The Fitbit Versa is a worthy replacement for those who don’t want to deal with an Apple Watch or don’t have an iPhone. The latest Fitbit to hit the market is chock-full of your favorite features and more.
One of these features is the ability to quickly look at your watch or notifications by lifting or turning your wrist. For some, there’s confusion around whether a tap is required for this to work.
The short answer is no–using the default settings, tap on your Fitbit does not wake your screen.
Important notice for Fitbit Ionic owners
Google is recalling all Fitbit Ionic smartwatches due to the possibility that the lithium-ion battery can overheat, posing a burn hazard.
If you own an Ionic, Fitbit recommends you immediately stop using it even if it’s working normally and apply for a refund via this Ionic refund site. You’ll need to fill out a form and will receive a return kit with instructions on how to return your device for a refund.
This refund applies to all Fitbit Ionic watches, even inactive units.
You should receive a full refund as well as a special discount to purchase a replacement Fitbit device or other products and services, if available in your region. This special discount is available for a limited time and is valid for 90 days after registering for your Ionic refund.
Contents
Related reading
- Fitbit doesn’t turn on clock when you tap it? Screen wake not working? Let’s fix it!
- Does your Fitbit screen shut off too fast? Change this one thing
- Fitbit display screen black and not working or turning on? Let’s fix it!
Turn on ‘Tap to Wake’ on your Sense, Versa, Ionic, or Blaze
By default, Fitbit turns on your Fitbit’s display whenever you raise your wrist.
When you aren’t actively using your Fitbit, your screen should dim to conserve battery. Whenever you turn or raise your wrist (like to check the time), that motion wakes up your Fitbit’s screen.
Fitbit calls this feature Screen Wake
It turns your device’s screen on automatically whenever you turn or raise your wrist.
If you’re bothered by this feature (especially if you wear your Fitbit at night), you can disable it. When disabled, you turn on your screen by pressing a button or tapping on its screen instead.
Another benefit of disabling Screen Wake is battery savings since your Fitbit won’t automatically turn on whenever you turn or raise your wrist.
Disable automatic Screen Wake using your Fitbit device settings
When you set your Fitbit’s screen wake setting to manual, you turn on your Fitbit’s screen only when you press a button or tap the screen.
When tapping the screen, do so with a little force and try tapping 2-3 times in a row.
And if that doesn’t work, try tapping the wristband just above or below the Fitbit pebble–that is often more reliable than tapping your screen!
Change screen wake tap to wake feature using the Quick Settings menu (for Sense Series, Ionic, and Versa Series)
- Sense series and Versa 3+—swipe from the left on the clock face.
- For others, swipe down from the top of the screen, or for the Ionic, long-press the left button and tap the Quick Settings icon.
- Tap the Watch icon to toggle between Auto and Manual screen wake modes.
- When set to Auto (the watch icon is highlighted in color), the screen turns on each time you turn or raise your wrist.
- When set to Manual (the watch icon is grayed out), press a button or tap the screen on your Fitbit to turn on the display.
Alternatively, swipe to your Fitbit’s Settings menu (for Ionic, Sense, Versa, or Blaze)
- Scroll down to Screen Wake and tap it to change from Auto to Manual.
This stops your screen from lighting up every time that you lift your wrist.
Instead, you need to tap the side button (or one of the buttons) to begin interacting with the smartwatch.
Disable Fitbit’s Screen Wake feature using the Fitbit app
- Open the Fitbit app on the device you normally sync with.
- Tap your profile picture or icon at the top.
- Select your Fitbit device.
- Toggle Quick View off.
Fitbit’s Sleep Mode (found in your Fitbit’s Settings app) automatically turns off Quick View, so your screen shouldn’t come on while sleeping!
Disable Always-on display settings
With an always-on display, your Fitbit keeps your clock visible at all times. Consequently, this feature drains your battery and requires you to charge your device frequently.
That’s why we recommend disabling this feature on supported models like Fitbit Versa 2/3 and Fitbit Sense.
- For Sense and Versa 3, swipe right from the clock face to open your Quick Settings, then tap the always-on display icon to turn it off–look for a notice that it’s disabled.
- For Versa 2, tap the clock icon in Quick Settings to turn off Always-On Display mode–look for a notice that it’s OFF.
What’s the difference between Screen Wake and Always-on Display on a Fitbit?
- Screen Wake turns on your screen when you turn your wrist in a motion to check the time.
- The always-on display keeps your clock face visible at all times, whether you are interacting with the Fitbit or not.
Try a restart
If the above method doesn’t work for any reason, you may want to restart your Versa.
The whole process should take less than a minute and hopefully fixes any of the issues you are running into.
If not, then you may want to turn it off and then back on again.
Here are the steps to turn restart your Versa (original model) or Ionic:
- Press and hold the Left and Bottom buttons until you see the Fitbit logo.
- Let go of the buttons.
- The Versa or Ionic restarts.
Here are the steps to turn restart your Sense series, Versa 2+, and Versa Lite:
- On your watch, press and hold the button for 10 seconds.
- Wait until you see the Fitbit logo on the screen, then release the button.
Learn more about restarting your Fitbit in this article.
Shutdown your Fitbit device, then power back up
You’ve already changed the settings for Screen Wake and restarted your Fitbit, but you still have issues.
In this case, you may want to try turning off your smartwatch altogether.
Here are the steps needed to turn off your Sense, Versa, Blaze, or Ionic:
- Wake your Fitbit.
- Swipe and tap open the Settings app.
- Tap About (some models only.)
- Select Shutdown.
After a few moments, your Fitbit completely turns off.
Once the process completes, pause for a minute or so, and then you can go ahead and turn it back on by pressing any of the buttons.
You cannot shut down most Fitbit trackers–instead, try the reboot process.
What’s next?
After you have exhausted all of your troubleshooting techniques, there are only a couple of options left. You can take your Fitbit back to where it was purchased to exchange it for another one.
This could prove to be problematic, as some retailers have a limited return policy. If you are outside of the return policy, then contact Fitbit’s support staff.
If that’s the case, you can follow the link here to find the best way to get in contact. Fitbit has a slew of different methods of contact, including the likes of Twitter and online chat.
This is the best option to get to the bottom of whatever is causing issues with your device. In the meantime, let us know what you have done to rectify the issue or if the above methods worked for you!