Ankle mode

[Dyann18]

Please make one u wear on ankle then u would get all the steps. When u are in a store with carts such as grocery, target etc it won't record all the walking one is doing with a cart. I have to try and push with one hand!! They can have pretty but functionally ankle devices some can be practically for a guy and pretty like an ankle bracelet for a women!!! Please develop this!! Soon!!

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity

[ibejaybird]

Thank you for validating a post that I made last month! I suggested (although in much less detail) that an accessory or stand alone ankle strap be made available that can be worn in conjunction with and communicate with the watch to (as you most eloquently put) fully enhance the experience and result in a more accurate reading. Guess you didn't see my post but nonetheless it is a valid request.

[J-flex]

Have you checked Amazon or EBay for ankle straps.  Might find something suitable there.

[SantiR]

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this suggestion. We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and we appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. We do not currently have plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released in our FAQs. For now, we will leave this suggestion open for votes (and closed to comments) so that we can continue to track community demand over time. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and we will let you know if anything changes.

[goodsam]

I am having a lot of difficulty with my Fitbit Alta not being accurate, so I tried it on my ankle and it tracked precisely. I am very disappointed in the Alta. It seems to not track when on a treadmill. Please bring back the Fitbit One.

[MarcelBK]

Hi @goodsam! Can you please explain or describe your suggestion more detailed so everybody understands what your suggestion is.  Like this it is easier to receive votes for your idea. Thank you.

[Lisamellor]

Hello im a career and alot of my work involves pushing wheelchairs which the fitbit alta does to track step im never getting a accurate reading ever which is desperately frustrating was wondering if a ankle strap would work as my leg would be moving lol

[PerB]

It would be cool if you could use a Flex 2 around your ankle in addition to the "main" device worn at your wrist, be it a Charge 2, Versa etc. This should improve detection of indoor cycling, but possibly a lot of other activities as well.

[Lost20YAY]

Make FitBits for our ankles. Make one with a PERMANENT band to fit our ankles. 

[Rebecs1993]

I would love if fitbit could make ankle bands for trackers. I currently have a Charge 2. Due to my work I cannot wear my fitbit on my wrist. However it is permitted on my ankle. So this is where I was hoping fit bit could help...right now I use an elestic band tied between the end of my bands to make it long enough to for my ankle. This is not very comfortable due to the fact that the elastic allows the tracker to move a lot (even when under my sock). I see that there are some on Amazon But are not just a plain simple band and are ridiculously expensive! Please make ankle bands!

Also If it would be able to make a section in the settings of where you wear your fitbit. Currently it's right or left wrist...can we add ankles to that as well??

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this suggestion. We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and we appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. We do not currently have plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released in our FAQs. For now, we will leave this suggestion open for votes (and closed to comments) so that we can continue to track community demand over time. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and we will let you know if anything changes.

[ATO_4]

I find that sometimes steps are not recorded because my arm isn’t moving. I really think an Ankle Fitbit would be great because steps would be more accurate 

please think about developing one. It makes more sense 

ex: steps are not being counted when you push a stroller or shopping cart or hold the handle if a treadmill even though your feet still move. 

What do do you think?

[Rich_Laue]

Fitbit already has a model for you, it is the Fitbit Zip and designed to be worn on the core of the body. 

Being mounted on clothing means that heart rate can not be read. 

It also means that if walking on a plush carpet or a moss covered field steps may not be counted, they may also still be counted when driving, on a rocking chair, or when tapping a foot. 

The problems your describing is caused by looking at arm movements to count the movements of the legs. 

[Hsandgirls]

Something along these lines would be great! I recently just went into a non weight beating cast, and using crutches or a knee scooter... being able to track my movement a little better would be nice. 

[Bhibby]

My main form of exercise is biking and I hate that I will bike 20 miles and not have the main parameter for fitness tracking (steps) reflect my hard work. One way I have found a way around this is that I strap my Charge 2 on my ankle and record a run instead of bike. It works well and will still pick up my heart rate but does not measure distance correctly. Make this an option when you select bike to put the tracker on your ankle. This way you can track your ride as well as record new things like average cadence (which bikers will love) and some sort of step equivalents so we can be proud of our exercise.

[TambreyEG]

.... and all the ones I am reading have status changed to NOT PLANNED, so I will write another one until you hear us!

I am a massage therapist and cannot wear anything on my wrist...there are MANY professions who are not able to wear anything on their wrist, and would LOVE an accurate ankle option.

Please stop changing the suggestions to currently not planned and listen to the people!  We are asking for well fitted accurate adjustable velcro or pretty bracelet ankle options!  Please give this to us!

Thank you

[Fjoffa]

They could do a flex with ankle option. as its on your ankle it need only to count steps (and maybe stairs). few people check time on their ankles 🙂

But this might not be a direction they want to go for now?

[elera]

As a healthcare professional, I'm not allowed to wear mine on my wrist.

in order to use it every day, I wear it on my ankle.

The readings seem correct, however, I realise you do not suggest or recommend this.

Is there a plan that would make this possible. Also, a bit more style so I don't look like I'm being tracked (smile).

[negmir]

I have heard so many people using Fitbit would not get an accurate number of their steps due to different activities. I think if Fitbit develp just a steps tracker  sensor (as an accessory) that can be worb on ankle and it can synchronize with any type of Fitbit to give you the true number of steps would be wonderful. Sometimes I wear my Fitbit on my ankle but it doesn’t give me a correct heart beat aand calorie burn. This accessory sensor can be very simple and comfortable to be worn under your socks. If you develop this tracker everyone with any different Fitbit models can take benefit from it. Thanks. 

[negmir]

I have heard so many people using Fitbit would not get an accurate number of their steps due to different activities. I think if Fitbit develp just a steps tracker  sensor (as an accessory) that can be worb on ankle and it can synchronize with any type of Fitbit to give you the true number of steps would be wonderful. Sometimes I wear my Fitbit on my ankle but it doesn’t give me a correct heart beat aand calorie burn. This accessory sensor can be very simple and comfortable to be worn under your socks. If you develop this tracker everyone with any different Fitbit models can take benefit from it. Again this is just an accessory to count only steps rather than a complete Fitbit by its  Thanks. 

[negmir]

This is not a ankle Fitbit. I can wear my mine on My ankle. I just need a step recorder that send the correct number of my steps to my Fitbit. 

[Ella93]

There are many of us that work in professions wear wearing your fitbit on the wrist is not allowed (i.e hopsital workers such as myself!). Simply putting yor fitbit in your pocket seems pretty pointless and is no better than a cheap pedometer...Having the option where you can switch to “Ankle Mode” and attach your fitbit to your ankle so that it can be worn and still make the most of the other features accurately (mainly HR) would be amazing! 

Moderator edit: Labels

[LanuzaFitbit]

Thanks for taking the time to share your idea @Ella93! 

I'd say we keep an eye on what other users think about it.

[ashe111]

I recently bought a Fitbit Versa, which has been the first Fitbit watch that I have deemed reasonable enough in price and functions to purchase. 

For my exercise, I've been walking and riding a stationary bike. I used to run, but can't anymore because I screwed up something in my hip, so cue the stationary bike. 

The problem is that there isn't a stationary bike mode. I've seen this suggested, but it really should be a thing. The additional problem for this is that the Fitbit doesn't track on a stationary bike very well because there isn't a whole lot of wrist movement going on. It does pick up some movement, but not very much. 

On another site, I found the suggestion of putting the Fitbit in my sock to track the movement on a stationary bike. This works, for just the movement, but accurate calories or heart rate are not being tracked because the Fitbit is in my sock and is counting everything as walking; my heart rate isn't being tracked at all. It will count as running as well, but that's still not an accurate calorie count for a stationary bike. I am also noting that these devices are designed to be worn on the wrist and not the ankle so there's also a chance of discrepancy there.

This could be solved if there was a small ankle tracker that was counting only ankle movement. So if you have a Fitbit that measures heart rate, you're still getting your heart rate, but you're also getting the actual movement you're doing through the ankle placed device. You're also still able to use the controls on your wrist-placed Fitbit. Win/win.

There would still need to be a stationary bike mode, but being able to get heart rate and step-movement would go quite a ways towards counting more accurately on a stationary bike. 

The way I see it, we're talking about a very small tracker, that just tracks steps. It wouldn't need any display. It would be more like a flex, but with less functionality. The Fitbit Watch would track heart rate while the ankle device would serve as the pedometer during stationary bike/recumbent bike/even elliptical workouts where you're not using the full arm movement of the elliptical. I would see something like this costing around 40-50 dollars, maybe less, because it's bare-bones functionality. 

The software side of this would involve tinkering with the multiple trackers ability in Fitbit. As is, it sounds like there may potential issues with overlapping data with multiple devices https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1715. The heart rate data from the watch would need to be logged into the database while the step-rate from the ankle device would need to be logged as the step data in the database for the workout time period. I'm assuming that data from trackers is being flagged per functionality when being inserted into the database, as suggested by the mention of GPS in the help article. So it's not that far of a stretch to implement this software wise. 

IF (more than one fitbit) {

if (fitbit is ankle device){

insert step data per time period

} if (fitbit measures heart rate) {

insert heart rate per time period}

}

I'm sure it's more complicated than this, but that's a general idea. 

[Rules8]

As a massage therapists I cannot wear a Fitbit on my arms. I use my forearms as a tool & getting oil over the Fitbit and discomfort to clients would be a problem. I can be massaging all day & have the Fitbit on my lapel & it not measure steps & not taking heart rate. So it is not much use to me for its two primary functions?? I would think that wearing it on the ankle could solve both of these issues. I am surprised that Fitbit don’t have research they have released in this area indicating where the best location is for HR on the ankle. 

[SunsetRunner]

I second that suggestion. Ankle mode could be very useful, especially if you're a French/Italian speaking person who gesticulates while speaking and who does a lot of sports that engage the legs but not so much the hands or arms.