Altimeter / Floor Counter for Charge 5?

[marcusdeshaun]

Does Charge 5 have an altimeter or some other way to count floors climbed? I bought the Luxe without fully investigating all the specs and want to make sure. 

[ChipEvans]

I was excited to upgrade from my Charge 2 to the Charge 5 until I discovered it wouldn't count stairs!    I HATE MY NEW CHARGE 5 because of the lack of the stairs feature. All my past Fitbits counted them.   Fitbit should let folks know the charge 5 is missing this feature on the website so others don't waste $179 on a half tracker.  The 2 things I check, steps and stairs...  Back to my Charge 2!

[MichaelGazeley]

Totally agree. Utterly mad decision by FitBit. 

[Rich_Laue]

People want smaller, more compact units with more sensors. Maybe fitbit was unable to fit everything into the space, seeing that the largest of the sensors is the barometer. 

[don100k]

I have a Charge 4 (almost same size as charge 5 )
That has the altimeter function working fine ( only thing is the strap
connection is broken!)

[cafiore]

well then, I won't replace my 4 for a 5. I like knowing my stair count. Bad choice fitbit cause I was set to purchase the 5 tomorrow. tsk

[Chickenlover]

I too was going to get the Charge 5, not now and if they don’t ring the altimeter/stair counter back I guess I’ll never get another one.

[don100k]

When I was comparing the products ( Charge 4 & 5) I remember reading that
Charge 5 has everything charge 4 plus other features ( I also had charge 2
and charge 4 was an upgrade) this is disappointing!

[Rich_Laue]

Then why is everyone that has the stair counter complaining about the stair counter? 

[Bj0rn]

I got the stair counter. Never complained. Only started complaining now
when they REMOVED the stair counter.

Had the Charge HR, then the Charge 3. Pre-ordered the Charge 5 just to
cancel when I learned about the removed sensor. Currently on a new Charge 4
instead, and couldn't be happier.

Will not upgraded lest they bring the altimeter back.

[nihahi]

I have a Charge 4 with an altimeter for stair counting. Never ONCE complained about it and don't find it massively inaccurate. 

I HAVE complained about the unreliable, inaccurate, battery consuming GPS...as have countless others...and yet, there remains an unreliable, inaccurate, battery consuming GPS in the Charge 5, according to a number of posts on the thread. Go figure, huh...?

[DarthFreeman]

Thank you for point this out!!

I was about to order up a Charge 5 to upgrade from my Charge 4, assuming the Charge 5 did everything the Charge 4 did, plus other things.  I would have been a very unhappy Charge 5 owner.

[Michael_Dodd]

Who is “everyone” ? Seems to be a fair amount of “everyone” in this thread indicating: (1) stair counter worked fine for them and (2) voice displeasure it was removed.  Not like Fitbit listening to anything anyway.  

I got over them removing manual adjusting distance of completed workout, which is stupid annoying.  If I’m doing mile intervals at a track, I’d be great if it would let me adjust my the distance to precisely a mile in the App because it never gets it exactly right. No one from Fitbit even responded to the multiple threads on the issue. 

Name another major producer of fitness trackers that removed a basic feature in a “new” version of hardware.  You can be an apologist all you want. Charge 4 is a good tracker, a Charge 5 will never go on my wrist. It’s my money.  Fitbit no longer offers an stair tracker. I found it a useful option. 

Maybe people do want “smaller” trackers. But they also want a feature set that works for them. Charge 5 no longer has a feature set I find useful. Do my money will likely go elsewhere when my Charge 4 dies.

On the flip side, Fitbit can also make a choice to not care what I think. If enough people still buy their products they’ll be just fine.

[Craig]

I only see fitbit not caring what we think getting worse since Google took over. As I said I have been with fitbit since the original classic clip on. Back then the fitbit team did care. But now it is all about the bottom dollar. The sale to google has not been a good thing for fitbit team 

[Guitarplayer]

@Rich_Laue People that complain about stairs counter do it because it is inaccurate (Sense, Versa 3), not because it exists.

If Fitbit intedns to solve the problems removing the features alltoghter soon we will have only step counters trackers

[Rich_Laue]

We don't know why it was removed. And as users, will we ever know. 

As for accuracy, it was fine for most, until the first firmware update. 

[Guitarplayer]

Happened more than one year ago

[CNixinNC]

This is very disappointing.  This Fitbit Metric was the motivation that got me walking the stairs instead of riding the elevator.  I won't knowingly revert to the elevator, but I'll have no idea if I do and human nature says I probably will.  This oversight by Fitbit will limit the positive impact of the Charge 5. All the flash and dash of the Charge 5 is great, but for a guy in his 50s who's been wearing a Fitbit Charge since they first hit the market...getting off the elevator and on the stairs was the most important lifestyle change I acquired as a result of wearing a Fitbit...without this metric, that would have never happened.  Again, very disappointing and I would implore Fitbit to revisit this omission.

[don100k]

👍🏽
agree with your post 

[stevejc42]

Thanks Kate!!!  I was just about to ask my wife for a Charge 5 for Christmas (have a Charge 4 now).  I'll be looking elsewhere now.  Do you have any recommendations for fully functional trackers?

Regards,

Steve

[Akore]

So this will be lost for anyone that downgrades to the New Charge 5? 😞

So if I down-grade to a Charge 5 from my Charge 4 I will loose this... 😞