When you join a challenge on Count.It, you begin to move forward on the (zoomable!) challenge path as soon as the challenge starts and you begin logging activity. The way that Count.It "syncs" your data varies somewhat with the type of smartphone you have, as well as the fitness app you have connected. However, in general, Count.it will automatically sync your activity data from your connected trackers at the following times:
Phone / Tracker | Sync Attempt Timing |
All trackers and phones | Every every time you open the Count.It app. |
iPhones (Apple Health) | Any time you have new activity data, even if your Count.It app is closed or "in the background." |
Android trackers (Health Connect & Google Fit) | Every 15 minutes, even if your Count.It app is closed or "in the background." |
Fitbit | Any time you send new data from your wearable device to the Fitbit servers. |
Garmin | Any time you send new data from your wearable device to the Garmin servers. |
Note, in order for any sync to succeed, your phone must have Internet access. Because there can be multiple "hops" in any sync, and success requires an Internet connection, it can often take a moment for data to appear in your Count.It logs, and many "background sync" attempts will not succeed.
PRO Tip: The simplest thing you can do to make sure your data is consistently flowing is just to open your Count.It app!
Sync Date Range & Manual Syncing
As noted, Count.It will attempt to auto-sync every time you open the app, as well as in the background. During any auto-sync, Count.It will grab all of the new activity data you have logged since your last successful data update.
To update data previously logged, i.e. prior to your last update, you can prompt a "Manual Sync" by tapping on the "🔄" button on your challenge page. Manual Syncs gather activity data going back to the start of your challenge, up to 28 days. You can use the Manual Sync to refresh all of your challenge data. This is helpful, for example, if you've manually updated or deleted previously sync'd activity data on your fitness tracker
A few notes:
Once you have pressed the Manual Sync button, you don't need to press it again. It will only fully refresh your activity logs the first time. To "redo" a Manual Sync, you can close and reopen the app, and then tap the Manual Sync button again.
In most cases, activity logged prior to 28 days, can no longer be sync'd.
Again, as a best practice, it's a good idea to open your Count.It app regularly to make sure your data is flowing. If you're still not seeing your data on Count.It, please review the following troubleshooting steps.
PRO TIP: Not seeing your "exercise minutes?" Keep in mind that to earn points for exercise, you must log a specific exercise type or workout. Apple Watch users please note: "Exercise minutes" that are auto-tracked by your Apple Watch Activity app do not count. See here for full details.
Google Fit
Please confirm that you have connected your Google Fit tracker. To check this, first go to your Count.It Settings --> Trackers screen, and confirm that Fit is connected. To refresh the connection, you can toggle it off and on.
Next, confirm that all of the required data sharing permissions are properly granted. To do so, please open your Google Fit app and go to Settings --> Manage Connected Apps. You should see the Count.It Journey app icon. If you tap on it, you will see the granted permissions:
If those permissions are not there, visit your Android Settings --> Security & Privacy --> Permissions manager. Scroll down and tap on "Physical Activity." On the next page, look for the Count.It app icon. Tap that, and make sure the physical activity permission is set to "Allow."
For more information on granting data sharing permissions in Google Fit, please see here.
Apple Health
Please confirm that you have connected your Apple Health tracker. To check this, open your Count.It app to the Settings --> Trackers screen, and confirm that Health is connected. To refresh the connection, you can toggle it off and on.
Next, to confirm that all of the required data sharing permissions are properly granted, please open your iPhone Settings app. Scroll down and tap on the Health app. Then tap on Data Access & Devices:
On the next screen, tap on the Count.It Journey app icon. Your permissions screen should look like this:
Fitbit
If you have connected your Fitbit, but are not seeing your activity data on Count.It, there could be a few reasons:
Your Fitbit wearable hasn't successfully sync'd to your iPhone, or your Fitbit app has not sent your activity data to the Fitbit servers in the "cloud."
When you connected your Fitbit, you didn't grant all of the required permissions to share your Fitbit data.
Your Count.It app can't connect to the Count.It servers.
First, check your Fitbit sync'ing:
If you're using a Fitbit wearable device, confirm that the data is making it from device to app. Make sure you have your Bluetooth turned on, and your device properly paired to your phone.
Next, confirm that your data made it off your phone and up to the Fitbit servers. To check your Fitbit account on the web, log in here:
If you are seeing activity data when you log into your Fitbit account on the web, it should be available to Count.It. Now let's check the permissions.
Log in to your Count.It app, and click over to the Trackers screen.
Toggle the "Connect" switch off and then on. You will be prompted to log in to your Fitbit account, and grant data sharing permissions. Please make sure that you're using the same username/password in this step as you did when confirming you had data in your Fitbit account on the web.
When connecting your Fitbit to Count.It, Fitbit provides the option to grant permission to two types of data: "Profile" and "Activity & Exercise." In order to successfully connect, you must grant permissions for both. In other words, click "Select All" in the image above.
Privacy Note: Count.It uses your data only for your challenge. We do not share your data or sell it to anyone else. See our privacy policy here.
Last step: In your Count.It app, click over to your challenge screen, and tap on the sync button. Keep in mind that the connection to Fitbit is "in the cloud," and it can take a few minutes for data to transfer.
iOS PRO TIPS
Please note, for data to sync to Count.It, your iPhone must be unlocked and have Internet access. For best results, the Count.It app should be open. It can be open "in the background," but it's a good idea to bring it to the "foreground," as iOS can terminate its access to sending and receiving data.
Please check to see that your iPhone is not in Low Power Mode. When the phone is in this mode, background work is disabled, and this will prevent syncing.