Off line tracking

[KateheGreat]

So I've decided that if I can't have access to my data, fitbit can't either.

I've unplugged the dongle and removed the app from my tablet (my phone isn't powerful enough to run the app.)  I'll manually log my steps daily before bed, the sleep start/stop time I know by noting when I push the button and we'll see if the silent alarm still works (it should.)

Without the detailed sleep data, my fitbit is just an expensive pedometer. I'm going to try living with it that way and see how that works for me.

[SteveH]

What problems are you having with your fitbit to lead you to do this?

[KateheGreat]

No problems with  my fitbit. Just the fitbit corporation.

Their removal of the useful sleep data has highlighted the power they have over my tracker. I had three purposes for my tracker (steps 45% of my use of it, detailed sleep analysis 50% use of it, silent alarm 5% use of it.) The detailed sleep analysis is gone, therefore half the use of my hardware has been removed by the company's decision to not give me my data.

BUT the company is still collecting my data and selling it.

Why should I give them my data for free? I was willing to trade it for fancy graphs. Without those graphs, I just have step counting. It isn't hard to write down the number of  steps I do each day at the end of the day. So I'm doing that. The silent alarm still works. So I have the same 50% of the function of my fitbit they left me with after March 27th. But this way, they don't have my data.

If everyone who is affected by the lack of useful sleep information did this, fitbit would not notice. We are a mere drop in the bucket of their hundreds of thousands of regular users syncing daily.

It is the principle of the matter.

So I keep my data to myself. And when this now really expensive pedometer breaks, I'll buy a regular pedometer. Unless there is a clip-on tracker out there that allows me to hold my data locally and choose to sync to the company's servers. Not likely since this business model is all about getting their hands on large amounts of data to sell.

For sleep tracking, I'm experimenting with sleep apps which keep the data local, not synced to servers.

[PureEvil]

@KateheGreat,

I hope you neither expire the battery nor need to set a new alarm, because both of those will require syncing (the former to set the time on the device).

[ShaiKingTroy]

Do you have a computer or any tips of device that can connect with fitbit?

if you do, you can use it instead of manually writing down information

[ShaiKingTroy]

Why would they be selling you're data?