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Sync fix

Why is my Fitbit not tracking sleep?

Updated · 5 min read

Google HealthWrites to Apple Health
Not syncingSyncing
Apple HealthOn your iPhone
biomonReads Apple Health
  • Steps
  • Cardio
  • Heart
  • Sleep
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 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.

A Fitbit records your sleep on its own when you wear it on your wrist to bed, but the night shows in Google Health on your iPhone only after the Fitbit syncs. If no night appears, Google says to check first that the battery is not critically low, then when the Fitbit last synced.

See the 7 steps

Steps

Before bed

  1. Update the Google Health app in the App Store.
  2. Check that your iPhone runs iOS 16.4 or later. Google Health needs it.
  3. Open Google Health. On the Today tab, tap Connections. The battery level appears to the right of your Fitbit.
  4. On Fitbit Air, which has no screen, double-tap the tracker instead. Its status light shows white for more than 20% battery, and red for less than 20%.
  5. If the battery is low, charge your Fitbit before bed.
  6. Wear your Fitbit on your wrist in a snug band. Do not wear it in a clip or pendant accessory.
  7. Move it higher on your wrist, about 2 to 3 finger widths above the wrist bone. The band should feel secure but not too tight. On Fitbit Air, the sensor must stay in constant contact with your skin.

In the morning

  1. Keep your iPhone near your Fitbit. Google says that the Fitbit must stay near your phone to sync.
  2. Open Google Health. Wait for the progress bar at the top of the app to finish syncing. This may take a minute.
  3. Tap the Sleep tab. Touch and hold on the screen. Pull down to refresh.
  4. To see when your Fitbit last synced, at the top left, tap Connections, then tap your Fitbit. The "Last synced when" note is below the image of your device.
  5. If your Fitbit did not sync, close Google Health fully. Google calls this force quit. From the Home Screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle. Swipe right or left to find Google Health. Swipe up on the preview of Google Health.
  6. Tap Settings then Bluetooth. Turn off Bluetooth. After 3 seconds, turn it back on.

    Step 6

    Where to tap

    1. Settings
    2. Bluetooth
  7. Open Google Health. At the top left, tap Connections then Sync.

    Step 7

    In the Google Health

    1. Connections
    2. Sync
  8. If it still does not sync, restart your Fitbit. Google says that a restart turns your device off and on without the loss of any activity data. Its page Restart your Fitbit device gives the steps for each model.
  9. On Fitbit Air, put the tracker on its charger. Press and hold the button on the back of the charger for 10 seconds, or until the status light on the side of the tracker flashes white. Let go of the button.
  10. When the clock face appears, or once Fitbit Air has restarted, sync again from Google Health.

Sleep, but no sleep stages

Google says that Fitbit devices that track heart rate, except Charge HR and Surge, also track sleep stages: Light, Deep and REM (rapid eye movement). A device without heart rate shows a sleep pattern instead: your time awake, restless and asleep.

When a night has a sleep log but no stages or score, Google lists three causes:

  • Your sleep position

    You may have slept in a position that kept your Fitbit from a consistent heart rate reading.

  • A loose band

    Wear it as in step 7 of Before bed.

  • A critically low battery

    Check it as in step 3 or step 4 of Before bed.

Your Fitbit also needs at least 20 minutes of sleep data to estimate your stages, so a shorter sleep has none.

If it still doesn't work

  • No sleep after the 5.11 update

    One member on r/fitbit reported that a Fitbit Air tracked sleep every night until the update to version 5.11, then tracked none that night. Another member replied that they had the same issue. The App Store notes for version 5.11.1 say only "General stability improvements and bug fixes". Update the app as in step 1 of Before bed.

  • A Fitbit Air that tracks some nights only

    One member on r/fitbit reported that a Fitbit Air tracked sleep for 2 days, then not for a week, and that tightening and then loosening the strap did not fix it. Check that the sensor touches your skin, as in step 7 of Before bed.

  • A night that is still missing

    Add it by hand. In Google Health, tap the Sleep tab, then tap Sleep duration. At the top right, tap Add. Enter the day, your Bedtime and your Wake up time. Tap Save.

  • Sleep that syncs late

    Google says that Battery saver mode and Bedtime mode, two battery modes that limit background data, may stop Fitbit data from syncing, and that the data syncs only once they are off. If you turned on Battery saver mode or Bedtime mode, turn it off, or interact with your Fitbit to restore the connection. Also, in iPhone Settings then General then Background App Refresh, turn on Google Health.

  • A night in Google Health but not in Apple Health

    Google Health can write sleep sessions and sleep stages to Apple Health. In the Health app, tap the Profile button in the upper corner. Under Privacy, tap Apps then Google Health, and turn on sleep. For the full setup, see why Google Health is not syncing to Apple Health.

Why this happens

Google says that the Fitbit records you as asleep when your body has been completely at rest, without moving, for about an hour. Google says that your Fitbit uses movement and heart rate to predict when you are asleep. While you sleep, it monitors small changes in your heart rate, called heart rate variability (HRV). When you sync after you wake up, Google's system uses your movement and heart rate data to map out your full sleep cycle.

Questions

Does Fitbit track naps?

Yes. Google says that your Fitbit records naps that are at least 20 minutes long. They show in separate tabs under the date of your daily Sleep Score. From version 5.11, you can remove a nap that does not match your day from its nap card, Droid Life reports from Google's notes.

Why does Fitbit say I was awake when I was asleep?

Google says that most consumer sleep trackers can identify awake periods as short as 30 seconds, and that many of them are too short for you to recall. Google Health's “Total awake” adds up the time that you took to fall asleep, the times that you appeared more fully awake in the night, and the time from your final awakening to the end of your sleep log. One member on r/fitbit reported long awake periods when they were asleep, after a recent update, and another said that tracking had been very sensitive to awake periods for them too. Droid Life reports from Google's notes that version 5.11 changed sleep tracking to better factor in your steps data, so that it can more accurately track short awakenings, such as getting up to use the bathroom. To change the times of a night, tap the Sleep tab in Google Health, then tap the Sleep duration tile. Tap the day. At the top right, tap Edit. Change your bedtime and wake up time.

Sources

  1. 1Track sleep with Google Health, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2Learn about Google Health sleep stages, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3Fix syncing issues with Google Health, 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. 5Restart your Fitbit device, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6Get started with Google Fitbit Air, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7How do I use Apple Health with the Google Health app?, Google Health Help Centersupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
  8. 8Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  9. 9Close an app on your iPhone or iPod touch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  10. 10Google Health (Fitbit) App, App Storeapps.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
  11. 11Google Health Update to 5.11 Brings Several Huge Upgrades, Droid Lifedroid-life.com (opens in a new tab)
  12. 12Since updating to 5.11 last night, first time it didn't track my sleep!, Reddit r/fitbitreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
  13. 13Sleep tracker not working after recent update, Reddit r/fitbitreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
  14. 14Not getting sleep tracking, Reddit r/fitbitreddit.com (opens in a new tab)
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