This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Garmin VivoFit 4 problems?

New here! I got a VivoFit 4 on January 27th. Wore it for about three days when I noticed it was glitching. It was missing steps. More accurately I would, for example, have 4000 steps logged and then be walking and see that my VivoFit would suddenly have backed up and say I only had 3800 steps. This happened a few times. Then I started noticing the blue triangle widget would flash on the screen and then leave. I would also lose information when I synced with my tablet. Not all the time, but enough of the time that it was a pain. On day 6 I had enough and called Garmin. They suggested I return the item to them. I did.

I bought another VivoFit 4 and have only had it one day and it's losing steps already. I had synced an hour ago and had 9427 steps. I just went for a walk around the office and look at the tracker and it shows 9134 steps. I'm pretty sure I didn't walk backwards! ;)

I'm having a HARD time believing that a reputable company like Garmin could possibly have produced not ONE, but TWO pieces of crap called the VivoFit 4 so I am wondering if I am missing something. Am I doing something to make this happen? Perhaps someone could chime in with some advice, etc.

All I want is for the tracker to accurately count my steps and not be losing steps on a regular basis.

Thanks in advance!
  • Hi, do you happen to have more than one device? are you wearing both at the same time? If so, which device is your "preferred" device in GC? This could be the reason for what you're seeing but I'm not sure.
  • My Vicodin 4 no longer records my sleep stats!
  • Another anecdote: a Vivofit 4 bought recently for a family member was all sorts of glitchy. Problems included:
    • Missing sleep tracking on random nights.
    • "Zero steps" shown, despite MoveIQ detecting a multi-mile walk. (ergo: steps were tracked but somehow not passed along to Garmin Connect as steps...?)
    • Randomly self-factory-resets - instead of a "sync" option, it goes back to "pair", as if it were never used before or someone had factory reset it
    I've trouble-shot and the problem doesn't *seem* to be either the paired Android device used to sync, nor user error - just seems like a defective Vivofit 4.

    He's temporarily using a loaner Vivofit 3 now that isn't having any of the same issues.

    I'm planning to get another VF4 for him - we'll see how that one does.
  • My family member is on device number 2 now - the first one wouldn't stay connected (either via ANT+ stick, or Bluetooth) and was regularly resetting itself. Replacement (touch wood) is working.

    It seems like Garmin may have quality control problems with the Vivofit 4.
  • I’ve emailed Garmin several times, as I also am having problems with VF 4. Customer Service sucks.
  • ...aaaaaand VF4 number two is now acting up for my family member.

    I see there's a software update available for it but it won't even sync/stay connected.

    EDIT - took a while but an update to Garmin Connect Mobile and the VF4 were needed. It's syncing again, though sync being completely broken pre-update seems like a glaring flaw.
  • Most recent post is over a year old. Just spent 30 minutes this morning regarding my third VF4 not syncing all of a sudden. Previous two VF4s had other symptoms described here. The QC on this model failed somewhere and am a bit disappointed that Garmin hasn't resolved it. Likely not Garmin's fault directly but their manufacturer for this particular board. They are sending my an ANT Stick and if that won't sync it up via the computer, it will qualify for a replacement. Prefer to push this to a higher level. They will give my a 20% discount on a different model, but I don't think this is right anymore. I'd prefer to move to a more reliable model less the difference of the cost of the VF4.  

  • I keep a couple of Vivofit 3 devices around as loaners; they've been pretty solid. Not as pretty as the VF4, but they connect to external HRMs, and they come up at thrift stores for $10-15CAD.

    A suggestion on the 4: log in to Garmin Connect on the web. It will show the device battery level where no other place seems to. My fam gets about 6-9 months a battery with the 4 and low battery makes it act up.

  • I had a VivoFit 4 that lasted the life of the battery. Bought new batteries and worked well for 2 weeks the screen froze and it’s been frozen there for about 2 more weeks ..... is this a fixable problem or it’s the normal life of a VivoFit ?

  • I'm on my 3rd V4. This one I avoid ANY contact with water as previous ones had condensation in the battery housing when they failed with the same thing you are describing or worse. So far...it's been okay I havent exhausted the batteries yet and it is still under a year. I like the product for its price point. I disagree with its water resistance rating.