PM5 not connecting to smart phone

[dokotela]

Hi there,
I've been using the PM5 with my phone, Google Pixel 7, without any issues for 2 years. Suddenly the PM5 won't find the phone. I have uninstalled the Ergo app and reinstalled it, the battery is at 85% on the PM5 and the software on the app is up to date. I can't figure it out. It's annoying because I now have to manually add my data to the logbook.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

[MPx]

Sounds like it might potentially be a bluetooth issue? If the PM or phone already think its connected elsewhere it wont be looking for a connection. You can check on your phone settings what its seeing BT wise but for the PM its Menu/Connect and see if its got an app connected. If it has, you could try disconnect app - then shut down and start again from scratch to see if the phone can find it. Maybe nonesense...but something to try anyway.

[stevegaspars]

Try installing your app on another device and connect to that. It'll narrow down the problem device. If it connects, it's a phone problem, if not, a PM5 problem.

[Carl Watts]

The whole Bluetooth hardware changed over the years so the older PM5's only work with older phones.

That said if it was working and now it tends to suggest some other problem.

[Dangerscouse]

You've probably tried this, but restarting the phone is something that I need to do occasionally as the Ergzone app doesn't find the PM5. This happened yesterday for the first time in months.

[Tsnor]

Maybe look at phone saved bluetooth devices and delete (usually called 'forget') the PM5 entry. https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-201242/

Let the ergdata app find the PM5 again when launched.

Ergdata will need the ability to use 'location' on most versions of android. (Because if you have ability to use Bluetooth then you can find out your location without using the location service ... so that make apps that use bluetooth also have location privilege).

(Aside: another PM5 app, Asensei, also fails if the PM5 is connected directly by the phone, and not by the ap. Here is their fix write up for apple devices. "Connect within the asensei app not through your phone's Bluetooth settings. If you have at any time paired or connected your PM5 directly via the Bluetooth settings on your phone this will cause a problem because your device will connect to the rowing machine directly, which prevents asensei from making a connection.

To check this go into your iPhone/iPad's settings app, choose Bluetooth and look to see if you see a PM5 Monitor listed on the My Devices list. If you see it on that list tap on the text to the right of it saying Connected/Not Connected and then choose Forget This Device.

asensei connects to your rowing machine automatically during a workout, there's no need for a manual connection. )

[HornetMaX]

I recently had to replace my Pixel 4a for a more recent Pixel 8a (*). The new one is android 14, old was android 13.

The P4 has always connected to the RowErg (via ErgZone) in 3 seconds top.
The P8 sometimes takes a lot more (like 10 seconds or more) to see the RowErg and on occasions it just refuses to see it (in which case I restart the PM5 / the phone / both etc).

Additional details:

• I always connect the phone to the erg via the app (ErgZone of ErgData)
• - The same issue is not there when I connect the P8 to my SkiErg (via ErgData).
• Additional minor annoyances:
  • the connection between the PM5 and ErgZone is broken if you "rotate" your phone from portrait to landscape. I have to put in the cradle (landscape) before connecting, and leave it like that. Could be an ErgZone issue, or an ErgZone+Android14 issue (I didn't have this problem before).
  • ErgData prompts you to change battery optimizations settings every time you start it, but in A14 these settings are gone. Not a big deal, but you have to cancel the prompt each time and because of that it doesn't connect automatically to the Erg (which was the case before).

(*)
In case you ask: I loved the Pixel 4a, it was absolutely enough phone for my needs. The Pixel 8a is more than I need, but bigger and heavier (nad, TBC, also runs hotter). I was forced to change as the 4a had no more security updates and my company prevented me from running some office apps on it because of that. Got a very good price on the 8a (Pixel 9 came out a few days after) + sold my 4a for a decent price + the fact the 8a has 7 years of security updates and yeah, had to go for it.