How to Enable Two-Factor Authentication on Your Fitbit Account

Fitbit is among the most popular wearable brands out there. As such, you’ll find various Fitbit trackers and smartwatches across different price brackets in the market, each aimed at improving your health and keeping you on top of your fitness goals.

Since much of the fitness and health information you track using your Fitbit wearable is sensitive, you don’t want it to be compromised and disclosed to unauthorized people. Thankfully, Fitbit now lets you enable 2FA on your Fitbit account to add an extra layer of security to it and prevent its unauthorized access.

Follow along as we list down the steps to enable two-factor authentication on your Fitbit account.

How Does 2FA on Fitbit Work?

2FA or two-factor authentication on Fitbit works just like it does on any other online service: it requires you to enter a second factor—received via an SMS on your registered mobile number—after entering your password at the time of login to access your account.

Unfortunately, though, as is the case with most online accounts, you can’t use an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy to generate your 2FA tokens—at least as of now. And, at a given time, you can enable 2FA with your mobile number on just one Fitbit account.

How to Enable 2FA on Fitbit?

Fitbit’s 2FA is available on both Android and iOS devices. Before you proceed with the steps to enable 2FA, first, update the Fitbit app on your device from the respective app store. And then, make sure you’re signed in to your account.

Once done, follow these steps to set up 2FA on your account:

1. Open the Fitbit app on your Android or iPhone.
2. Tap on the profile avatar in the top-left corner.
   
3. Click on Account Settings.
   
4. Select Two Factor Authentication and toggle on the button next to Two Factor Authentication.
   
5. When prompted to confirm, click on Let’s do it to start the 2FA setup.
   
6. On the Set Phone Number screen, enter your phone number and hit Confirm.
   
7. Copy the verification code you receive from the messages app and enter it on the following screen. Hit Confirm to authenticate.
   
8. Finally, enter your Fitbit password and click on Submit to finish setting up 2FA on your account.

Fitbit will now give you a five-digit recovery code, which you can use to recover your Fitbit account if you lose your phone number. Note this code down in a safe place or capture its screenshot.

With 2FA enabled on your Fitbit account, every time you enter your password at the time of login, you’ll need to subsequently enter the verification code sent to your mobile number to authenticate yourself.

Related Read: How to Change Time on Fitbit Devices

How to Change the Phone Number Linked to Your Fitbit Account?

If you ever change your phone number—such that you won’t have access to your existing number going forward, you’ll need to change the phone number associated with your Fitbit account to maintain access to your account.

Here are the steps to do this:

1. Open the Fitbit app on your smartphone.
2. Click on your profile icon and select Account Settings > Two Factor Authentication.
3. Toggle off the button beside Two Factor Authentication to turn it off.
4. Tap on your phone number.
5. Enter your new phone number and hit Verify.
6. Enter the verification code you receive on your new number and hit Confirm.
7. Again, toggle on the switch next to Two Factor Authentication (in step 3) and enter your Fitbit account password to reinstate 2FA on your Fitbit account.

What to Do When You Don’t Have the Verification Code?

Since you’re required to enter the verification code every time you want to access your Fitbit account, losing its access means you won’t be able to access your account anymore. So, for all those times when you either don’t receive the verification code or you’ve lost access to your phone number, you can use the recovery code to authenticate your access on Fitbit.

Here’s how to authenticate yourself using recovery code:

1. Open the app and enter your credentials on the login screen.
2. When prompted to enter SMS code, tap on Deactivate 2FA and select Deactivate Using Recovery Code.
3. Enter the recovery code and hit Confirm.

What to Do When You Forgot/Lost the Recovery Code?

In the event that you can’t receive the verification code and have lost access to your recovery code, too, your last resort to access your Fitbit account is to deactivate 2FA via email.

Follow these steps to do this:

1. Open the Fitbit app on your phone and enter your login credentials to initiate the login.
2. When asked for the verification code, click on Deactivate 2FA and select Deactivate Using Email Instructions.
   
3. Go to your registered email address and look for the 2FA deactivation email from Fitbit.
4. Tap on the link in the email to deactivate 2FA.

Now, log in to your Fitbit account and enable 2FA from the beginning again. And this time, make sure to keep your recovery code on a secure note.

How to Turn Off Two-Factor Authentication on Fitbit?

If, after using 2FA on your Fitbit account for some time, you’re finding it inconvenient or are facing problems receiving the verification code on your carrier, you can turn off 2FA using these steps:

1. Open the Fitbit app.
2. Click on your profile picture on the top-left corner.
3. Tap on Account Settings and select Two Factor Authentication.
4. Toggle of the button beside Two Factor Authentication.
5. Upon receiving the verification code, enter it and tap Confirm. If you can’t get the verification code, you can deactivate 2FA on your Fitbit account using either the recovery code or deactivation link via email.

Keep Your Fitbit Health and Fitness Data Safe

Adding two-factor authentication to your Fitbit account is a great way to secure it from unauthorized access and keep your personal health and fitness data protected from others. So you can continue using your favorite Fitbit tracker or smartwatch to keep track of your daily activities, track health metrics like pulse, blood oxygen saturation, and more without worrying about them being compromised and ending up in the wrong hands.