Fitbit notifications: How to receive, customise and fix problems

Enabling and receiving notifications on your Fitbit isn't as straightforward as on other devices. Initially, it can feel like they're not working at all once you think everything has been all set up.

Thankfully, we have plenty of troubleshooting tips to help remedy some issues with Fitbit notifications - your tracker should, most of the time, be able to mirror the notifications from your connected iPhone or Android smartphone.

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Below, we'll provide step-by-step instructions for how to fix Fitbit notifications if they aren't showing up, how to get started with Fitbit Quick Replies, how to choose exactly which notifications you want to buzz through to your wrist and more.

How to fix Fitbit notifications

If you've had your Fitbit device for a fair while, it's likely you've already set up notifications to suit your preferences. However, that doesn't mean you won't experience the odd issue with them from time to time.

In the past, notifications have experienced widespread problems with both iOS and Android phones, with software updates often at the root of the issue. That said, it's not entirely uncommon for them to just randomly stop working, too.

The fix is usually easy, but there are plenty of things to follow. Familiarize yourself with the checklist and troubleshooting tips below to help overcome Fitbit notification problems.

• Ensure your phone is within 30 feet of your Fitbit device and notifications are turned on.
• If your phone is unlocked, your Fitbit won't show the notification.
• Do Not Disturb/Sleep Mode must be off on both your Fitbit and your phone.
• Fitbit trackers can struggle if more than one Bluetooth device is connected.
• Make sure Fitbit notifications are set up (see below for more information).
• Force quit the Fitbit app.
• Turn Bluetooth off and on through your phone's settings.
• Turn 'Share System Notifications' off and on (Bluetooth > Your Fitbit > System Notifications).
• Restart your Fitbit (learn more with our 'How to turn off your Fitbit' guide).
• Reset your Fitbit (learn more with our 'How to reset your Fitbit' guide).

Choose which apps send Fitbit notifications

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Providing the checklist of steps outlined above is followed - and you aren't making any obvious mistakes, like turning notifications off on your phone - choosing which apps will have alerts siphoned off to your wrist should be relatively painless.

1. Go to the Fitbit app.

2. In the top-left, tap 'Account' and select your Fitbit device.

3. Tap the 'Notifications' tab and then 'App Notifications'

4. From here, you can turn on the switch to any third-party apps.

How to view Fitbit notifications

After setup, Fitbit notifications will appear on your wrist for a few seconds before disappearing if you don't interact with them. So, how do you find them again?

On any Fitbit device, simply swiping down from the top will let you view unread notifications. And to get rid of all the notifications from the stream, simply tap 'Clear All' at the top.

Using Fitbit Quick Replies

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We have a complete guide on setting up and using Fitbit Quick Replies - but, here, we'll give you the skinny version.

Quick Replies essentially allow you to reply to text messages, Gmail emails, Facebook Messenger, Twitter notifications, and more with either an emoji or a pre-typed sentence.

However, despite launching some time ago, the feature is only available when a Fitbit is connected to an Android phone - and it can only be done from the Fitbit Charge 3, 4, Sense, and Versa series devices.

Find Fitbit Quick Replies in the app:

1. Go to the Fitbit app on your phone.

2. Select your device from the list.

3. Under the grid, select the 'Notifications' tab.

4. From here, tap the Quick Replies tab and begin exploring.

Using voice replies

In addition to sending Quick Replies, those Fitbit's with built-in microphones (such as the Versa and the Sense), will let you respond by voice, which turns what you say into text.

When a message arrives, simply tap the microphone icon in the response options. Once you've spoken your reply, hit Send.

If you noticed you made a mistake in your response, you can tap Undo within 3 seconds of the message to redo the message response again.

Temporarily mute Fitbit notifications

Sometimes, you just want to get a bit of relief from your Fitbit notifications. Thankfully, you don't have to go into the app and turn them off manually - you can simply do so from your Fitbit.

On the Fitbit Ionic and Fitbit Versa series devices, selecting the Do Not Disturb option from the top drag-down control center will disable notifications coming through. Alternatively, this can be done through the Versa and Sense's Sleep Mode, too.

On the Charge 3, Charge 4 and other Fitbit fitness trackers, a specific notifications toggle can be turned off by holding the side button and bringing up the control menu.

To undo this, and start receiving notifications again, simply reverse the steps.