New update coming this week! 3rd party notifications, new watch faces!

[dkboxing]

Also reminders to move! 

Article on Cnet.

The Fitbit Blaze is getting an update. Fitbit announced on Monday that its fitness smartwatch will soon receive an update that enables third-party notifications and other new features.

The Blaze, which costs $230 in the US (£179 in the UK and AU$370 in Australia), was released earlier this year. The watch can track steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes and sleep. It was also the first Fitbit that could display incoming calls, text messages and calendar alerts when connected to an iPhone orAndroid phone.

Users will soon be able to view notifications from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Gmail and other third-party apps. The update will also add five new watch faces to the Blaze, which brings the total to nine, and a new move reminder feature.

The feature was previously found in the Fitbit Alta and is included on the new Charge 2and Flex 2. Rather than a basic "stand" or "move" reminder, the Blaze will now encourage users to meet a mini-step goal of 250 steps each hour. If the goal hasn't been reached 10 minutes prior to the top of the hour, the watch will gently vibrate to remind you to get up and go.

The update will begin rolling out to Blaze owners later this week.

[rushmere]

Details of what is included in the new update has already been posted on Fitbit's website here

As well as the new features, there is one bug fix mentioned related to screen brightness.

[SanjayBShah]

Hi AndrewFitbit: what about the Cardio Fitness Score feature in the new update? Is that also being included for the Blaze?

[MikeF]

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@SanjayBShah wrote:

Hi AndrewFitbit: what about the Cardio Fitness Score feature in the new update? Is that also being included for the Blaze?

---

No.

[MissKLC]

So while the product is advertised on the Fitbit store as having all these features, the actual update date is still TBA? I'd be pretty upset if I bought the Blaze based on what was advertised on FitBits store only to find out, oh but these features are coming soon. When? I don't know. But soon. I'd get a refund in 2 seconds.

[AndrewFitbit]

@MissKLC Yeah it'd be nice if there was a "Coming soon" or something next to the features that are not currently available. The press release said September, so my guess would be within the next few weeks.

[Ithildir78]

Any potential date range on the update?

[AlejandraFitbit]

Welcome to the Community @Ithildir78. As mentioned, we don't have a specific date for the release of the update but it will be soon.  I recommend keeping an eye on any message to update the Fitbit app. 

Catch you later. 

[CAPTN_JONNY]

Pretty poor effort IMO. Why put it on the website if it's not out. And considering it took this long to realse updates, and not many at all, it's just sad.

[ABRAbb]

Why the **ahem** do you have resources for this "gimmicks" but cant bring a simple LOCK SCREEN!

I mean this is a fitness tracker- come on. I have 7 days left and will return this watch if you dont implement this necessity! Its ridiculous!

[MissKLC]

Well, then you best return it, they haven't released an update they've announced within 7 days, so an update for something not announced will be a long time off. It took months to get even the announcement of a step reminder. Though i see no purpose for a lock screen, one thing is clear, it will be more than 7 days, if ever.

[James_Rochford]

Why does my Fitbit account still say (first steps)? I've had the Blaze since July 1st. I take it we're going to get the update on September 31st, if we're very lucky...seems odd it should be delayed so much post announcement.
That said, generally I'm enjoying the Blaze.

[Skillman34]

When they say September do they mean this September? Or just a September in the distant future?

[MikeF]

Agreed. I'd say the chance of a lock screen this year is nil or less but I'm still relatively confident we'll see the proposed update this month.

[ohricochet]

Really excited about this new update & hope it comes soon! The new clockfaces look great.

[sylvainlandry]

sorry, i've got fitbit charge hr but the band is broken...

My wife bought me the blaze and it's so poor if you look for garmin iq connect...

i'm just laughing when i heard five new clock faces...

ho my god !

please be serious and make the product efficiently...

fitness cardio / relax just like charge 2

multiple clock faces

water logged button

vma

fitbit is far away from garmin or tomtom

please react ! or the next time when my fitbit will be broken (so six months) i go to the others

[Yaakovchaim]

This has been going on long enough.  We are all asking for a release date on the patches.  Any other company, when they announce a patch or an OS update, give a DATE.  Apple, for example, will be announcing the latest IOS, Mac OS, Apple watch OS, new hardware this week.  Guaranteed, they will have an EXACT DATE when it will be available.  We, the owners of Fitbit watches, deserve a date when the update will be available.  And saying September means nothing, as many have pointed out.  Either you start providing a date, which means you admins will actually need to talk to people in your organization, or we will have to raise the issue to the higher ups.

I'm not trying to be mean, it's just that a lot of us have had enough of the runaround.

[Yaakovchaim]

And Apple shows how to do it again.  They just announced their new IPhone OS and Watch OS.  WITH A DATE OF 9/13/2016.  See FITBIT ADMINS, that is how it is done and you should be following the lead of companies that know how to release products and software updates.

[Rich_Laue]

I'm going. I wait for 9/13, i do remember waiting 6 months to a year after the announced release date of a windows update. BTW I've been programming since 1968 before the IBM 360 was released.

Every company has there own reasons for doing things the way they do.. More than once, if not a dozen times, Fitbits stance on releasing dates has been explained in these boards. 

@Yaakovchaim always? I haven't seen a perfect. Implant yet

[Yaakovchaim]

@Rich_Laue, Where I work, we always meet our dates.  And on time critical things, we overachieve and get it done ahead of time.

[Ithildir78]

Yaakovchaim I've been in IT for 18 years, so our experiences are very different. I'd have loved to work for a place that always deliver on their dates. I'm not disagreeing that things need to be communicated however the level of anger and bitterness is quite pathetic. As you said to me about making assumptions you are of me as well. As for you James I'm trying to be a decent human being not spreading my bile all over everyone simply because I'm unhappy.