Make Charge 3 low battery warning less intrusive

[WilliamPrice]

Since the 1.60.39 firmware update, the Charge 3 displays a full screen image of a battery with an exclamation point when the battery is low. Once the user places the tracker on the charger, the charging display indicates there is about 18% capacity, which is usually enough to last more than a day.

1. This warning is surprising and alarming to the user, as it appears full-screen without any accompanying context. Its appearance gives the user the impression that the battery is CRITICALLY low, when it is not.

2. If this screen displayed the actual battery capacity percentage, as on the charging screen, users would be more likely to realize that the battery situation is not dire.

3. If the warning can be dismissed by means other than charging, it is not obvious. Since there are only a few means of user input available on the C3 it may seem that pressing the button to dismiss the warning would be discoverable or obvious. Speaking from experience, the anxiety over believing I needed to recharge RIGHT NOW (see above) can delay such discovery because the user is more worried about finding a charging cable than interacting with the device.

I can appreciate that icons are more universal than text, which requires additional localization efforts, but please consider adding textual guidance to the user in addition to the battery icon and percentage. Something like:

Low battery: 18%

Please recharge today.

Press side button to dismiss.

Alternative suggestion which doesn't require localization -- battery icon with percentage, with a X-in-circle button similar to dismissing a phone call:

c[ 18% ]

 ( X )

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @WilliamPrice.

Thanks for sharing your feedback and suggestion on the matter. I could definitely see other users feeling the same way that you do and supporting this idea.

Let's see what other users have to say.

[Brecca]

Just updated my Charge 3  twice today I've gotten the battery logo with exclamation  it was worrying  but ive charged it twice today, i did not get my usual email warning to charge 

i hope the update has not changed something to use more battery power .......

[WilliamPrice]

My Charge 3 battery is performing well and has not had any adverse affects since the most recent firmware update.  This feature request is limited only to the appearance and behavior of the on-device low battery warning.  Please use the product forums or call technical support for concerns regarding battery life problems.

[mccormacktg]

I should not have to come to a forum to find out how to dismiss the battery warning. That's crazy. So unintuitive, I didn't even know there was a side button until I accidentally pressed my fitbit against my pocket a few weeks after I got it. 

[WindyRocksIndy]

Omg!! I had no idea this is what was happening. I just got this and twice I’ve gotten this critical dead battery symbol and can’t use the device without warning but it does seem to sync my challenges. Then after I get this symbol it sends an email (sometimes) to tell me to charge. No warning or no notice that I need to charge. 

I agree have this pop up intermittently as a reminder but not stay on the screen. 

[WindyRocksIndy]

😯 and now I see I can dismiss the image - wow that was totally not intuitive. 

[pchristoff]

Agree with those above, this was not intuitive AT ALL and I too have been assuming there was something wrong with my Charge 3 when the battery/exclamation mark appeared when I got below 20%.  Now that I know, it's just a nuisance ... but a totally unnecessary nuisance that really ought to be removed on the next update.

[b3hr057]

I agree and find it frustrating that my Fitbit becomes mostly inoperational when at roughly 1/5 of its capacity. That is to say it has more or less 24 hours of battery life but for that last day I cannot see my steps, HR, the time of day or any of the other functions it is supposed to perform. I am wearing a fancy digital exclamation point display. 

I suggest the option to remove this warning entirely, make it dismissable or adjustable (turn my Fitbit into a wearable exclamation point at 3%, instead of 18%)

If my battery is low, I'd rather have the last bit of remaining battery used to support the device's regular function. This reminds me of my super annoying cell phone from 2003 that would refuse to make calls and chime every 2 minutes when the battery was low.

I would always think: "how much battery is being used to chime every 2 minutes? All that low-battery beeping is killing my battery!"

[247surfer]

Yes, the large, full screen warning icon is a poor idea. As suggested by the op, something less intrusive would make more sense.

[Sweets777]

I agree that the low battery indicator needs to be less intrusive. If not, then I'd prefer an option to turn low battery indicator on/off. When my battery gets low, the low battery icon covers my entire display so each time I go to check the time on my Charge 3, I have to dismiss the low battery indicator and it's extremely annoying. I know how to check my battery level on my device (the multiple ways to do so) and although the notification is nice to get at least once, I don't want to see it obstruct my screen every time I look at my Fitbit. I love the clock feature and the low battery indicator is very intrusive and obstructs my ability to see the clock. Please consider a better solution for this. Thank you!

[Carol1519]

The display is alarming and apparently confusing for all of us.  Change it to be a small alert with message how to turn it off.

[mansells_tache]

Totally agree with this, makes the device useless as an actual watch for telling the time!

[Ripley666]

I totally agree! It's the same with the Inspire HR. I was training yesterday and my battery got low. Every time I tried to turn the screen on the full screen battery warning goes on. The low battery email notification would be enough for me but a small ivon somewhere would be better. That just makes the whole **ahem** thing unusable when under 20% battery. 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone, and thanks so much for sharing this Product Feedback! While we don’t currently have plans to release this feature, we always appreciate the passion and creativity that comes out of this Community. Since we know this idea is important to many of you, we have left voting open to continue tracking interest and will post another update if anything changes. To learn more about how Fitbit decides what product feedback is developed, visit our FAQs.

We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and your input is a big part of that process. We truly thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us.