Your Fitbit losing time is almost always a simple settings fix, not a hardware fault. The problem is nearly always an incorrect time zone setting in the Fitbit or Google Health app, or a failed sync after a time zone change.
Check your phone's date and time first
Before adjusting your Fitbit, ensure your phone's own date, time, and time zone are set correctly. If your phone is wrong, the Fitbit will follow suit when it syncs. If the app still shows the wrong time after correcting settings, recheck the phone’s date/time and time zone settings first.
- On an iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure Set Automatically is on. If it is already on, toggle it off and back on, then sync your Fitbit again.
- On an Android: Go to Settings > System > Date and time. Turn on Set time automatically, Set time zone automatically, and Use location to set time zone.
Set the correct time zone in the Fitbit or Google Health app
This is the core fix. The current official app for syncing your Fitbit is the Google Health app, though the older Fitbit app menu paths still work.
- Open the Fitbit app (or Google Health app).
- In the Fitbit app, go to Today > your profile picture > Fitbit settings > App Settings.
- Turn off Automatic time zone.
- Tap Select time zone and choose the correct time zone.
Sync your device to update the time
After changing the time zone, you must sync the device to push the corrected setting to your Fitbit. Sync the Fitbit after every time zone change.
- Return to the Today screen in the app.
- Pull down from the top of the screen to force a manual sync.
- Make sure Bluetooth is enabled and the Fitbit is connected before syncing; this appears in the community troubleshooting thread, not in the main help page.
Still wrong? Log out and back in
If the time is still incorrect after syncing, this verified escalation step forces a full settings refresh. If the time is still wrong after changing settings, Google’s help thread says to log out of the Fitbit app and log back in before syncing again.
- Log out of the Fitbit app.
- Log back in.
- Sync the device again by pulling down on the Today screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you set the time directly on the Fitbit?
No. Fitbit devices do not have a separate manual clock-setting control.
Which app should I use to fix the time?
The current official help page refers to the Google Health app for syncing your Fitbit to show the correct time. A Google Help thread also still uses the older Fitbit app wording and menu path names such as Today > profile picture > Fitbit settings > App Settings.
How do I change the time on a Fitbit without the app?
You cannot change the time on a Fitbit without the app. The device relies entirely on the app’s time zone setting and a sync to update its clock.
What should happen after I change the time zone setting?
After you change the time zone in the app, you must sync your Fitbit device. The app will then push the correct time to the device.
Are there model-specific limits for this fix?
The same troubleshooting steps apply across supported Fitbit devices.
