Help! My Fitbit Notification Service Is Not Running!

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What do you do when your Fitbit Notification Service not running? 

The first step to take is to make sure that you have set up notifications. The problem with Fitbit and many other fitness trackers is that wearers assume that everything will happen automatically. 

The truth is that things don’t happen automatically all of the time. So even though you have a smart fitness device on your wrist, there are some things that you may have to do manually using the app. 

When it comes to Fitbit, you have to do varies a little bit from model to model. Third-party apps may also be part of the problem. 

Let’s look at what you can do when your Fitbit notifications service is not running. 

Let’s Fix Fitbit Notification Service Not Running

The root of the problem is often a software problem. Don’t forget that your Fitbit receives updates, and so does the operating system on your phone. If there is a conflict between the two, you may have a problem receiving your Fitbit notifications. 

Check For Updates

The first thing to do is always to check for updates. But, don’t only check for Fitbit updates. Also, make sure that you check for updates on your phone or another device that uses the Fitbit app. 

Uninstalled updates are perhaps the most common issue. Make sure that you check for uninstalled updates on all of your devices. 

Is Your Phone Out of Range? 

In general, it would be fair to say that your phone needs to be within 10 meters or 30 ft for the notifications to work correctly. 

If you are going into a yoga class and leave your phone in the car, you will not likely receive your notifications while doing yoga. 

Does that mean that your Fitbit is not going to monitor your workout? No, it doesn’t. Even if you have left your phone in your car, your Fitbit will continue to monitor your workout. 

Do You Have More Than One Bluetooth Device Connected? 

I have personally had this experience. 

It seems to depend on the model, but Fitbit can struggle with notifications when more than one Bluetooth device is connected. 

Before you start breathing fire and brimstone, checking how many Bluetooth connections you have active is a good idea. 

You can easily do so on your phone. However, I often find that this is a problem when I am in my car. 

If you have set up your phone’s Bluetooth connection to your car’s connection, you may find that your Fitbit will not show you any notifications when you are in your car. 

When you get out of your car and your phone disconnects from your phone’s Bluetooth function, you will once again receive your notifications. 

Fitbit and Water Lock Mode

Water lock should not interfere with receiving your notifications, but you can’t interact with them when the screen is locked.

Once you are out of the water and your Fitbit is dry, you take off the water lock. Now you can once again interact with your notifications. 

We are mentioning this because many Fitbit wearers think that not being able to interact with your notifications is the same thing as not receiving them. But, unfortunately, it is not the same. 

When your Fitbit is in water lock mode, you should still receive your notifications. 

Are You In Sleep or DND Mode? 

Checking that you are in the proper mode quickly identifies a problem. 

When your Fitbit is in Sleep or DND mode, your notifications, including calendar notifications, are not available. 

It is essential to check for the icons. Your notifications are off if you notice the moon or the small DND icon. However, your notifications come back on as soon as you come out of DND or Sleep mode. 

How Can You Solve Any Unexplained Problems? 

You may have “unexplained” problems with your Fitbit Notifications from time to time. 

I often find it happens when I travel. It probably has something to do with your Fitbit not being able to communicate with your phone for an extended period of time. 

It seems to happen more often when you travel through different time zones for some reason or another. 

When you notice unexplained problems with your Fitbit notification service not running, there are a few things that you can do. 

  • Turn your phone’s Bluetooth on and off – leaving it off for a few minutes is good. 
  • Turn share notification off and on. You will find this under Bluetooth settings. Go to Bluetooth-Your Fitbit- Notifications settings.
  • Restart your Fitbit
  • Reset your Fitbit

Do My Notifications Have to Be Turned on My Phone? 

For your Fitbit to receive notifications, the notifications on your phone have to be turned on. 

This is a common misunderstanding. It is easy to think you should turn off notifications on your phone to receive them on your Fitbit. 

That is not the case. Make sure that your notifications on your phone are turned on. 

Viewing Your Fitbit Notifications

I often wonder if Fitbit could do a better job of explaining how to view notifications. 

When you first set notifications up, Fitbit Notifications will appear for a couple of minutes. Then they disappear. 

This could be where the problem starts. Unless you are interacting with your notifications, they do not appear. 

All you have to do to see your Fitbit notifications is to swipe down from the top. That way, you can interact with all your notifications. 

When you don’t need to see them anymore, all you have to do is tap “Clear All.”

In Conclusion

Fitbit is a fantastic device. But, like anything else technical, it may have a few glitches from time to time. Fitbit notification service not running is one of them. 

The more you use your Fitbit, the better you get at interacting with your tracker. So don’t be frightened of it. 

Many users are simply afraid of interacting with their Fitbit and Fitbit apps on their phones. However, this device can do so much more than track your stats. Start interacting with your Fitbit, and you will find that it is so much more than a fitness tracker.