Tracking exercise- how to stop it?

[Jls0222]

Hi- tracking tennis and does just fine, however how do I stop the exercise tracker?! I’ve tried to tap, double tap etc and it won’t stop! Please help, can’t evrn get back to the main menu/clock screen.

[CaptainZed]

The problem is that pressing and holding takes you to the screen wake settings. To stop you have to press and release quickly which is not always easy.  The solution would be for Fitbit to update the software so that press and hold pauses an exercise rather than taking you to screen wake settings (surely something that does not need to be accessed when you are exercising). Are you listening Fitbit?

[garyschmidt]

actually I just called customer support and for the Charge 3 you have to press the "button" on the left of the watch twice, sort of like a mouse double click. Then it brings up the Finish screen. It took me 45 minutes of trying to stop the running exercise before finally out of frustration I called support. At least they answered quickly. Though it took even the tech support guy about 5 minutes to figure it out too. What????

[galan]

Yes, the goal is to press quickly, twice. That takes you past the pause screen to the finish screen. It works every time if I'm sitting at my desk testing it. The problem is that after a run, I can't press fast enough to do that. Something is different then. Four out of five times, the Charge 3 regards even the fastest (shortest) press as a long press, which takes me to the Screen Wake/Notifications page. It takes a few seconds to get out of that page. I've tried everything. My conclusions is to give up on using the Charge 3 for timing my runs. I use an app on my phone instead. I still let the Charge 3 collect data (steps, HR) on the run, but I don't trust it for the time because I can't reliably stop it. Question for the developers:  If we have an exercise running, do we even need access to the screen wake and notifications functions? Seems it would make more sense to prioritize the ability to stop the exercise since that is the logical next thing to do during an exercise. 

[CaptainZed]

I agree with you and have had very similar experience! Fitbit take note!

[CEfedupwitharia]

Me too. Still stuck in Screen Wake doom loop. Very poor product and I'm going to dump it in trash where it belongs. 

[SunsetRunner]

Hello, OK I have figured it out.
It's not straight forward to a new user. Recommend user testing this.

1) To start exercise swipe right and start it.
2) To stop it - Push on the side button (left) or the inductive button that Fitbit call it. Tap this once.
3) This will take you to a screen with a play button.
4) Then double-push the inductive button
5) A finish exercise CTA will appear, click this to finish your exercise

This isn't straight forward.
Problems
1) When pushed once this takes you a screen which has the play button and it says paused. Play means start? This confuses your user.
2) The flickering from Paused to a timer is confusing?
3) BIG PROBLEM - The copy that says "Tap button to stop exercise" on this page, it takes you back to the info page that is still running stats, doesn't finish the experience. As the user thinks to tap the play button. It doesn't say "Push the side button twice"

Not clear and simple, UX team. Take note up lets up up game.

[galan]

Your instructions here explain how it works when it works *correctly*. It works that way for me every time when I am practicing while sitting at my desk. I can successfully start and stop runs over and over, as long as I don't go for a real run!  After a real run, I (and I believe others posting here as well) find that the first press of the side button (your step 2), instead of getting going to the Pause button, goes to the "Screen Wake/Notifications" page. Then we must wait to get out of that, and try again (sometimes several times) before we can finally get to that Pause button. Only then, with a second press of the side button can we get to the Finish button.  The "Screen Wake/Notifications" screen should only result from a *long* hold of the side button. For some reason, after a run, we can't press the side button quickly enough to prevent the "Screen Wake/Notifications" screen from appearing. While running, the last thing we want is to configure the Screen Wake or Notifications. A long press shouldn't even be an option while running. The only thing we want during a run is the pause or finish buttons, but we can't usually get to those buttons because the Charge 3 wants to go straight to the Screen Wake/Notifications page. Perhaps you are not having this problem? For me, due to this problem, the watch is useless for timing runs because it takes from 10 to 30 seconds to get out of that Screen Wake/Notifications page.

[CEfedupwitharia]

And that's precisely what happens to me so I time runs with other hardware. All pretty disappointing and why I won't buy a fitbit product again

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

[CaptainZed]

Couldn't agree with you more. FITBIT take notice! 

[galan]

This problem is solved on the Charge 4. (I recently upgraded from the 3 to the 4). In almost all respects, the operation of the Charge 4 is the same as the Charge 3, but at the end of a run, I'm now able to stop the timer as expected:  two quick presses and then touch "Finish". 

[Barb.M47]

This finally worked for me.  I was getting frustrated.

[Seadaroma]

The charge 5 has no side buttons. No buttons at all. No way to stop an activity that I can find. Also the user manual FAILS TO COVER THIS???? How the heck can that be? I am so disappointed with this piece of equipment and the total lack of support. Big FAIL. I expected some improvements with their integration into the Google family. Alas, not yet.

[jfe]

It's confusing at first with the Charge 5. Slide down while the screen is lit. Select to pause, and then you can select to finish the exercise.