Fitbit Charge 4 – iPhone compatibility and issues

Fitbit’s Charge 5 is an activity fitness tracker. It is known the world over for its accurate tracking of activity data. Is the Fitbit Charge 4 compatible with iPhone? Yes. It is definitely compatible with most Apple devices. The company has actually clearly stated on this link, that the Fitbit app is compatible with all Apple devices that run the iOS 13 or higher.

Turning our attention to the devices that work on iOS 13 or higher, let us put a list of such devices below:

• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Mini
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone SE

iPod touch (7th generation)

You will notice that the iPhone 6 and older models are not compatible with the Fitbit app that is used to pair the Fitbit Charge 4 with your iPhone.

Against the above stated list, you will also need to make sure that your iPhone is actually upgraded to the iOS 13 or higher stable release of the Apple iOS. If you are below iOS 13, please consider upgrading the iOS from the Apple store.

How would you know the current iOS running on your Apple device?

On an iPhone, go to Settings > General, then tap About. You will get a help screen like the one shown below. It will list the iOS version running on your Apple device.

So, step one is to make sure that you have an iPhone model that is newer than iPhone 6. Step 2 is to ensure that you have iOS 13 on the device. The current release on the iOS 13 branch is iOS 13.7. It would be better to upgrade your iOS to 13.7 version.

How would you go about updating iOS to 13.7?

The upgrade process is simple. Head over to the Apple site and hit the page that lists all the iOS 13 versions. The Apple page is located here – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210393. Once you are on the page, you will see something like the shot below:

Upgrading the Apple iPhone to 13.7 is significant as it will lead to better integration between the Fitbit app and the Apple iOS that runs on your iPhone.

Next in line, you need to make sure that your Fitbit Charge 5 fitness tracker is carrying the latest firmware released by Fitbit. The last update for Charge 4 was released on 16th April. You need to upgrade the firmware on your Fitbit Charge 4 to the version 1.100.43.

How do you know which firmware version are you running on your Fitbit device?

There are multiple ways by which you could check the version of firmware running on your Fitbit device. The steps are mentioned below:

Through the Fitbit App –

In the Fitbit app, tap the Today tab   your profile picture  your device image. The firmware version number appears under your device’s name.

Through the user dashboard on Fitbit.com

On the fitbit.com dashboard, click the gear icon  and select your device to find the firmware version.

Through the settings on Fitbit devices

On certain Fitbit devices, find the firmware version in the Settings app   About or Device Info.

And, how would you go about updating the firmware on your Fitbit device?

It’s a relatively simple process. But, you need to make sure that the Fitbit app runs on your phone in the background and the phone is in proximity with the Charge 4 fitness tracker. The Charge 4 fitness tracker makes use of the Fitbit app during the process of upgrading the firmware. To update the firmware on your Fitbit device, follow the instructions below or visit the link on the Fitbit website.

Firmware updates only become available if you allow the Fitbit app to run in the background. You may need to adjust your phone’s settings to allow the Fitbit app to run in the background.

With your charged Fitbit device nearby, open the Fitbit app.

Tap the Today tab   your profile picture  your device image.

Tap the pink Update button. This option only appears if an update is available.

Follow the on-screen instructions and keep the device close to your phone, tablet, or computer during the update. After you start the update, a progress bar appears on your device and in the Fitbit app until the update is complete.

from the Fitbit website

At this point, if you have followed the instructions, you should have an iPhone that runs iOS 13 or higher. And, you should also have a Fitbit Charge 4 fitness tracker that has been updated to the firmware version 1.100.43. With this arrangement, you should be able to connect your Charge 4 with the Fitbit app on your iPhone. The fitness tracker should pair with the iPhone. It will share the data from the Charge 4 to the Fitbit app on your iPhone.

In some cases, users have reported break in the sync between an iPhone and the Fitbit Charge 4. A working sync relationship between the iPhone and the Charge 4 suddenly stops working. This may happen on account of multiple reasons. For the sync to work between your Apple iPhone and the Fitbit Charge 4 device, you need to make sure that you have –

• a compatible iOS device.
• a compatible version of iOS on the device
• the latest firmware on your Fitbit Charge 4 fitness tracker (as of 04.16.21, it is 1.100.43)
• a working Internet connection on your iPhone. This could be a WIFI or a cellular data connection
• a working Bluetooth connection on your iPhone, that is paired with the Fitbit Charge 4.

If you tick all the boxes above, follow up with the following three steps –

1. Restart your Charge 4 fitness tracker and try to force a sync between the Charge 4 and the Fitbit app.
2. If the step one does not help, then force restart your iPhone and try to force a sync between the Charge 4 and your iPhone.
3. If the step two also fails, try to pair your Fitbit device i.e. the Charge 4 activity tracker with another phone. Now, try to do a sync between this phone and the Charge 4. This step should, actually, tell you if the issue is with your iPhone or with the Fitbit Charge 4 fitness tracker.

Sadly, you cannot do anything more beyond a point. If your iPhone and Charge 4 refuse to work together after all this troubleshooting, it is suggested that you contact the Fitbit customer support. If your device comes with a replacement guarantee, you may choose to exercise the option after working with the Fitbit customer support team.