How to Turn Your Fitbit Tracker Off and On Again

A few quick steps will shut it down and bring it back up

By
Brad Stephenson
Brad Stephenson - Lifewire Writer
Brad Stephenson
Freelance Contributor
  • Western Sydney University
Brad Stephenson is a freelance tech and geek culture writer with 12+ years' experience. He writes about Windows 10, Xbox One, and cryptocurrency.
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Updated on November 24, 2022
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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What to Know

  • Blaze: Open Settings > select Shutdown > Yes > press any button to turn back on.
  • Ionic, Versa, Versa 2: Open Settings > select About > Shutdown > Yes > press any button to turn back on.
  • Sense, Versa 3: Open Settings > select Shutdown > Yes > press + hold button until Watch vibrates to turn on.

This articles explains the steps necessary to turn your Fitbit tracker off and back on again. The process can vary model to model, but it is possible to do so on most devices.

Turning a Fitbit tracker off is different from a restart or a reset. A restart will turn the tracker off and on, within one action, and you will not lose any data. A reset will delete all data and return the device to its factory settings. These instructions are for turning a Fitbit off and then turning it on.

Which Fitbit Trackers Turn Off?

Not all Fitbit models turn off. The ones that can are the Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Versa, Fitbit One, Fitbit Surge, and Fitbit Sense.

The ability to turn off a Fitbit shouldn't affect your decision when choosing which fitness tracker to buy, as very few people will actually need to do so. The main features you should look for when buying a Fitbit are: battery life, tracking features, and the overall appearance and style of the device.

Instructions on how to turn off a Fitbit tracker vary depending on the model or type of wearable.

How to Turn off a Fitbit Blaze

  1. From the Home screen, swipe left until you see the Settings gear.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Scroll down, and select Shutdown.

  4. Select Yes to confirm.

    Fitbit Ionic
    Fitbit Ionic Fitness Tracker. Fitbit

    .

  5. Press any button to turn the Blaze back on

How to Turn off a Fitbit Ionic, Versa, or Versa 2

  1. From the Home screen, swipe left until you see the Settings gear.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Scroll down, and select About.

  4. Scroll down, and select Shutdown.

  5. Select Yes to confirm.

  6. Press any button to turn the Fitbit back on.

How to Turn off a Fitbit Sense and Versa 3

  1. From the Home screen, swipe left until you see the Settings gear.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Scroll down, and select Shutdown.

  4. Select Yes to confirm.

  5. To turn the Sense and Versa 3 back on, press and hold the button until the device vibrates.

How to Turn off a Fitbit Surge

  1. From the Home screen, swipe left until you see the Settings gear.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Scroll down until you see Shutdown, and select the arrow in the lower-right corner.

  4. Select the checkmark to confirm shutdown.

  5. To turn the Surge back on, press any button.

How to Turn off a Fitbit One

Connect the Fitbit One to its USB charging cable and plug it into a power source. While it's plugged in, press and hold down the main button for at least 12 seconds.

To turn the One back on, press and hold any button for a few seconds.

To turn a Fitbit fitness tracker back on, make sure that it has at least a little bit of battery power by charging it for at least five minutes.

Should I Turn My Fitbit Off?

Completely turning off a Fitbit tracker has very little benefit, but doing so may be useful when gifting a Fitbit to someone else or saving the battery life when traveling without a charging cable. For example, if you're traveling overseas and you forget to pack the charging cable, it would make sense to turn off the Fitbit while in a vehicle as you're unlikely to register many steps at that time.

While many flights still ask passengers to turn off some of their electronics, you have no safety-related need to turn off a Fitbit while on an airplane.

What Do I Do If My Fitbit Won't Turn Off?

If your Fitbit model doesn't feature a turn-off function, you can still turn it off by waiting for its battery to run out of power. To turn it on again, connect the charging cable and plug it into a power outlet. It should begin charging and turn on.

FAQ
  • How do I change the time on my Fitbit tracker?

    To change the time on your Fitbit, change the time on the device it's paired to and then re-sync both the Fitbit and the paired device.

  • How do I sync my Fitbit to my iPhone?

    Sync your Fitbit to your iPhone by making sure your phone's Bluetooth is turned on, first. Turn on your Fitbit > open the Fitbit app on your phone > select the Fitbit icon > select two arrows icon for manual sync.

  • How do I cancel Fitbit Premium?

    Open the Fitbit app and select Today > Account Settings > Manage Subscriptions. Next, locate and choose your Fitbit Premium subscription > select Cancel Subscription.

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