Reusing Devices Across Participants

Often, studies want to re-use devices among participants. We suggest this be done by following a few simple steps:

Sync the device one last time to the first participant’s Fitbit or Garmin Connect account to be sure their more recent data is captured and in the Fitabase system. You may want to check their data in Fitabase to make sure you have everything you need.

For Fitbit devices:

Remove the device from the first participant’s account by opening their Fitbit app and tapping the Today tab, tapping their profile picture, then tapping the device image. Lastly, tap the Remove option if the participant is using an Apple device, or the trash icon if they are using an Android phone.

To do this on a desktop or laptop, log in to the participant's profile, navigate to their dashboard and click on the watch icon () in the upper right hand corner. Then follow the same steps you would on the mobile app.

For Garmin devices:

Remove the device from the first participant's account by opening the Garmin Connect app, opening the Menu and selecting Garmin Devices. 

Select the wearable to be removed and tap the three vertical dots next to it. Tap "Remove Device" and tap for the last time on "Remove." 

Connect the Fitbit to the new participant’s account by following the basic steps found here. 

Connect the Garmin device to the new participant's account by following the steps found here. 

In following these steps, the new participant should be set up with a clean slate and the participant data will not be mixed. 

You can find more details and find points of reassurance on Fitbit’s website here, as well as more details from Garmin here.