Understanding Active Minutes on Fitbit & Troubleshooting Syncing Issues

Modified on Thu, Feb 6 at 12:35 AM

What are active minutes?
Active Minutes refer to the amount of time you spend engaging in physical activities that elevate your heart rate and contribute to your overall fitness. They help you monitor your physical activity and work toward improving cardiovascular health.


How Do I earn active minutes?
Earn active minutes by engaging in 10 or more minutes of continuous moderate-to-intense activity.

How does my Fitbit device calculate active minutes?

  • Fitbit devices calculate active minutes using metabolic equivalents (METs), a metric that factors in your body mass to estimate exercise intensity. METs are determined through a ratio that reflects the rate of energy expended during an activity (source).

  • Rate of energy expended during an activity:  You earn active minutes for activities at or above about 3 METs. 1 MET is the rate of energy you expend during rest or sitting quietly, while you typically expend 3 METs or more during a moderately intense activity such as walking.

  • For devices that track heart rate, this data is used to calculate active minutes for non-step-based activities like weight lifting, yoga, and rowing. If your device does not track heart rate, the active minutes for these activities may be lower.

What are Active Zone Minutes or Active Minutes on my Fitbit device?
Earn Active Zone Minutes or Active Minutes based on your device by engaging in heart-pumping activities throughout the day.

How do I earn Active Zone Minutes?


Earn Active Zone Minutes for time spent in the moderate (fat burn), vigorous (cardio), or peak heart-rate zones. To help you maximize your time, you earn 2 Active Zone Minutes for each minute you’re in the vigorous or peak zones. Heart-rate zones are personalized based on your fitness level and age.

Heart-Rate Zone
Active Zone Minutes
1 minute in the moderate zone1 Active Zone Minute
1 minute in the vigorous or peak zone2 Active Zone Minutes


**Your Fitbit device doesn't track your heart rate during a swim workout. You earn 1 Active Zone Minute for each minute of swimming.**


Why won't my Fitbit Device Sync?
If you can’t transfer data from your Fitbit device to your account, or if you stopped receiving notifications from your phone, your device might be disconnected. 

NoteIf you see the 'Phone disconnected' icon  on Google Pixel Watch, Sense, or Versa 3, your Fitbit device can't communicate with your phone. Follow the troubleshooting steps below.


How do I manually Sync my Tracker or Watch?

1. With your device nearby, open the Fitbit app and tap the Today tab .

2. Tap and hold on the screen and pull down.

    Or use the Sync Now option:

1. From the Today tab , tap Devices  device image.

2. Tap Sync Now.


If your device doesn't sync:

1. Force quit the Fitbit app on your phone. For instructions, see the Apple help article or Android (Google) help article.

2. On your phone, go to Settings  Bluetooth  and turn Bluetooth off and back on.

3. Open the Fitbit app and try to sync your device.


If your device doesn't sync, restart it. For instructions, see How do I restart my Fitbit device?


If you have any questions or would like additional help, please reach out to Wellness360 support for further assistance. 



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