SDK - Unique user identifier

I think an essential feature for the SDK is a way to a way to uniquely identify the current user. Ideally this would be linked to their Fitbit account so it is transferable between devices much like Pebble.getAccountToken() from Pebblekit JS.

31 Comments
EdwinFinch
Recovery Runner

Thanks for posting this.

 

As a former Pebble developer, this was one of the cornerstones of Pebble development that a lot of developers used. I was quite surprised to see Fitbit had not added it from the start, and has not said anything about its addition yet.

 

Because of this lack of getAccountToken()-like functionality, keeping track of user trials across reinstalls is impossible unfortunately.

 

For folks worried about trials like me: Another developer I was talking to about this said that users who are willing to constantly reinstall and setup your apps are not viable customers anyway, so those should not be stressed. That helped ease my mindset about it.

 

Regardless, it would still be a lovely option to have.

PNLDesign
Recovery Runner

Agree. This would enable personalized messaging too (TimeLine?)

SunsetRunner
Not applicable

Hi everyone thanks for sharing this suggestion. This is being discussed as we definitely agree it would definitely be useful for developers. I do not have a firm commitment or timeline at the moment. Do continue to vote for this feature suggestion whilst it’s under consideration.

Please note that if something is under consideration and chosen for development, it can be a while until it's released or until I have any news to share. Please watch this space for any updates! Thanks for your patience.

KiwiBarb
First Steps

seems like a pretty essential feature if Fitbit cares at all about encouraging third-party developers 

Gondwana
Veteran Runner

I think I need something like this too. My app has to use a web service to do some heavy lifting, and this responds to fetch() calls from the companion app. But any one user (ie, one watch) can have multiple companion devices. This makes it hard for the web service to keep track of whose data belongs to whom.

dragonBTV
Base Runner

both device ID and user ID are all welcome!

SunsetRunner
Not applicable

I don’t want pay again for big weather

kverpoorten
Recovery Runner

@SunsetRunner this is not the right place for this, but you can use https://kzl.io/unlock to unlock the clockface again for free. No need to pay again.

 

Next time you have any issues please contact the developer or mail us at support@k-pay.io Smiley Happy

 

SunsetRunner
Not applicable
Hi, My friend:

I already pay again,because kzl.io still send to number in my watch, when I
pay u$ 3.00 finished, they say next time day in 2018/06/28, I dont
understand.
kverpoorten
Recovery Runner

@SunsetRunner please send us an e-mail to support@k-pay.io because this is not the place to handle this, then we will help you with your problems.

Horace_Yeung
Recovery Runner

Support. And Fitbit team please serious handle this request.

 

Its half year already after your stats: under consideration.

MJesiel
Jogger

This is a no brainer. Can't be called a smart watch if it can't tell I already bought the watch face. Do what needs to be done so we don't have to go through this purchase process every time we load a watch face. 

Rich_Laue
Community Legend

It blows my mind that this wasn't instituted from the start

jstbtfl
Recovery Runner

Not only is this important for developers, but for people like me, who are willing to pay for the faces! I love having new ones, but one hour trials don't always seem like enough (although I understand why they would be so short) and I forget which ones I have paid for, and end up paying twice. I really hope you fix this, fitbit. 

Medrod
Base Runner

I see that this has been under consideration for 11 months with no progress being made. In the mean time Versa has come out with no improvement. Pretty bad, Fitbit. Pretty bad.

Mfritzel
Jogger

After update 33.130 update I had to remove and re-add the preferred clock face for all features to show correctly on the dial face.  


@Wollum wrote:

I think an essential feature for the SDK is a way to a way to uniquely identify the current user. Ideally this would be linked to their Fitbit account so it is transferable between devices much like Pebble.getAccountToken() from Pebblekit JS.


 

jhubbard
First Steps

surprising that something like this has not been addressed. Comment above is that it would be helpful for developers, what about the fitbit user, kind of important for them too and really should be the driver to get this done

Homeylou47
First Steps

Please get this app going.  The app is great and beautiful cannot find a thing wrong with the pictures.

please and thank you 

psiaqua
Stepping Up

Another end user (not developer) here! I love the watch faces, and use them far more than any app, switching them out every other day - like a watch collector choosing to wear a different watch each morning.

 

Now I’ve owned the Versa for almost a couple of months, and have a few paid watch faces that go into my regular rotation. Which brings me to two pain points:

 

1. Why can’t I save my favourites, and have to resort to memorising the names? (not the subject of this thread, but I don’t want to write two posts)

 

2. Why must I go to my email account, look up the name of a paid watch face developer to find the access code they’ve emailed me, and re-enter it into the Fitbit app? I’m doing this almost 2-3 times a week, to the point that I’m almost memorising the codes, like a cheat in a 90s video game.

 

Now if this issue has been under consideration for six months (like one of the developers here has commented), can I speak on behalf of the users and ask that you put more time into this? I value the work of third party watch face developers more than first party watch faces being added once every few months, and think you should be doing more to make their (and our) lives a little bit easier. The Bitmoji watch face was neat, but takes an insane amount of time to load onto the watch, and honestly, in my opinion, I don’t want a caricature of myself staring back at me throughout the day, so I quickly stopped using it. I wonder how other people tested with that when you ran the user research on it? Or maybe it was a paid sponsorship with snapchat prioritising that functionality?

 

Anyway, hopefully this highlights that this feature isn’t just useful for developers, as I’m sure you’re well aware. Maybe you’re looking at usage stats and seeing that a small segment of the user base change their watch faces on a regular basis, or engage with paid faces... in which case, I guess the silence would be justified. Though I suggest that maybe if people aren’t using the paid faces that much, perhaps there’s a reluctance/ caution with making the first time leap out of the Fitbit app/ecosystem and onto a third party site to make a watch face purchase? I’m sure developers having to set up the infrastructure to do that doesn’t help, as it’s extra effort from them, and the user experience of their off-site payment/re-activation pages will have a direct effect on whether a Fitbit user considering paying for a watch face for the first time, will actually take the plunge.

 

Genuinely interesting (I used to be a product manager).

 

Hope a solution’s found soon 🙂

Codyman
Jogger

Has t enough time gone by for fixing this. Come on Fitbit, support us end users by fixing the problem. 

sns5
First Steps

This feature is also critical for someone upgrading or moving to a new device.

ted-tanner
Base Runner

@DelFitbit @EmsFitbit @Fitbit I had a meeting at work the other day that took a long time--like a few hours. It was torture. I can't imagine how torturous this 2+ year meeting you've held to "consider" this feature has been for you.

 

Not sure why it takes so long to move one of the most popular suggestions from the dev community (it affects users too, read through all the comments here from non-developers who want this implemented) from "Under Consideration" to "Planned" or even to "Released." Now that Google is acquiring Fitbit, I sure hope they come in and clean up this mess.

Codyman
Jogger
It would be interesting to find out if there was a way to send the request along with the others to the new owners.

Thanks for the note. Sandy

Sandy Smith
cchdawkins
Base Runner

Two years later and still not done!

JimYes
Recovery Runner

Don't know if this is the right place but I was directed here through 1 of my watch faces here regarding fitbit not being able to tell that I already own a certain watch face. 1st the 5 face save limit is stupid. Pebble, Tic and Samsung have no limits to start with. Also when you pay for a face and its not 1 of the 5 saved and you don't recall the exact name its nearly impossible to find it again.l ike I said b4 none of my other smart watched have this dumb limitation . Please fix this or mynl next watch won't be a Fitbit.

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