UPDATE: A workaround is available to fix this problem. However, it is annoying. Click here to fix this!
UPDATE #2: Reinstall the Fitbit app if you persistently get the “Notification service not running” issue.
Hello users of Fit Notifications or anyone who is concerned about this issue. Please note that I have personally tested the latest update of the Fitbit app (April 19 2018) and it appears to completely break the notification functionality of the Fitbit app. No, this is not an issue with the Fit Notifications app not being compatible with the latest version of the Fitbit app. It is Fitbit app being broken.
I tried to test the native notification functionality baked into the Fitbit app. Fitbit recommends you to restart your phone to re-enable notifications on the Fitbit tracker after an app update.
They usually send a notification to remind you of this. That is why, after most Fitbit app updates, notifications suddenly stop working and they get fixed once you restart your phone. So, I tried this to see if I can enable notifications again. But sadly, no matter how many times I rebooted my phone (which is a Pixel 2 by the way) I could not enable notifications again. In fact, if I go into the Notification settings page of the Fitbit app, I see this error message on the top (see the screenshot on the right). I couldn’t clear the error even after numerous reboots to my phone. I even tried to send a test call within the Fitbit app and it did nothing.
So, there you have it. Until Fitbit fixes the buggy update, it appears that the latest version of the app won’t work with notifications.
NOTE #1: It may be entirely possible that this show stopping bug occurs only on some devices and not all. If that is the case then please try restarting your phone and re-syncing your Fitbit tracker with your phone. Hopefully that should fix the problem.
NOTE #2: A lot of people in the comments section of the Fitbit app are complaining that the latest update is not letting them get notifications when the phone is in silent mode or vibrate mode. (Firstly, this seems to suggest that the latest version is working for at least some people, if only not in silent mode). So if this is the case, please disable silent mode on your phone if you are using it. I know a lot of you are power users who love to use this feature while the phone is silent to avoid double disturbance, and so I made sure that my app can be used in such a fashion. Sadly, Fitbit feels otherwise!
UPDATE: Some users have noticed that this issue occurs with even earlier versions of the Fitbit app, as early as version 2.68. Users have reported issues regarding the Android app on the Fitbit community forums as early as March 26, 2018. You can try to downgrade your app (unofficially) to an earlier version by searching for an .apk file (i.e. the application installation file) for the earlier version. But please note that this is not a recommended approach as such .apk files may be tampered with and installing unverified software on your phone can damage it. Proceed with caution if you do this. You have been warned!
Actually I can confirm this problem in the Fitbit app has existed in v2.68, 2.69 and the latest 2.70
I get notifications for maybe one day, then the error occurs. There is one and only one way to get things working again. An uninstall of the fitbit app, reinstall, re-enable and set up notifications again. But doing that nearly every day…?
Hi there! You could try downgrading your Fitbit app, unofficially. There are some websites that host previous versions of the app (in an .apk file format). But doing so can be dangerous, especially if the file is tampered with. So, proceed with caution!
1 Go To Settings on Your Phone
2 Go To App & Notification
3 All Apps
4 Scroll To Fitbit App
5 Permission Toggle All On
6 Notifications – Make sure Toggle Is On , Make sure Enabled Sync Is on
7 Go to Battery
8 Choose Launch
9 Make Sure Automatically Is Toggled Off , Make sure In Manage Manually Auto Launch , Secondary Launch ,Run In Background Are All Toggled On
10 See if notifications work , You May Need to Restart Your Phone Once , Also You Can Turn Of Notifications Dots , And For Toast Notifications In Status Bar , Worked for me , Have been Getting Notifications for The Past 5 Hours , No Red Warning About Service Not Running , Still a Bit Of Delay in Getting a Notification But Least It’s Working , Try It See If It Woks For You
This is how i got them working on the honor 9 and honor view 10 – no joy on the oneplus5 or s8 plus get the same as you
Many of the settings you suggest (especially with the Battery settings) do not seem to exist on stock version (i.e. vanilla version) of Android running on my Pixel 2. However, I basically tried your suggested steps and it still does not work. This is not something we can fix on our own I am afraid. I suggest users to just relax and wait for an update. Some users reported success after downgrading to an older version of the Fitbit app.
It worked for me too. Versa & mate 10
This works well for me.. Been having the problems for months.. And thanks to you, the notifications are functioning well now.
Thanks, this helped me on my Huawei P30 (january 2022)
A couple of questions:
– Do you have the security patch from April 5, 2018 for Google (Pixel/Nexus) installed (https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2018-04-01)? If so, the notification listener service should rebind every time you open the app and you shouldn’t be able to see this message.
– Does the Fitbit app crash every time you restart your phone?
Hi Jason, thanks for checking in. Yes, I do have the April 5, 2018 security patch on my Pixel 2. I still have that issue about the notification listener service not running, unfortunately! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
No, the Fitbit app does not crash when I restart my phone, at least I have not noticed that. I will ping you if it does.
Another quick question: are you using a Pixel 2 XL or regular Pixel 2? Can you send me the build number of the Fitbit app you are using as well as the build number of the Android OS?
If you go to your phone settings -> search for “Special app access” -> “Notification access”, does “Fitbit Notification Service” show up and is checked?
I am using Pixel 2 running Android 8.1.0 . The build number for my Android is OPM2.171019.029. The app version is 2.70.
Yes, I enabled the Fitbit notification service. I can only get to that screen in the Fitbit app that is depicted in the above picture if I enabled this setting.
This is the easiest of all.
Setting > Apps. & Noti. > Special Apps Access > Noti. Access > Fitbit Check
The strange thing is that I don’t see anything about this issue on the Fitbit forums. As it affects their own notifications, I presume, not just for those of us running this app, I am surprised that more people are not complaining about it in the forum.
There is, in fact, already heated discussion on the Fitbit forums here: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Android-App/Notification-service-not-running/td-p/2620016
By the way, I don’t see that Notifications not running error on my app. It doesn’t work, but no message.
Some people are experiencing massive issues that may not get resolved easily. See this topic on Fitbit forums: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Android-App/Notification-service-not-running/td-p/2620016
Hi! I have a brand new MI note 5 pro phone and a brand new versa. I am getting the same service not running error after trying everthing suggested in this forum. Is there a new solution available??
Hi Vrushali,
I am not in charge of the Fitbit app. If the Fitbit app is broken and gives you that error, there is no way to fix it on my side. You will have to wait and see if Fitbit will update their broken app. In the meantime, you could go back to an older version of the Fitbit app from https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/fitbit-inc/fitbit/. The apk installation files downloaded from that website should be safe, but as always exercise caution when obtaining software from third party websites.
HI
the key is in the power management. Andriod Oreo will not allow fitbit notification to run if you do not specifically enable it.
I already bought versa, I thought it will give something special by using fitbit versa. But until now, i always facing the same problem which is nortification service are not running. I dont know what to do, please help me to fix it. Im using oppo phone
Did you find a solution to your problem. I am also facing the same issues.
The notifications are not working for me too. I have tried every possible solution that is given anywhere on the internet. Surprisingly, ‘Send a Test Call Notification’ works but ‘Notification service not running’ error is still there. I am using Redmi Note 7. Did someone find a solution yet ?
Hi. I am using One plus 5 T with the new Fitbit v 3 from play store and i am still facing this issue. Any suggestions
I bought a versa yesterday and am using one plus 6t. Facing notification issues. Pls help if there is any new update
same here with OP3T and OP6T consistently..
I am using OnePlus 7 and was facing same issue. Then i realized it is because of battery optimization. Go to setings-Apps & notifications-select fitbit-battery usage-remove battery optimization- restart your phone. It’s working fine now.
Nihal’s step to fix it is accurate. Just try that.
Thanks buddy.
Bro, This is so accurate. Thanks man. you saved someone today. I was so aggressive about this issue. It’s been 6 months that I’m facing this issue.
Guys, just clear cache and stored data for the app, then relogin and give access approval, it will work . Cheers
Hi, I’ve had my Fitbit Versa now for a year. I’ve had nothing but problems, this message gets fixed for about a week then it starts again.
Recently I have been getting the message around 8-10 times a day. It’s driving me crazy. I’ve done what you have said. I have force shut down, reset Fitbit, done factory resets, deleted app many times only to keep having the issue. I love my Fitbit when it works as I don’t have to keep looking at my phone, however I just want to toss it in the bin more often than not of late. Can’t seem to fix it for more than a week or a few hours lately.