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Sync fix

Why is my Fitbit not syncing with Google Health on iPhone?

Updated · 7 min read

Google HealthWrites to Apple Health
Not syncingSyncing
Apple HealthOn your iPhone
biomonReads Apple Health
  • Steps
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Data from Google Health stops on its way to Apple Health until the steps below fix it. Biomon reads Apple Health.

Short answer

A Fitbit syncs to Google Health on iPhone over Bluetooth when nearby. Keep it close, pull down on the Today tab, allow Bluetooth, restart phone and Fitbit.

Your Fitbit syncs with the Google Health app on your iPhone over Bluetooth, and only when it is near your phone. Google says that when a Fitbit stops syncing, the likely problem is a connection issue.

See the 3 steps

Steps

Sync by hand

  1. Put your Fitbit near your iPhone. Google says that your Fitbit must stay near your phone to sync.
  2. Open Google Health, the app that the App Store lists as Google Health (Fitbit). On the Today tab, touch and hold the screen and pull down. Or, at the top left, tap Connections then Sync.

    Step 2

    In the Google Health

    1. Connections
    2. Sync
  3. To check the sync, at the top left, tap Connections, then tap your Fitbit. The "Last synced when" note is below the image of your Fitbit. If it shows the time of your sync, stop here.

Check your iPhone settings

  1. Open Settings then General then Background App Refresh: the setting that lets apps refresh in the background, while you use another app. If Background App Refresh is set to Off, tap it and choose Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi & Cellular Data. Turn on Google Health.

    Step 1

    Where to tap

    1. Settings
    2. General
    3. Background App Refresh
  2. Open Settings then Privacy & Security then Bluetooth. Turn on Google Health. Google says that Google Health must be allowed to use Bluetooth.

    Step 2

    Where to tap

    1. Settings
    2. Privacy & Security
    3. Bluetooth
  3. Turn off Low Power Mode: the iPhone mode that reduces background activity when the battery is low. On iPhone 15 and later, open Settings then Battery then Power Mode. On iPhone 14 and earlier, open Settings then Battery. Tap Low Power Mode to turn it off. Apple says that Low Power Mode turns off Background App Refresh.

    Step 3

    In the iPhone Settings

    1. Settings
    2. Battery
    3. Power Mode

    or

    In the iPhone Settings

    1. Settings
    2. Battery
  4. Open Settings then Bluetooth. Turn off Bluetooth. After 3 seconds, turn it back on.

    Step 4

    Where to tap

    1. Settings
    2. Bluetooth
  5. In Google Health, on the Today tab, tap Connections. The battery level appears to the right of your Fitbit.
  6. If the battery is low, put your Fitbit on its charger.
  7. Sync again as in step 2, whatever the battery level. If the "Last synced when" note updates, stop here.

Restart and update

  1. Restart your iPhone. Open Google Health and sync again.
  2. Restart your Fitbit, as the section "How to restart your Fitbit" below shows. When the clock face appears, sync again from Google Health. Google says that a restart turns your Fitbit off and on without the loss of any activity data.
  3. Open Settings then General then Software Update. Install any update for iOS.

    Step 3

    Where to tap

    1. Settings
    2. General
    3. Software Update
  4. Open the App Store. Update Google Health. Open Google Health and sync again. If the "Last synced when" note updates, stop here.

Clear other phones and devices

  1. Before you delete or remove anything, open the History page of the Google Health Status Dashboard. Look under Device Sync / Pairing for an incident today. If it lists one, stop here and sync again after the incident ends.
  2. On each other phone or tablet near you that is signed in to your Google Health account, delete Google Health.
  3. Apple says that an accessory that you forget on an iPhone or iPad also unpairs on the other devices that are signed in to the same Apple Account. If your Fitbit also leaves the list on your iPhone, add it again as in step 23 after you finish this section. On that phone or tablet, open Settings then Bluetooth. Tap the More Info button next to your Fitbit. Tap Forget This Device.

    Step 3

    In the iPhone Settings

    1. Settings
    2. Bluetooth
  4. If Google Health lists another Fitbit tracker or watch, on your iPhone, in Google Health, at the top left, tap Connections, then tap that device. Tap System then Disconnect then Disconnect.

    Step 4

    In the Google Health

    1. System
    2. Disconnect
    3. Disconnect
  5. If you removed a device in step 18, on your iPhone, open Settings then Bluetooth. Tap the More Info button next to that other device. Tap Forget This Device.

    Step 5

    In the iPhone Settings

    1. Settings
    2. Bluetooth
  6. Open Google Health on your iPhone and sync again.

Remove your Fitbit and add it again

  1. In Google Health, at the top left, tap Connections. Tap your Fitbit, then tap Disconnect device.
  2. Open Settings then Bluetooth. Tap the More Info button next to your Fitbit. Tap Forget This Device.

    Step 2

    Where to tap

    1. Settings
    2. Bluetooth
  3. In Google Health, at the top left, tap Connections then Add device. Tap your Fitbit. Follow the instructions on the screen.

    Step 3

    In the Google Health

    1. Connections
    2. Add device
  4. If it still does not sync, open Settings then General then About. Find the number next to iOS Version. Google says that you cannot reinstall Google Health if your iPhone does not run a supported version of iOS. The App Store listing says that Google Health requires iOS 16.4 or later, but Google's setup page lists an iPhone with iOS 26 or higher. If your iPhone runs a version older than iOS 26, contact Google Health support before you delete the app.

    Step 4

    Where to tap

    1. Settings
    2. General
    3. About
  5. Delete Google Health. Reinstall it from the App Store. Open it and sync again.

How to restart your Fitbit

The steps depend on the model:

Fitbit How to restart it
Charge 5, Charge 6 Swipe down from the clock screen. Tap Settings then Restart Device then Restart.
Inspire 3 Swipe down from the clock screen, then tap Settings. Swipe up and tap Restart Device. Swipe up and tap Restart.
Versa Lite, Versa 2, Versa 3, Versa 4, Sense, Sense 2 Press and hold the button for 10 seconds, until the Fitbit logo appears. Release the button.
Fitbit Air Plug its charger into USB-C power, and put Fitbit Air on it. Press and hold the button on the back of the charger for 10 seconds, or until the status light on the side of Fitbit Air flashes white.
Fitbit Edge Press and hold the side button for up to 10 seconds. Tap Settings then System, then tap Restart.

For other models, see Google's page Restart your Fitbit device.

If it still doesn't work

  • Many people cannot sync at the same time

    Check the status dashboard as in step 15. On 15 July 2026, its History page listed "Sync not working for all users." under Device Sync / Pairing, for 6 hours and 40 minutes.

  • Google Health shows "Something went wrong. Try again (Error Code 2)"

    Google lists this message as a sign of a connection issue. If the steps above did not fix it and the status dashboard of step 15 lists no incident, contact Google Health support, as in step 24: the dashboard says to contact Support for an issue that it does not list.

  • Your Fitbit syncs only when you open Google Health

    One member on r/fitbit reported this with an Inspire 3 on an iPhone, and another member said theirs does the same. Google says that Battery saver mode and Bedtime mode limit background data, and that Fitbit data may not sync while either mode is on. Google's sync page does not say where to find these modes on each model. Its fix is to turn them off, or to "interact with your device". Then check steps 4 and 6.

  • Your Fitbit does not pair again after you removed it

    One member on r/fitbit reported that a Charge 6 stopped syncing, and then would not pair after they unpaired it. A member who replied said that the phone can hold the connection until you forget the Fitbit in the phone's Bluetooth settings, not only in the app. Do step 22, then step 23.

  • Setup stops at "Connecting your Fitbit Air..."

    One member on r/fitbit reported that the app found the tracker, then stayed on this screen for about an hour and failed. Another member reported that it worked again after a full charge, closing the app fully, Bluetooth off and on, and a phone restart. That member also "removed my phone from the paired devices screen", and did not say in which app. If you see the same screen, contact Google Health support by phone or chat, as the account GoogleHealthSupport suggested to the member who posted about this screen.

  • Your older data is missing after you moved your account

    Google says that, after a move of your account to the Google Health app, historical data might not appear at once, and that large transfers of history may take up to 48 hours.

  • Your data is in Google Health but not in Apple Health

    That is a second sync, from Google Health to Apple Health. See why Google Health is not syncing to Apple Health.

Why this happens

Google says that a sync transfers the data that your Fitbit collects to your Google Health account. Fitbit trackers and watches sync with phones over Bluetooth Low Energy. Google says that data syncs throughout the day, and that your Fitbit also syncs each time that you open Google Health while it is near. Many of the fixes above check one part of that path: the distance, Bluetooth and its permission, the app's background refresh, the battery, or another phone or device on the same connection.

Questions

Should I factory reset my Fitbit to fix syncing?

Not on your own. Google says to follow the factory reset steps only at the direction of Fitbit Customer Support. A factory reset deletes the data stored on your Fitbit, including all data that has not synced to your Google Health account, and your alarms, goals and notifications. You must then set up your Fitbit again.

Can I sync my Fitbit with more than one phone?

Google says that you can sync your Fitbit with any compatible phone or tablet, and it does not say how many at the same time. If your Fitbit shows notifications, Google says to forget it in the Bluetooth settings of your phone before you use a different phone.

Does a Fitbit scale sync the same way?

Fitbit Aria Air does. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy, as trackers and watches do. Fitbit Aria and Fitbit Aria 2 use Wi-Fi to connect to your router, and they sync your stats to Google Health after every weigh-in. A checkmark appears after the data syncs.

Sources

  1. 1Fix syncing issues with Google Health, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2How do Fitbit devices sync their data?, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3Restart your Fitbit device, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4Charge your Fitbit device, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5Google Health app setup requirements, Google Helpsupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6Contact us, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7History, Google Health Status Dashboardstatus.healthapp.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  8. 8Google Health (Fitbit) App, App Storeapps.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  9. 9Find the software version on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  10. 10Connect a third-party Bluetooth accessory to your iPhone or iPad, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  11. 11Use Low Power Mode to save battery life on your iPhone or iPad, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  12. 12Batteries - Maximizing Performance, Appleapple.com (opens in a new tab)
  13. 13Fitbit Air suddenly stopped syncing and is now stuck on "Connecting" screen, Reddit r/fitbitreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
  14. 14Fitbit Charge 6 not syncing, Reddit r/fitbitreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
  15. 15Inspire 3 keeps showing this symbol every time even though I synced it, Reddit r/fitbitreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
Guides

Related guides

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Why is Google Health not syncing to Apple Health?

Google Health writes to Apple Health only from version 5.05. Update the app, then tap Connections > Apps and services > Apple Health and allow each data type.

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Why is my Fitbit not tracking sleep?

A Fitbit may miss a night or its stages if its battery is critically low, its band is loose or it has not synced. Charge it, wear it snug and sync each morning.

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Does Fitbit Air work with iPhone?

Yes, through the Google Health app. Pair Fitbit Air there with a Google Account, then link Apple Health (Connections > Apps and services > Apple Health).

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