Turn on location to find your fitbit?

[Dobbs33]

With the new update sync keeps asking to turn on location to find my fitbit - why?

Fitbit HR's work with Bluetooth and therefore do not need to know my location in order to sync and this has always been the case in the past.

Is Fitbit now tracking my location everytime I sync?  I've not given Fitbit permission to use location information so why does the app need it to sync???

Please advise.

[troj]

And turning on any location services will report that data to Google.

 ~t.

[Rich_Laue]

Both Google and your phone company know about where you are while these services are turned off. Sorry to inform you, but this you agreed to when the phone was activated. 

It's like when calling 911 your location will be provided while the location service is turned off. 

[Dchend]

You could be and probably are completely correct however it doesn't change the fact that the product functionality has switched mid stream which is now imposing a requirement on existing users that we did not initially agree to and would have influenced my purchase. I simple do not wish to have my GPS service enabled due to the excessive battery drain.

[Rich_Laue]

On Fitbits end the product functionality did not change, if it had it would have changed for all operating systems and not just one version of one operating system.
On Fitbits side it is the same as what it was 5+ years ago.
The android people decided to make their BT more secure, this extra security in marshmellow is what has changed.

[kalimm]

Unfortunately, when you agreed to Fitbit's terms of service you agreed that "Fitbit may change or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, any feature or component of the Fitbit Service at any time without notice." So even if this was Fitbit's decision and not a change made through your OS, there still wouldn't be much ground to stand on in calling for it to get reversed. 

I have to wonder - has anyone here tried speaking with a Google employee or in a Marshmallow forum to get more details about the upgrade? I know many here think that Fitbit could find away around the location services thing, but since Google made the change that caused this I would think they would be the ones to take it up with. Is it not possible that there's more going on than what the average consumer is given access to see?

[USAF-Larry]

Is it just me, or has this thread outlived its usefulness?  So many features and apps on the smartphone on dependent on using the location that it wouldn't be a smartphone without it.  Some of the apps I use every day that require location to be enabled are Google Maps, AccuWeather, Poynt, Emergency Alerts, MyPilot, FitBit App Track My Exercise, PayPal, etc., etc., etc..  Can nefarious apps or people, such as the NSA, track my activities due to me having location on? Yep. Could they track me if I turned off location?  Yep.  So why would I want to punish myself by turning off location and disable all the apps I use on a daily basis. Besides, most people woud be bored to death if they followed me around for a day or two.

But, as we used to say when I worked in the intel community, "Just because your are paranoid does not mean they aren't following you..."

[RayVoss]

Fitbit Update 10/08/2015: Some users have reported issues with syncing as of the official release of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS update.

As of the Marshmallow release, Google has changed the permissions required for Bluetooth syncing. Location must be turned on as of the Android 6.0 update in order to sync. The way we identify trackers (called a MAC address) is no longer the real address. Any mode (such as Battery saving) works, it just appears turning that off, kills Mac addresses, even on Bluetooth devices.

Thank you to everyone who reported this!

[Booger234]

Goodbye fitbit blaze. I don't mind being given the choice of reporting my location but to unilaterally demand it from me is another issue. Fitbit can track the location of my drawer until the battery runs out

[USAF-Larry]

I hate to see you go, @Booger234, but wish you all the best in locating an alternate brand fitness tracker. I trust that you know that it is Google that requires Location Services to be enabled in order to sync via Bluetooth, and not Fitbit. If you find any other fitness tracker that syncs with your Android phone via Bluetooth, such as Garmin, you will also have to enable Location Services to use it.  To avoid that, perhaps you might want to consider replacing your phone instead of your Fitbit - maybe an iPhone or a Windows phone would allow you to sync your tracker without enabling Location Services. 

Fitbit couldn't care less where you are located, by the way, and if you look at your system settings for Location Services, you'll find that Fitbit does not even call the Location Services when you sync. Nor does Google, for that matter, but Google does require it to be enabled.

[troj]

“Fitbit couldn't care less where you are located, by the way, and if you look at your system settings for Location Services, you'll find that Fitbit does not even call the Location Services when you sync. Nor does Google, for that matter, but Google does require it to be enabled.”
This is not entirely true… Google tracks your location to use for marketing services and products. And, to some extent, so does Apple and Microsoft.

~ terry o.

[USAF-Larry]

So, back to @Booger234's point, getting rid ot the Fitbit won't change any of this, right? You can edit your Google settings and opt out of most of the tracking and marketing efforts they turn on by default.

As for privacy, @troj, I would recommend that you not post your personal information on these forums. Your disclaimer at the bottom of the post will not prevent anyone from using that information for things you do not want it used for. I'd suggest you edit that post and remove all of the personal information.

[troj]

@USAF-Larry Thanks!... I didn't realize that I responded from the wrong e-mail account.

~ terry o.

[Rich_Laue]

@troj you do realize that both your phone service provider and Google have your location even when location services are off. 

Your also wrong in starting the quote is wrong. The post is implying that during a sync, Fitbit and Google do not care to know your location. 

Do a quick Google search, this needing location services and you will find Google enabled this to close a major breach in the BT Services, basically this is now required to save your hide. 

Location services and request for location, these two things that are related or completely seperatr and having the service on does not mean the location is being requested any more tv b having a door unlock means that people are walking through said door)

[Lewtwin]

Yep.  Same boat.  I really do not want to have my phone tell FITBIT where I live.  Where I get gas.  Or what secured facility I went to today.  I will really have to shelve this company if this keeps up.

[Mikeyg00]

In spite of the above, syncing was working fine for me until today, and NOW I get the location not turned on message.... why today and not 8 months ago when this thread started.... what's changed?

[Mikeyg00]

Disregard ..... sorry

[Booger234]

Data is big business so instead of listening to what the customer wants, I am assuming the business from Google is worth more to them.

[SteveH]

@Booger234 I'm not sure that's fair. What choice does fitbit have here? If they listen to us and don't want to have location services on to sync then they would not be able to use Bluetooth to sync. What do they do instead? 

[Rich_Laue]

Yes @Booger234 data is a big buisness but so is your security, that us why Google now requires location services to be on. A big security hole was found in Bluetooth and for the users safety Google closed it. With Marshmellow the opersting system, not Fitbit, requires this service to be on.

Actually @Lewtwin the phone never  just goes and tells an app where it's located, but waits for an app to request your location. During a sync Fitbit never requests your location. 

[chunky1234]

You may want to check this out................

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37859676