Navigation with Fitbit

[AAverin]

Would be great to navigate with fitbit without checking the phone, will be helpful while biking

Posted and idea here: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Integration-with-navigation-apps/idi-p/2064262

[bbarrera]

FWIW I've been trying this for two years on Apple Watch, and honestly its far easier to hear my phone announcing turns, even when its in my back jersey pocket, than feel wrist notifications on Apple Watch. AW does something like 6 or 12 taps to turn right, and sometimes that isn't enough to notice because of road vibrations. In my experience AW notifications are stronger/better than Blaze.

Despite repeated efforts, I strongly believe that mounting phone or bike computer on handlebars is far better option than anything on wrist. 

Not trying to rain on your parade, just wanted you to know that wrist isn't best for navigation while biking because its easy to miss and not so easy to see (versus phone or bike computer on handlebars). On the other hand, when walking or driving in a car, taps on the wrist are easily felt and it works great!

[AAverin]

I never hear navigation if phone is in my jeans pocket, even if volume is set to maximum. I don't own Apple Watch, so can't really compare the vibration strength, but vibration combined with a visual direction like on the products I have linked should be sufficient to navigate anywhere.

Key ideas are to:
- be notified when you have to turn

- be able to quickly check where to go next by glancing on the watch – this is very often a problem when you navigate an unknown route and not sure if you missed the turn already or just need to bike 2 more blocks forward

[AAverin]

Frankly, I believe that features like this one could be built by community itself if Fitbit would provide some kind of API or other means to build new features for Surge

[bbarrera]

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@AAverin wrote:

I never hear navigation if phone is in my jeans pocket, even if volume is set to maximum. I don't own Apple Watch, so can't really compare the vibration strength, but vibration combined with a visual direction like on the products I have linked should be sufficient to navigate anywhere.

Key ideas are to:
- be notified when you have to turn

- be able to quickly check where to go next by glancing on the watch

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From experience (I bike 6000+ miles a year) this works better while walking or driving, and that is on a wearable with stronger vibration than Blaze, and better raise to wake screen. Not that it doesn't work while cycling, it just doesn't work that well for the reasons I gave earlier.

Fantastic nav is available if you put a phone mount on handlebars, so much better than on a wearable. Amazon has a lot of choices, starting at $10. Honestly I've found navigation on the wrist to be a distraction while biking, far easier to keep hands on handlebars and quickly glance down at a big screen (phone or bike computer).

Wrist nav is great while walking or driving a car, not so much on a bike.

With Blaze, you can try out your concept today if you have a nav app that sends turn notifications to lock screen. You mentioned Surge, sorry that product hasn't seen a firmware update in almost two years. And it doesn't support full smartphone notifications, so you can't try out concept like with Blaze.

If I had to guess, based on Fitbit CEO public statements, Fitbit will soon release real navigation along with 3rd party apps in the upcoming Fitbit smartwatch. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it on the Blaze, it is a 'completed' product that has been out for 1+ years. Fitbit management tells investors it is good at selling hardware upgrades to existing customers.

Stay safe and have fun biking!

[Rich_Laue]

@AAverin it looks as if you have duplicated this request, which has only received one vote vote since November. It could have been two.

[bbarrera]

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@Rich_Laue wrote:

@AAverin it looks as if you have duplicated this request, which has only received one vote vote since November. It could have been two.

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So if Fitbit adds nav feature to smartwatch, is it for competitive reasons (available for many years on Garmin and AW), or because somebody voted on it in the feature request forum? 😉

[DrRobin]

If you have an Ionic, you could try Waypoints, the just released Navigation app from DrRobin.  You can have 4 routes of up to 20 waypoints each and get distance a bearing towards the next waypoint.

Link to Waypoints

https://gam.fitbit.com/gallery/app/4494763f-e3e8-4fb6-85f2-5a302fd348ae

User thread with manual and instructions

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-App-Gallery/Waypoints-the-Navigation-App-for-Fitbit-Ionic-is-...