SPO2 sensor on Ionic

[JAH67]

Part of the sales pitch for the Ionic watch was that it has multiple additional features that would come online after launch, including the ability to check blood oxygen levels. I've yet to find anything to do with it anywhere. Has anyone got any information when this stuff is going live or was it just marketing? 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity and word choice.

[Papabeary]

If you are referring to me, it figures,

anyone with a reasonable point of view must be lying. No, I don’t know anyone related to Fitbit in any way. I have paid full retail for 3 Fitbit’s. And I do not own their stock.
I like their product, I’m impressed with their tech, and look forward to improvements.
10 years into the automobile you had to crank them to start, and sometimes they broke your arm - literally.

[Papabeary]

If you are referring to me, it figures, anyone with a reasonable point of view must be lying. No, I don’t know anyone related to Fitbit in any way. I have paid full retail for 3 Fitbit’s. And I do not own their stock.
I like their product, I’m impressed with their tech, and look forward to improvements.
10 years into the automobile you had to crank them to start, and sometimes they broke your arm - literally.

[WavyDavey]

I'm guessing some people here aren't familiar with investor relations press releases. They're typically full of disclaimers and "maybe if" statements. That's why the vast majority of reviews for the Ionic just didn't mention the sensor, except for the possibility of identifying sleep apnea.

If someone has concerns that they may have sleep apnea, by all means go and get a sleep study done. Don't wait for Fitbit or anybody else to develop new technology when we have the means currently to test for the condition.

The more I think about spO2, the less interested I am in it. It might be really useful one day to help people that won't get a sleep study otherwise. Beyond that, I'm not seeing huge uses. The fingertip monitor I use for SpO2 nearly always reads the same. Anybody know of uses for the monitoring besides sleep apnea?

[Papabeary]

You didn’t buy it, but you’re still complaining like you got ripped off. I did buy it, I’m waiting for improvements, which have been considerable, but I won’t bore you with facts, and I’m pretty happy. I’m glad I don’t have your life.

wah, wah, wah

[SunsetRunner]

I don't nor never have worked for fitbit I have however purchased the One, Charge HR, Surge, Blaze and Ionic.

I have had issues with the charge HR with the strap peeling off, the Surge gave me some serious burns and the Blaze strap caused some bad skin reactions, but I stand by the products and their use and functionality.  The issues I experienced were quickly and easily dealt with and rectified by either myself or fitbit. The devices have always done what they said they would and so what more can you ask. If they say a particular device will be able to carry out a certain function in the future then I will take them at their word until the show outright and deliberate falsehood. The Ionic has not even been out for 6 months yet and already certain people a jumping up and down ranting and raving that certain functions (set for future release) have not yet been implemented.

Take a chill pill and give them some time and as I said before if after 12 months the features they said would happen, haven't, then by all means roll about the floor and chew on the carpet in a justified raving tantrum. Patience is a virtue.  Personally I don't care if they ever activate the SPO2, that wasn't what got me to purchase the ionic in the first place, but I would welcome it if they do.

[mmaakh]

One doesn't need to own an Ionic to know that fitbit's behaviour wrt the spo2 sensor is unacceptable. If you assume so, then you are committing a logical fallacy.

Yes I complain. But this is good for fitbit. I am kind enough to spend my time to communicate my frustration so that fitbit has a chance to correct itself. Alternatively I can silently leave and have a more vulnerable fitbit

.Also fanboy responses that attack fitbit customers really backfire and make more people leave.

[ccyoh]

I think it is a reasonable request. Information coming from a Fitbit
employee would carry more weight. I would like to know when Fitbit plans
to release the SPO2 API.

[WavyDavey]

That really assumes there is a plan to release an API to developers, which is something I've not seen from Fitbit. It seems more likely they will develop the app for this as an integrated part of the OS.  Many functions of the Ionic are not available to us via API.

[Colinm39]

I have used the Corsense App HRV Elite with my Polar chest strap for my HRV..  Just to learn more and compare my sleep charts on Fitbit.

So, as I posted a few weeks ago I'm awaiting their Finger Tip device for the HRV.  I did this to have something to compare the Fitbit implementation of SPO2.. but like Fitbit...

" and with firmware updates that are in the works: SPO2 (Pulse Oximetry). Hope this helps!"

[SunsetRunner]

---

wrote:

Funny how fitbit paid to ensure that various sites talk about the spo2 sensor in the ionic, but then it never put the same effort to announce that the spo2 is delayed and is for future use. It simply became quiet about it silently.

Also "for future" is a claim than you cannot disprove. It is not a falsifiable claim. Its like religion "there is heaven and hell in the future".

Absolutely disgusting. Never bought the Ionic  but this behaviour made me want to never buy fitbit again.

---

Oh so Fitbit PAID to get people to talk about that sensor now? References please or is this just some more made up BS?

[SunsetRunner]

---

wrote:
I think it is a reasonable request. Information coming from a Fitbit
employee would carry more weight. I would like to know when Fitbit plans
to release the SPO2 API.

---

As you aren't quoting I'll do it for you then. You previously wrote..

"All of you who work for Fitbit please identify yourself in your posts.  I don't have anything against Fitbit and actually wish the company well against the giants but company line should be identified as such.  Otherwise you lose credibility and goodwill, opposite of intended effect."

The answer is every Fitbit employee has already identified themselves. You can now get back to watching the Twilight Zone.

[chris-bit]

Why could not they have an app to read the value of the SPO2 sensor without interpreting its meaning? Saying "You reading of the SPO2 is this" should not be as risky as saying "It seems you have sleep apnea". 

Unless they realized that the output of that sensor is completely inaccurate. 

[WavyDavey]

---

wrote:

Why could not they have an app to read the value of the SPO2 sensor without interpreting its meaning? Saying "You reading of the SPO2 is this" should not be as risky as saying "It seems you have sleep apnea". 

Unless they realized that the output of that sensor is completely inaccurate. 

---

What would be the point of reading relative SpO2 then, if there is no purpose for it in relation to sleep apnea? It would be like developing a sensor to read blood sugar, and failing to mention its use for diabetics?

How do you even define accuracy for a relative SpO2 monitor?  You can't, unless you know what the purpose of the monitor is. And if the purpose is designed as related to sleep apnea, it takes some time to jump through all the approval hoops.

[SunsetRunner]

---

wrote:

Why could not they have an app to read the value of the SPO2 sensor without interpreting its meaning? Saying "You reading of the SPO2 is this" should not be as risky as saying "It seems you have sleep apnea". 

Unless they realized that the output of that sensor is completely inaccurate. 

---

So you want a whole load of meaningless numbers to go by rapidly on the screen for no reason other than to prove a point. Sure that would be really useful and nobody would complain about that 

[mmaakh]

So we have only two options:

1. Wait for the unbounded "future" without any hints or deadlines from fitbit.

2. Get meaningless sensor readings as FitAlexS called it.

Then we (fitbit cuatomers) getting mocked by fitbit forum admins (maybe even staff).

I guess we deserve this treatment for trusting fitbit. Personally I bought 3 fitbit watches (gifted 2) and had plans to get the ionic. But the more I see this the more I am sure to never buy anything fitbit again .

[WavyDavey]

---

wrote:

So we have only two options:

1. Wait for the unbounded "future" without any hints or deadlines from fitbit.

2. Get meaningless sensor readings as FitAlexS called it.

Then we (fitbit cuatomers) getting mocked by fitbit forum admins (maybe even staff).

I guess we deserve this treatment for trusting fitbit. Personally I bought 3 fitbit watches (gifted 2) and had plans to get the ionic. But the more I see this the more I am sure to never buy anything fitbit again .

---

I think you may have misunderstood Alex's humor. #2 isn't an option.

[mmaakh]

I think you may have misunderstood Alex's humor. #2 isn't an option.

---

I didn't. It is a fitbit customer's suggestion to make the situation less bad, and it is better than nothing. E.g. we can do our analysts to at least verity that the sensor generally works. 

I think alex's response is totally uncalled for. If alex wants to call a customer's suggestion useless, he should call fitbit's behaviour worse than useless.

This is unfortunately hypothetical. I'm unfollowing this thread. Have fun mocking the customers. 

[SunsetRunner]

---

wrote:

I think you may have misunderstood Alex's humor. #2 isn't an option.

---

I didn't. It is a fitbit customer's suggestion to make the situation less bad, and it is better than nothing. E.g. we can do our analysts to at least verity that the sensor generally works. 

I think alex's response is totally uncalled for. If alex wants to call a customer's suggestion useless, he should call fitbit's behaviour worse than useless.

This is unfortunately hypothetical. I'm unfollowing this thread. Have fun mocking the customers. 

---

Er it's not a question of me "wanting to call" something useless. Having a whole load of meaningless numbers rapidly fly by, without even understanding what they mean, and possibly too fast to read, IS totally useless. FACT. Even worse people will complain about buying a monitor (that is NOT advertised in the specs) that gives them numbers that may only be useful when applied to the lottery.

Also I love your use of the word "customer", as though you are one and I am not. Not only that it appears you consider useless suggestions somehow legit just because you are a customer. "Totally uncalled for" to assume you are somehow more important than everybody else regardless 😉

[SunsetRunner]

This thread is funny. Love it. Keep it up. Anyway, adding my 2c. One thing we need to keep in mind is the sensing of oxygen may vary due to the source sensor and the light absorption and refraction. Since there is no sensor on the other side, that means refraction method is used. Problem with refraction, it is not the best method to accurately measure items. Think of it like.. What color is the sky.? Dark blue, blue, grayish blue? Just like the environment impacts the color of the sky, our skin tone plays a role.

Anyway, at best, they can only provide a relative estimate of oxygenated hemoglobin and not an accurate measurement. If Fitbit can state it and provide the API to us, we can then show the numbers and calibrate to our bodies to a high degree of relative accuracy. 

[OutOfTheBox]

I think that's exactly why their press release said "relative SPO2 sensor".
When I search the web for that exact word combination, their press comes up
at the top. I've posted previously in this thread that I don't believe the
sensor is capable of giving percentage SPO2. Instead, it just reveals
whether SPO2 has increased or decreased from the last measurement. This
might only be useful for detecting things like sleep apnea. I found one
paper on the web discussing precisely that use for a relative SPO2 sensor.
I think I'd also find it valuable in a running situation - especially in
interval training where the swings in SPO2 could determine the intervals.

This may also be why they haven't released it. I think the expectations got
ahead of them. If it has these limitations, it needed to be clearly
explained in the first press release. Since it wasn't, people will feel
ripped off if they release it even if it is working as designed.