Why no microphone?

[wiseman13]

Coming from Pebble the ability to have the SDK, 3rd party apps, etc is all good, but without a microphone and voice dictation possibilities I just do not see this device as a replacement for my Pebble Time Steel.

[badllama77]

Unfortunately the feature you love the most won't be available via Rebble.  That feature requires additional cloud services that will be discontinued when support dies.

[badllama77]

It wasn't the hardware they needed, it was the software (intellectual property).

[badllama77]

Pebble time has a 50m rating and microphone. As do several other smartwatches including the fossil Q Control

[skipf777]

How about if we make this product perfect and add a built in microphone for all future watches.  I could build some kick-**ahem** apps with something like that.   I want to talk to my watch.  Everyone would want a Fitbit.

[NellyG]

Lol sounds good to me. How about adding your suggestion HERE in Feature Suggeistions where it is more likely to be seen by the developers. The more votes it gets the more likely it is to happen.

[Giampi71]

In that case let's hope to have 2 versions (with mic and without) because I really don't care about mic and I would prefer to save some bucks.

[Rich_Laue]

For voice recognition to work, it takes a lot of processing power and memory. This is why both Bixby and the AW and Siri need internet access, Your voice is analyzed in the cloud.

The Ionic does not have always on internet

[Jetlagged]

First off,  let's concentrate on supplying a device not riddled with issues. Have you read the threads recently? 

My Adidas Ionic is failing to work right out of the box. I've tried every fix mentioned on this forum and have now opened a support ticket. 

Let's get the current model working properly before adding any more features.

Quite like your idea though. 😉

[bbarrera]

Still don't understand why it shipped without a speaker or buzzer.... Did anyone at Fitbit actually use the Coach feature before deciding to ship it with Coach and no audible alert when you are suppose to finish 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks?

I can somewhat understand leaving out the microphone, but not an audible alert.

And I agree, please stabilize fitbitOS and fix various issues to make the platform solid.

[Rich_Laue]

Yup @Jetlagged and I realize that only the people that are having problems post here, the many more don't have a reason to. 

[Jetlagged]

@Rich_Laue So true. These help boards are just that... For help when you have a problem not, for extolling the virtues of a particular device. There are review sites for that purpose. I was directed here when I submitted a support ticket as, I am sure, have many others. 

On a positive note, I cannot praise highly enough the support that I have received in the past from Fitbit. I have been a Fitbit user for over five years working my way through four Ones and a Charge 2 before moving onto the Ionic. Up until the Ionic, not one of the devices has failed, but the One had to be replaced three times purely down to my own negligence.

I'm sure that my Ionic will be going back for replacement eventually as, brand new out of the box, it has failed to charge up or work at all. I'm just waiting in a reply to my support ticket now.

[nekanetta]

No ofense, but when i drive my scooter  (5 dxw) my cellphone is on my bag, and I had find very useful the mic on my (now dead by battery issue) beloved Pebble Time Round for quick dictation response, headphones while wearing a helmet is not allowed (in Spain). Obviously the set answers will do, but not as nice 😕 #stillmissingPebble 

[nekanetta]

The water resistant is a great improvement, but some smartphones are water proof too and obviously have mic on it. ( bigger device thought, i know) 

[nekanetta]

You got a point here. Thanks for the explanation. 😊  versa is a great device. (Despite i will miss the mic that i found very useful on my pebble.)

[Rich_Laue]

Please remember that we are in the community forum where Fitbit users help out each other with their problems. Putting a microphone in, this would be useless without also adding a speaker, is beyond what the typical yser would be able to do.

My suggestion would be to let the developers know and add your vote to the 26 other people that would like a microphone on their wrist.

Microphone array integration into Fitbit models

[SunsetRunner]

Everybody wanna be Michael Knight.

[alpenglo]

You're missing the point of the microphone.  I use it (on my Pebble) chiefly to reply to text messages without pulling out my phone, etc.  It's hard to live without once you've used it!

[alpenglo]

I would ask that Fitbit consider what is truly most useful in a smartwatch rather than dumping a kitchen-sink's worth of sensors and payment technologies into a small electronic footprint.  I would guess that most people would judge being able to answer texts (which most of us receive at least 10's of per day) without pulling-out a phone as more important than inclusion an inaccurate barometric altimeter.

[alpenglo]

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@Rich_Laue wrote:

For voice recognition to work, it takes a lot of processing power and memory. This is why both Bixby and the AW and Siri need internet access, Your voice is analyzed in the cloud.

The Ionic does not have always on internet

---

Yes, but voice-recognition when your phone is nearby is still immensely useful (for responding to texts, chiefly)!  No problem with VR not working while out running.  

My Pebble 2 has 1-week battery life, an always-on screen, HR, and a microphone which gets used much more often than I check my heart rate.  

[Rich_Laue]

The point is that this discussion we are having is simply between Fitbit users. None of us can speak for, it know the reasoning behind fitbits decisions.

We do have the feature suggestion board where users may as their requires, to be voted on, for the developers to consider on adding.

Seeing a search I don't that a microphone has been suggested and advise adding your vote where it will be noticed by the developers.

Adding a Microphone to reply to texts