Can someone explain why the app needs access?

[SunsetRunner]

Can someone explain to me why the Android Fitbit app needs access to my Location, SMS, Device ID & call information and access to my Contacts/Calendar information?

[Twopennygal]

My contacts list is personal information and I don't want Fitbit telling me or my contacts that they also have them. When the Charge 2 asks about turning on the permissions, it says it wants the permission to MAKE calls, send texts. I do NOT want an app MAKING calls and texts for me. However, if I do not give it access to my contacts, texts, and phone, (all three) it won't turn on notifications. 

It's all too insecure and invasive in my opinion.

[Twopennygal]

Deleted by user

[Rich_Laue]

Turning on location services is not  turning on location, it's the same as unlocking a door does not open the door. It simply allows an app to use request the location of the phone, or a person to open the door, usually to walk through.

@Twopennygal, what your seeing in the contact permission page is on Android OS, not Fitbit.

The Android warning is telling you what Fitbit will have access to, it is not telling what Fitbit wants to do with this data,

Fitbit uses the contacts:

To identify froends with Fitbits

To identify who is calling so that it can seend this info to your wrist

To identify the sender of a text notification. 

The decision is yours, you are using an Android device.

[desti]

It doesn't matter whether or not you "share" my data.  The fact that you require permission to access my sms and phone calls and contacts is absurd.  You are not Big Brother and you will not have access to any of my info...I am returning this invasively creepy gadget. 

[gdio53]

---

@desti wrote:

It doesn't matter whether or not you "share" my data.  The fact that you require permission to access my sms and phone calls and contacts is absurd.  You are not Big Brother and you will not have access to any of my info...I am returning this invasively creepy gadget. 

---

@desti  Access to SMS, contacts and phone calls is for displaying notifications on the Charge 2.

If you don't want notifications, you can remove the related permissions through your phone's Application manager, and turn off notifications in the Fitbit app.

[Rich_Laue]

You can look below for fitbit's privacy policy. 

@gdio53 is correct android OS gives you complete control over permissions. 

There is also access to photos and camera since users wanted to be able to share photos with their runs shared. 

the GPS needs access to location services, note I did not say GPS which is controlled by location services, not the Fitbit app. 

There are a few more like access to memory so the app can run, yes some have turned this off and wondered why the app crashed 

[F-Fit-Bit]

Nice response, tool

[AK98]

Fitbit is useless without the ability to update to the app.  I have had my fitbit Change2 for over 2 months and this is the first time  have been unable to sync and never had given permission to track my location.  You have cheated me of over $100.00 as this was not noted before purchase and did not implement tracking requirement on my device until thismorning!

[Rich_Laue]

The app is asking for tracking permission, the app is simply reminding the user that Android now requires location services to be on in order to sync. Sorry you did not mention the phone but with windows and iOS this is not the case. Thus proving that it is not a Fitbit requirement. 

This also is the case for Garmon and a few other types of devices and android. 

[AK98]

Thank you for the reply. I'm still not happy with the situation but do understand it is a Google requirement for android. I did figure out a run around which I'm sorry to say took my brain so long to figure out. Must be old age. Again thank you for the reply.

[ELF1802]

I can't count the number of people that tell me I'm silly for not trusting Facebook because it has LOTS of privacy settings.  SILLY ME !!!  😠  Why then was Zuckerberg in front of congress recently?  WHY are we not given any options, hmmm???  Count me as someone who would gladly use the product if given complete control.  I understand that certain aspects of the program may not function.  I don't think the Fitbit people understand how many thousands, tens of thousands, or more, people would use their product if they weren't so dense.  

[ewallin]

I wrote the same thing to the FitBit people manye years ago.

I think they still live mentally in a world where they believe that they have more advantage contrlling their customers secretly that letting people make their own choice.

The paradigme has already changed

But some companies have not seen it yet.

The companies who can read the text on the wall and understand this new paragdime will be the sucessfull ones in the future

[Rich_Laue]

@ELF1802 on android you may revoke any permissions that you want, however in response to the features the Fitbit custimerschave requested and insist on Fitbit requests these permissions. 

Your correct if fitbit did not implement these features that require these permisions I think Fitbit would only have thousands of users instead of the millions that they have. 

[ewallin]

I am afarid this is an old paradigme of understanding which is not true any more.

Customers are noe actively de-selecting companies that uses tricks to control them.

Wake up to the new paradigme.....

[Rich_Laue]

You say that customers are not walking away from companies like Google that control them .However using see what that has to do with fit Fitbit that does not control or sell your data .

You may read the solution to find out why these permissions are requested 

[RaffiandBoz]

I have read the information about why you collect personal information such as contacts and location. I would like to know how to turn this "feature" off as I do not want my information available to Fitbit. Nor do I want my location available to Google as it is if my location must be left on. Will my fitbit work without location turned on? How do I turn it off?

[Rich_Laue]

@RaffiandBoz as for permissions go to the phones settings, apps, Fitbit, permissions, and disable any that you do not want the Fitbit app to have access to.

Note Fitbit does not collect any of the info.

As for location, your tracker does not need this to function, unless you want to track the path of a walk/run.

Your Android operating system requires location services to be enabled before the Android operating system will allow the tracker to symc. Saying you don't want location to be on is not correct, It is only when an app requests location that it is turned in on. Fitbit does not request the location unless the user has told the tracker to record a walk/run with GPS.

Yes many have said that having location services on reduces the phones battery life, this is usually because the user has not taken control of which apps have been granted permission to your location.

[RaffiandBoz]

I realise I can limit app permissions. The issue is that if I turn off my location my fitbit refuses to synch. So I have to give fitbit location permission AND turn on location if I want it to synch. Why?

[Rich_Laue]

@RaffiandBoz your not turning on location, only an app can do this. Your simply enabling location services. Why, because the Android OS required it, Fitbit is simply reminding the user that Android wants location Services on, before it will allow the Fitbit app to see the Fitbit tracker.

[RaffiandBoz]

No - the issue is synching. Fitbit app will not synch unless the app has permission AND i turn my location on. If i dont do both those things when i try to synch i get an error message.