Disgruntled user

[drewruns]

I've been pretty unhappy with my fitbit lately. I got it a few years ago and used it just to auto track my steps and sleep and it was greate, but recently I started training for a marathon and I've found that the features and capabilities of the fitbit are actually pretty poor. Here a few things I don't like:

1. I can't GPS track a bike ride? This seems really lame to me. A ton of people ride bikes and I'd imagine would expect this to be an included feature. I have to use a third party app to track my bike rides. So dumb. This was the final straw that made me post.
2. For running I can't see my current pace, the pace of my current mile, or the paces of past miles. I can only see average pace and how long I've been running for. That is pretty useless when you are trying for specific paces for each mile. I can't be doing math like that while I'm trying to exercise.
3. There is no elevation data. This would be easy to add just based on the elevation of where you are on the map. If your tracked your run with GPS it should include elevation data. Simple as that. Again, third party apps do it just fine.

Next are a few straight up bugs that drive me nuts:

1. The map never shows right after I finish a run. I hit finish and it takes me to a blank screen where the map should be. I have to hit back and then hope my run has even been logged, then go back in to see the map
2. Runs don't always save. Sometimes I'll hit that back and then expect to see the map, but there will be no record of the run at all except for my step count. All the GPS data just gets lost. WTF is that? Unexceptionable.
3. Audio cues are off by a half mile after you get over 10 miles. So at 10.5 miles it will say you've run 11 miles, and then at 11 miles it will say you've run 11 miles again. It's some kind of rounding error and it's again just a sloppy mistake by fitbit.
4. Edit: Another bug I just remembered...Changing days on the dashborad of the app does not update how much sleep I got per day. Only the number of steps/cals/active minutes updates. So even though at the top it says some date, that date is only accurate the step data shown on the dashboard not the sleep data, exercise data, or heart rate which all show data from the current day only. Is this just an oversight? lazy app design? on purpose for some reason?

Some of these things might seem petty or small, but I paid good money for this tracker and to see the app be unable to fully utilize the data it gathers or has the potential to gather is pretty disappointing. My brother has a Garmin and the stats it collects makes fitbit look pretty pathetic.

Anyway...just had to get that off my chest. Maybe fitbit can address some of these issues.

Edit: I have an Alta HR.

[USAF-Larry]

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@drewrunswrote:

I've been pretty unhappy with my fitbit lately. I got it a few years ago....

....Maybe fitbit can address some of these issues.

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If you share which Fitbit tracker you have, it will be easier for Community members to comment or offer suggestions.

[WavyDavey]

Hi @drewruns,

I noticed you said you purchased your Fitbit years ago, and that it seems to not have updated features? As @USAF-Larry also asked, which model is this? Have you looked at the newer models?

[drewruns]

I have the alta hr, and before that I had the flex. Either way these features should be part of the app itself and have nothing to do with which fitness band you have.

[WavyDavey]

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@drewrunswrote:

I have the alta hr, and before that I had the flex. Either way these features should be part of the app itself and have nothing to do with which fitness band you have.

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I read your first point as a question based on GPS ability, which is dependent on whether that particular Fitbit has the capability or not.

The Alta HR doesn't have onboard GPS like the Ionic, or the Connected GPS feature you can find on the Charge 2.  Sorry. If that was my tracker I'd probably use Mobile Run or upgrade.

[drewruns]

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@WavyDaveywrote:

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@drewrunswrote:

I have the alta hr, and before that I had the flex. Either way these features should be part of the app itself and have nothing to do with which fitness band you have.

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I read your first point as a question based on GPS ability, which is dependent on whether that particular Fitbit has the capability or not.

The Alta HR doesn't have onboard GPS like the Ionic, or the Connected GPS feature you can find on the Charge 2.  Sorry. If that was my tracker I'd probably use Mobile Run or upgrade.

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I track my runs with the GPS from the fitbit app all the time. Your tracker doesn't need GPS as long as your phone has GPS. So my points #1 and #3 stand.

[WavyDavey]

OK, it sounds like you have the best configuration going already for that model.  Cheers.

[SebWotan]

Agreed about point 1.

For point 2 and 3, when I go to the Dashboard and look at a Walk exercise recorded using GPS, I do have an elevation graph as well as a breakdown of pace per mile. Granted this is not in the App and you need to look at those on a computer post exercise. 

Bug 1 also hits me for Walk exercise. It is on the Android app. 

[drewruns]

and again today...did a run with GPS tracking...no record of any run at all after I finished.

really reall really frustrating. I can't trust fitbit. Looking to move to a different fitness band/app.