but if it does not sync, try this:

  • Open your Fitbit app and tap your profile picture.
  • Tap your device name.
  • Tap “Sync Now.”

Fitbit Community User Suggested Fixes

Becoming a Fitbit Community member offers many solutions that other users have come across for many different issues.

  • One user said that changing their clock face from the Fitbit app helped their device become responsive.
  • Another user suggested that instead of tapping on the device, swipe or scroll, and it will respond. Sometimes, different models of Fitbit have different ways of turning on the screen.
  • Another community response suggested that if you have the Charge 4, you may have unintentionally enabled “sleep mode.” To disable this setting, simply long-press the side button until you see three options on the screen and tap “screen wake,” and it should work again.

The Fitbit Community is full of many solutions, so if you have other issues with your Fitbit, there is a good chance that you may find a solution there!

Factory Reset

If none of these solutions have helped, try a factory reset. Note: Keep in mind that this will erase all data and settings you have stored within your device.

To factory reset your tracker:

  1. Plug in your tracker as if you were going to charge it, and the USB end into a USB port.
  2. Press and hold the button on the tracker for 2 seconds. Without releasing the button, unplug the charger from the tracker and wait 7-9 seconds.
  3. Release the button and then press it again. After you see “ALT” and a white screen flash, release the button, and press it again.
  4. After you feel a vibration, let go of the button and then press it again.
  5. You should see “ERROR” on your screen. Once you see this, let go of the button and then press it again.
  6. You should see “ERASE” appear on your screen. Let go of the button, and your tracker will turn off.
  7. To turn the tracker back on, either press the button or connect the tracker to a charger. If the screen reads 0:00, it has been reset successfully.
  8. Set the device up as a new device.

Final Thoughts

Not having your Fitbit work properly is always frustrating, but there are many solutions out there. If you haven’t yet, try to restart your device or check for an update. If those still don’t work, the responses from Fitbit Community members just might do the trick!

Looking for other troubleshooting steps for your Fitbit, like what to do if your Fitbit doesn’t charge? Check out this article!

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