The redesigned Android Fitbit app is rolling out!

[LizzyFitbit]

Hello everyone!

I would like to announce that the redesigned Fitbit app starts rolling out today! This new app will help you reach your goals, and bring the health and wellness information right on hand.

Check out our latest blog for how to get the most out of the new app. 

Note: Please be patient if you don't see the update right away, as it will take some time to roll out completely.

Happy stepping!

[Beckster1]

Mine won't sync at all.  I've tried deleting app and reinstalling, turning watch off, deleting bluetooth on phone to try and sync again, to no avail.  Frustrated!

[Rosielee]

The new app design is change for change's sake and is a huge backward step. I can't choose which functions to prioritise up top but have to scroll through stuff I don't want to reach my heart rate. I can't hide functions I don't want, like menstrual health. My week's steps are averaged instead of totalled. It looks like a child designed it and works that what too. Google, you've destroyed something that worked brilliantly for years. Please put the original app design back up. And no, it's not just about hating change. It DOESN'T WORK AS WELL AS IT DID BEFORE AND WE WERE GIVEN NO CHOICE. 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[marc.temp]

The latest version before that one was MORE user-friendly, easier to customize, more flexible, more compact... Something is getting more and more wrong at Fitbit

Over the years there are more downgrades than upgrades for the people doing exercises and tracking them :

- between Charge 2 and 3 we lost the ability to use 2 watches

- between the 4 and the 5 we lost the altimeter

- now we lost the flexibility and easy way to customize any section of the dashboard

- we also lost the precision of certain statistics like running time

- oh yeah, now that Google bought Fitbit, if you travel in counties that ban Google, like China, some of the statistics and charts are only available without the VPN. So if you have to use VPN, you are loosing more...

CONCLUSION, which surprise will the next downgrade reserve us?

[Natalia_v_]

I tried also everything... every day but still no syncing at all 😒 I want my app back 

[Annielyons]

If you like all grey depressed colors, can't tell your zones because, well then this update is for you! Horrible 

[LesTucker]

Between Charge 4 and Charge 5 we also lost the Windows App.

[Jaytee475]

Ugh! The previous interface was far more user-friendly. The power-level check? Why would you break what didn't need 'fixing?' We used to see a percentage of battery power. Now it's: Search out the battery icon,  "full, medium, low." Thanks so much to whomever effed that up.  

[waynecz]

@fastdragon  - I hate to say this but, I switched from a Sense I had for two years to a Sense 2 I had bought last Black Friday (2022) and the Zone Minutes are working on this new device (Sense 2).  Maybe it's device specific or the device needs to be restarted.  Try restarting your device to see if it resets itself is my suggestion.  

[Smile2022]

Been trying to get used to this new app I all up for change and improvements but this isn't that. It's awful, not user friendly, hard to navigate, terminalogy is pointless, it's new look is boring, unappealing, after years and years of being a faithful Fitbit fan. I'm looking to change to one of the other trackers. 


Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @Smile2022. Thanks for stopping by in the Fitbit Community Forums and taking the time to share this suggestion with us.  We‘re taking your comments and sentiments in regards to our products and services into consideration.

Please bear in mind there's no way to revert to the old Fitbit app version. Nevertheless, I'd like to invite you to take a look at this post to get the most out of the new Fitbit app. 

[LBFit23]

I'd hesitated to install the latest update because I feared a downgraded experience since the Google acquisition. But when the app went completely down for almost 24 hours earlier this week, i ended up updating in an effort to make it work. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. Aesthetically, I absolutely hate the appearance of the dashboard. The "color scheme" is so displeasing to look at, and it's honestly shocking to me that with this big of an update, a dark mode option wasn't added--it's been requested for literal years. At the very least, there should be an option to customize colors or choose from a variety of faces/themes.

There is way too much white space and the "at a glance" info is just too spread out. (Yes I'm aware of the custom metrics and am using it--it's still a downgrade)  The fact that the info underneath can only be moved up or down by moving the entire category is ridiculous -- each item should be able to be independently moved as it was before.

The battery being a bar that says "low" (or whatever level) is useless--another absolute downgrade. I relied heavily on being able to check that percentage, as I know others did as well.

What was the thinking behind removing streaks? These little details are things that motivate people, which is supposed to be the point of this, right?

I've defended Fitbit for years to the apple watch crowd, and been a loyal user. And when I would show people the app and functionally--they actually did get it! Now? This interface looks like I haven't updated my app since like 2009. The degraded quality is so obvious, I can't help but wonder if this is intentional somehow--an attempt by Google to make Fitbit obsolete and push the Pixel watch.

All in all, this is a terrible update and from the looks of other comments, I'm not alone in this thinking. I believe we'll find out with the next update or so if Fitbit/Google is actually devoted to maintaining a high standard for this brand; one that will take this user feedback and put it to action, or is simply going to degrade the user experience until the brand dissolves. 

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @Rosielee. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums. 

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts towards the new Fitbit app.  We‘re taking your comments and sentiments in regards to our products into consideration.

Even though we truly appreciate that you've taken the time to come here and share your thoughts about the new Fitbit app interface, please note at this time there are no plans to change it or revert it to the old one. Nevertheless, I'd like to invite you to take a look at this post to get the most out of the new Fitbit app. 

[Stillworking]

Well said.....I am also hoping that they take the feedback and improve this
product in an update. Nothing like being a "Beta" for them with notice.
Thank you for your feedback

Joan

[Ngv2]

I couldn't agree with you more! In my opinion, the new upgrade is a step back, not a step forward. I can't even find all of the walking information that was so easy to see before the upgrade.  It's awful!  I want my old version back!!

[LBFit23]

Thanks, Joan. 🙂 I think it's clear that from all the feedback I've seen in this forum that we're all frustrated! There's also an element of feeling discouraged by the direction of this kind of thing overall. I hate having to question whether a brand actually has interest in maintaining quality, or if there are other factors at play now with the Google integration and how they might obviously have interests elsewhere. I really get a lot out of my Fitbit and can see so many others do as well--I'm not at all against change, but want to trust that it's made in good faith with true interest in improvement and innovation. Beta is a great way to put this-- while annoying, I like the idea that there may be better updates on the way 🤞

[Jaytee475]

Yes, I agree the next 'upgrade' (?) will be telling. My gut tells me that, yes, Google is doing this to kill Fitbit, either intentionally, or by reckless tinkering, a-la-Twitter / X. Depressing.

[sbrockbank]

Well Lizzy, this has gone really well hasn't it?

Been reading this thread a few weeks and have to say, it's not a good look for you and your colleagues. I don't understand how something like this gets through the first stages of testing, never mind pushed through UAT and into live? It's half finished, it's missing some of the previous features and it has reduced functionality and possibly bugs in others. That's before we start on the design. That's always going to be subjective but for something to be as seemingly disliked, that really rings alarm bells. Did your UX team speak to any actual users? 

Anyway, I'll add to the general call to roll this back until such time as you fix the new app, and then at least offer a choice of old or new for a while as most similar tech companies do when introducing a new interface.

Not sure if this has been flagged anywhere else, but since the update to 4.x, my Versa 2 has gone from needing charging very 3-4 days to every 2-3 days. No settings have been changed and the watch has been restarted. I've uninstalled and gone back to 3.88 quite painlessly so will see if that resolves the issue.

I've been a Fitbit user nearly 7 years across three devices and I've been looking at replacing my current one for the last 6 months or so. I hadn't looked at anything other than Fitbit's offerings but this episode has made me start casting the net wider. I'll watch this unfold for a bit longer before making a decision, but at the moment, you are pushing me towards your competitors.....

[waynecz]

@sbrockbank - Some other people have noted that the Fitbit watches that have GPS now have the GPS on 24/7 with the new app software, which is draining the battery life (of the phone it appears).  I know I just switched from a Sense to a Sense 2 that I had purchased last Black Friday and one of the things I had to accept was that the GPS would be on it appeared.  They labeled it something different but essentially that is what it was I think during setup. That though appears to drain the phone battery if you have a connected GPS similar to the older Charge Fitbits.  So I am not sure but I know I drain the battery on the Fitbit watch more because all of my settings like high visibility and Always On settings are a higher battery drain.   

I too, like you have been a long time Fitbit user, 10 years, and this will probably almost assuredly be my last Fitbit.  Every time they do another app update they just remove features or functionality or both.  You can see now that since the Google Pixel watch is in the Fitbit Store that Google is slowly going to just let Fitbit fade away in the hopes that people will switch to the Google Pixel watches and the profitability on the Google side will make up for the lost market share on the Fitbit side.  

[Whitt64]

Adding my two cents to everyone else’s, to say this new version is lousy is an extreme understatement. I just spent an hour with customer support asking where “calories remaining” was moved to. After an hour back and forth and me having to tell her what was showing as options, she finally realized it was removed. BTW, drilling into Food will show calories remaining but it isn’t close to accurate. As others have indicated, I do think Google is destroying Fitbit intentionally. What used to be simple customer service issues now takes weeks to months to resolve. Long story short- my Sense 2 stopped working and I now have a versa because of multiple mistakes and I just gave up. Needless to say, I will never buy anything related to Google again. 

[Beckster1]

I bit the bullet yesterday and did a factory reset and uninstalled and reinstalled app. It seems to be working as of this morning!