Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Fitbit’s food-logging tools, including search and barcode scanning, are down for many Android and iOS users.
- Recent and frequent foods still work, but new items can only be added manually with limited nutrition data.
- Fitbit says engineers are investigating the server-side issue, but there’s no ETA on a fix yet.
Fitbit is more than just a step-tracking watch. In fact, it also helps millions stay on top of their daily nutrition. But if you tried logging meals today and found the search bar empty or the barcode scanner unresponsive, you’re not alone. According to multiple reports, Fitbit’s food-logging system is experiencing a widespread outage affecting both Android and iOS users.
Over the past 24 hours, people who rely on Fitbit’s food database or barcode scanner have been unable to search for new items or scan packaged goods. Favorites and recent entries still appear in the Log Food section, but trying to look up anything new typically results in a blank screen or a “fitbit.com is down for maintenance” pop-up. Support reps have confirmed this isn’t an isolated glitch and say engineers are actively investigating the issue.
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Because the food log plays a major role for users tracking calorie intake or balancing macros, losing search and barcode features makes logging far more tedious. Forums are already packed with frustrated reports, which also highlight that common troubleshooting steps like clearing cache, reinstalling the app, or switching networks don’t seem to help.
It’s also a data-integrity problem. While you can still add custom food entries, they lack the convenience and nutritional precision of barcode-linked database entries. Over time, missed or imprecise logs can throw off calorie counts and influence fitness decisions.
The good news is that if you’re running into the issue, your best bet for now is to rely on your Recent or Frequent food lists; those still work. You can also manually add new food entries, though it’s slower and won’t pull in automatic nutrition data. There’s no need to reinstall the app or clear cache, as the problem appears to be server-side rather than device-specific.
Fitbit hasn’t offered a timeline for restoration yet, but a moderator post says that teams are aware and working on a solution. Oddly, the company’s status dashboard still shows no reported outage, suggesting the problem may be handled quietly behind the scenes. The safest move, as such, is to keep an eye on official Fitbit Community threads for updates while Google works on a fix.
While this might seem like a minor disruption, it highlights how much people rely on these tools to keep daily habits in check. If you’re calorie-counting, trying to lose weight, or logging meals for medical reasons, losing barcode and search access is more than an annoyance. In fact, it can derail a routine. And with plenty of competing health-tracking apps out there, outages like this could nudge some users to explore alternatives if reliability becomes a pattern.
We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.
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