Stop putting ads in app

[ill4]

Stop putting ads in the application 

[SunsetRunner]

Hi

Feel free to add your vote / comment to @MuchoGrande 's suggestion, the more votes, the more likely the idea becomes real.

[SantiR]

@ill4 Welcome to the Fitbit Community! To remove the ads from the add all you need to do is tap on it, the web page will open, close the web page, and the ad should disappear forever.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted! 

[SunsetRunner]

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@SantiR wrote:

To remove the ads from the add all you need to do is tap on it, the web page will open, close the web page, and the ad should disappear forever.

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 Unfortunately, this is not true. I just got a different ad, covering the entire app, with an X in the corner that doesn't work the first 10+ times it's clicked. PLEASE STOP SENDING ADS IN THE APP!!!!!!!

[SantiR]

@SunsetRunner Is this the add you have been getting all the time? Have you tried tapping where it says "Shop the Sale" instead of tapping the X?

Keep me posted! 

[ill4]

I do not want adds at all

[SunsetRunner]

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@SantiR wrote:

@SunsetRunner Is this the add you have been getting all the time? Have you tried tapping where it says "Shop the Sale" instead of tapping the X?

That is actually the fifth ad I saw. That is, I saw three different ads two times each, and this screenshot was the first instance of the third incarnation of the ad. At the beginning I clicked through, but being forced to visit your advertisement pissed me off so much I refused to do so after the first few times. This use of forced advertising is reprehensible, and is definitely discouraging me from ever again buying another Fitbit product.

[GVW]

I shouldn't have to do anything - - Fitbit has no right to harass its customers with pop-up ads, which have caused some problems with access/syncing. And this isn't their only intrusive move over the past few months, so it seems they have made a corporate decision to leverage their position over their customers.  Makes me wonder what they're doing with all the private data as well.

[Williger]

Yes, it's annoying, HOWEVER, it's either accept their ads or PAY for a monthly subscription. Servers and support aren't free and while I'd love an ad-free experience, I respect it's only their advertisements. Before Fitbit, I'd used SportBrain which went out of business because their model didn't include ads nor a subscription. I'd rather pay once for a device and use the service without a monthly fee (or have an option to have ads removed with premium) than be subjected to paying monthly/yearly to use the app. Cheers!

[GVW]

Frankly, that wasn't the deal when I bought my Fitbit: there were ads on the website/portal, but the phone app was a junk-free zone.  And speaking of which, there was a single-tier app which worked transparently across different platforms. Now they're messing with multi-tier which adds layers of complication.  Who do you think loses out when their programmers screw up?

If Fitbit wants to expand their base, great, but I really don't think creating annoyances for customers is going to keep the lights on.

[ill4]

Unfortunately as much as i like the Fitbit and have for many years plus the lack of small devices like the ONE (as mine is slowly going down), i will be switching to the Apple version with the IWatch vs the Fitbit version.  Then my ads problem is also solved.

[Williger]

@ill4 

[GVW]

I see a pattern to Fitbit's moves with device software/functionality, progressively taking control away from the end user (i.e. customer), and the ads and tiered membership aren't the only issue. This fall (2019) Fitbit inexplicably eliminated the ability to toggle GPS tracking only when the app was active.  In other words, it appears they are trying to impose location tracking on their customers 24/7 (intrusive); the choice is to accept it, or leave GPS off completely and lose a piece of basic functionality that customers paid for. 

Until that point I never worried about my privacy or questioned Fitbit's corporate objectives.  There is a huge and very private dataset they are controlling with no visibility by the people who actually own the data - - and frankly, the moves suggest that Fitbit considers their customers to be a captive audience.

Why do they need/want to know where I am day and night?  It adds nothing to their device's intended purpose.  Ditto for forcing ads on the apps, in addition to the ads on their web portal and the email promotions they send on a regular basis.  Are we supposed to pay a ransom for some "premium" ad-free experience?  

No thanks. I'm very protective of my privacy and I don't splash my life around on social media: these are personal choices, and in my view Fitbit has violated the basic structure of the agreement.  I will not buy another Fitbit product -- at least Apple has a privacy policy written in the customer's interest.

[theumpire]

This must be an American thing, as I do not get adverts on my phone app or the website, neither do I get emails promoting sales stuff in the UK.  Interesting.