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I agree with many of the others. I know there may not appear to be enough users requesting the bluetooth LE off functionality for fitbit to consider it, but I also know of several hundred, Yes Really, who would consider it, fitbit devices, at my location alone. There are 8,000 military and 12,000 civilians affected by the bluetooth rules at my location alone. I traded a fitbit flex for a first generation jawbone with my son-in-law for that reason. I love the Surge and want one, but I can't justify it if I can't turn the LE radio off while I am at work.
Please don't just consider, but make this an option. You will get a number, Most Likely thousands more at $249 a pop, of new customers with this functionality. Most people I speak with on the military base I work at love the look and function of your products, but won't buy them because they cannot disable the bluetooth. They get written up in sensitive electronic areas for active bluetooth devices and could potentially lose jobs.
One older gentleman specifically stated he came home and threw the device in a drawer because he was written up for a violation at work. He loves the device, but can't afford to lose his job. Thanks for implementing this as soon as possible.
Moderator Edit: Edited title for clarity and word choice
Well,Good for you, but don't force me to believe what you (with vested interest) believe.Not using tracker any more. Will use again if you give me the ability to put in airplane made as desired.
@MatthewFitbit Thanks for the repost and your clarifcation of position; I did see the original post as well. If the repost was in reaction to my post, perhaps my post has been misconstrued.
I do not contest Fitbit's position that the emissions are harmless; this position could very well be correct - after all Fitbit has experts, and I would ideally like to rely on their expertise. The point I make is that if technology permits addition of a small software that could switch off bluetooth/ wifi, then why not make it available; this simply grants flexibility to users!! As a vendor Fitbit would look at loyalty from customers and perhhaps this is one way to secure it; naturally there has to be a cost benefit analysis at Fitbit end - at least to my mind the cost for the feature sought should not be very high. At the cost of repetition, to my mind all that is needed is a simple software on the computer that can switch off bluetooth/ wifi feature when the tracker is connected to the computer!!
Hi, MatthewFitbit. I have already voted for the Bluetooth On/Off option. Thanks for keeping track of the comments in this thread.
In your most recent post, you say that the Fitbit devices transmit only intermittently. Can you elaborate on that, please? How often? I was under the impression that the Bluetooth is always on (hence, this thread).
Your post does not really allay my concerns. By way of background, I bought a Fitbit One about two years ago; it was my first activity tracker. I loved the One, loved the app, and was very impressed by Fitbit Customer Service the few times I had problems or questions. I wore my One every day, typically clipped inside my bra or sometimes in a pocket. Recently my One stopped working -- apparently it cannot be revived -- and I was eager to buy another One to replace it as soon as possible. However, in perusing the Fitbit Community Forums, I became aware of the radiation issue.
I've since done a lot of research on the radiation issue. From what I can tell, there is as yet no medical or scientific consensus on the potential health effects of the long-term use of Bluetooth-enabled wearables, especially for those devices where the Bluetooth is always on, and the device is worn on the body (and in the case of the One, adjacent to vital internal organs). Can you point me to any reputable studies where conclusions about that have been reached? (Fyi, I asked this question in another forum, but did not get an answer to it.)
I appreciate that the Fitbit's power output is vastly lower than that of a cell phone, but that comparison is not entirely helpful, since it disregards the fact that a Fitbit is meant to worn on the body virtually all the time. I take care to minimize my cell phone use, and do not carry it on my body, or have it near my ear/head for more than a few minutes a week. It is impossible to minimize one's exposure that way with a Fitbit.
If Fitbit decides to incorporate the On/Off feature to accommodate those who cannot wear a Bluetooth-On device in their workplaces, that is fine with me -- that is also a legitimate consumer issue. The bottom line for me, though, is that I won't purchase another Fitbit until the Bluetooth On/Off feature is adopted. I know that this suggestion is "under consideration," but can you give us a timeline for when a decision might be made? I truly miss my One, but I am now looking at some other companies' products that already incorporate the On/Off feature.
@tfm723 Fitbit devices only sync intermittently, and are not persistently transmitting. Your tracker will briefly activate Bluetooth every 20-30 minutes, if it happens to have new data to be synced. This not only preserves the battery life of the tracker, but significantly reduces RF exposure from the device. It's a contributor to what I mentioned previously: Fitbit trackers operate at such low RF power levels that they are exempt from the evaluation used for other devices.
All of our testing in this regard has been based on RF compliance standards established by the FCC (detailed here). Fitbit's compliance report is publicly available right here, detailing the specifics of how the test was carried out.
I apologize that I'm not able to provide insight regarding when this suggestion might be incorporated into Fitbit devices. The interest has definitely been heard by our developers, and may be included if it lines up with future development. I definitely appreciate your personal intent to minimize RF exposure - hopefully the above clarifies why we do not view this as a safety concern.
@MatthewFitbit"Fitbit devices only sync intermittently, and are not persistently transmitting. Your tracker will briefly activate Bluetooth every 20-30 minutes, if it happens to have new data to be synced."
Perhaps I'm coming in late to the conversation, but doesn't your statement above require an asterix or two?
When I owned a Fitbit, it would gleefully broadcast continuously while the app was in use (how else could it update steps in real time?!), and was pretty chatty whenever my phone was anywhere nearby.
I think what you're trying to say is that if there are no Bluetooth devices around it goes quiet for 20 minutes at a time...is that correct?
So as long as you're not near your phone or tablet then it won't be broadcasting? Or anyone else's phone? Or tablet? Or computer? Or car? Or any other bluetooth device?
I'm thinking your choice of language is neglecting a sea of caveats...
@Choice The vast majority of the time, a tracker will only attempt to communicate via Bluetooth every 20-30 minutes, as described above. Proximity to other Bluetooth devices doesn't have any impact on this frequency.
Real-time data tracking and Connected GPS are special modes that involve a more frequent connection. These modes are generally not used persistently, and do not significantly increase overall RF exposure. If someone wanted to absolutely minimize their Bluetooth exposure, they could certainly choose to not use those modes - but we believe such precaution to be completely unncessary.
@tfm723 Fitbit devices only sync intermittently, and are not persistently transmitting.
@ChoiceThe vast majority of the time, a tracker will only attempt to communicate via Bluetooth every 20-30 minutes, as described above. Proximity to other Bluetooth devices doesn't have any impact on this frequency.
@MatthewFitbit The latter half is reassuring, but surely you can see how your customers might feel you're not being entirely upfront with them? First they "are not persistently transmitting", but then "the vast majority of the time" is added as a caveat when challenged.
Who's to say I don't run 3hrs/day and extensively use the app on my phone on a wrist cuff to track my progress? And then I take it off when I'm not running? For me, that would then be the majority of the time (Fitbit Flex).
Instead of being upfront with your customers you make a great deal of assumptions and generalizations. If you were truly interested in meeting your customers’ demands, you would have freely offered up: Fitbit's emit the most radiation when ___________. If your desire is to lower your exposure, by all means please limit or forego using it in such a fashion.
That would have been proactive. And helpful. Instead it takes one of your customers to challenge your broad assertion that they only transmit 20-30 minutes for you to come clean. That's reactive. And not becoming.
It certainly doesn't placate the user base you're trying to address. In fact, it makes me examine what you have and haven't written with greater scrutiny.
And at this point you might as well create a .sig file that states Fitbits a) emit very little radiation b) comply with FCC guidelines and c) in your opinion pose no risk. It would easier than typing it out every. post. don't you think?
/rant
Let us choose our own exposure, or in the very least openly disclose which modes or types of operations create the highest exposure levels--don't wait for someone to ask for "the whole story".
@Choice Do you really think arguing with the moderator of this thread is going to get us anywhere? He's doing his job by moderating and passing along the request while repreventing Fitbit. Fitbit is well aware of the demand. If you want to argue/rant about emissions, that would best be accomplished in another thread. I'm pretty sure the original post was about not being able to have electronics with Bluetooth that can't be turned off in some workplaces. That's the category that I fall into. But the anger coming from some of the people concerned about the emissions the technology may have is over the top. Hostility toward the company isn't the greatest way to get what one wants. Voice concerns, but Fitbit has given their stance and until the regulation changes, what you all are posting isn't going to change their minds! They're considering it based on the workplace issues. Go with that and then benefit from the on/off feature when they hopefully add it!
Lena0003 Do you really think arguing with the moderator of this thread is going to get us anywhere?
I see a number of questions, suggestions and consumer-centric anecdotes. These are valuable, and Fitbit stands to benefit from them being shared.
Lena0003 But the anger coming from some of the people concerned about the emissions the technology may have is over the top.
In your opinion. I think any hostility they're receiving has been well earned by their silence on the issue, MatthewFitbit's recent activity notwithstanding. May I remind you the thread we're posting in had to be reposted and resurrected because it was previously archived?
Lena0003 Hostility toward the company isn't the greatest way to get what one wants.
We're going to have to agree to disagree on that one. A great deal of corporate change has been accomplished with consumer outrage--less so with consumer "pretty pretty please". Have you ever worked for a company? What makes your company scramble into action to formulate a response; negative feedback or feel-good feature-requests?
Serious question.
(sorry if the "enter key" pic seems like a low-blow, but reading a wall of text is really difficult)
@Choice All of those sentences go together in one paragraph. If that was hard for you to read, that is your issue to get help with; not my concern. I'm not the least bit offended by your childish photo. Maybe I should have written in all caps too.
As for whether I've worked for a company, I don't think my personal life really matters. This thread isn't about us. Call Fitbit out on public forums, but I don't believe doing so on a message board where one has to have, or have had, a Fitbit, is going to do much. But yes, we'll have to agree to disagre .
As for this post getting revived, perhaps it's because of more people running into workplace issues. As the popularity of fitness tracking devices increases, more places are putting policies into place. When a business excludes the military and much of the government, along with other private sector companies with policies against Bluetooth, that's a big portion of the population.
I'm sure we'll never see this similarly, which is fine. But the moderator of this board isn't the one making decisions for Fitbit, so have fun writing your attacks at him. (and me because I'm done)
@Choice I didn't dive into caveats because I wanted to keep the conversation as clear and straightforward as possible. In the very unlikely scenario you've described of constant Bluetooth transmission, Fitbit devices are still within FCC compliance levels.
Again, we do not see the potential for safety concerns related to Bluetooth, and we do not consider safety to be a factor of this feature request.
@MatthewFitbit For reference, what follows would have been the perfect corporate response:
~~
Although we at Fitbit feel there are no health-related risks due to our product's use of bluetooth, we understand there are users who wish to limit their exposure for personal reasons. Certain non-standard usage patterns may slightly elevate the extremely low levels of RF produced by your Fitbit, though these are still a tiny fraction of what a cell phone emits and well below established exposure guidelines. Nevertheless, such usage would include: operating your Fitbit in live sync mode with the mobile app, example B, example C. When not operating in one of the aforementioned modes, your Fitbit will briefly enable bluetooth transmissions approximately every 20-30 minutes.
We hope this information is useful to those users who have requested it. Fitbit strives to empower its customers to lead healthier lives, and [insert focus-tested corporate mantra of the week here].
~~
Informative, reassuring, corporate message still delivered. Nothing but checkmarks. Of course you would have to provide examples B and C, which I imagine exist but are as of yet undisclosed.
In my mind, when people are clamoring for greater detail, glossing over the details to be "clear and straightforward" is counter-intuitive and ultimately counter-productive.
Of course, that's my humble opinion. It may not seem like it, but I do appreciate you engaging with this community, even if I feel your messaging missed the mark. Cheers.
@MatthewFitbit I initially had paragraphs that addressed the issue of two groups but deleted them. Upon re-reading my post perhaps they were needed for context...
Group #1 wants an OFF switch for workplace compliance. This is the focus of the feature request and why it is being considered. Group #2 wants more control over their RF exposure. This is not a reason you are considering the request--we get it.
But you spoke directly to Group #2 when you posted about how low the exposure is. This doesn't matter at all to Group #1; any is too much.
So please read my response(s) in that light. You engaged with Group #2, and my responses come from that positioning.
(Not sure if I'm making things clearer, or muddying the waters at this point!)
I just wanted to throw in my vote here for this feature as well. I absolutely love my Fitbit and have been a dedicated user for quite some time now, but I recently started working in a facility with heavy restrictions on bluetooth and wifi signals. So, if this feature is not implemented, I will be unable to continue using my device for pretty much the entirety of my week. Please please please implement a toggle in the app or something to visibly show that bluetooth on the device is disabled. I really want to continue using my Fitbit and future Fitbit products.
Please consider the ability to turn off the bluetooth feature for those people who are unable to have such devices in their work environment. I am in the process of applying to various jobs where I will not be able to have anything that emits a frequency or wirelessly talks to devices. I will greatly miss wearing my Fitbit for the majority of my week. Wearing the Fitbit has allowed me to be able to better control my diabetes (type 1) by allowing us to better track my activity levels & adjust the insulin accordingly.
Wish you develop an update where you can turn off bluetooth completely like tapping on the fitbit several time to activate or deactivate the Bluetooth, It's really annoying to think you exposed to radiation constantly even though it is a small quantity . Thx 🙂
@Esso86 See my previous response to those concerns. This suggestion is in regards to restrictions around sensitive electronic areas. We do not believe there are any safety concerns related to Bluetooth use in Fitbit trackers.
I've notice about 10 users since the beginning of the year complain about wrist pain. Some people are sensative to BlueTooth singals. These are same people that can't use a heaset/ear piece without getting headaches.
Being able to turn this off, is the only way these users can use a fitbit. So it's really an advantage to Fitbit, if our devices could have the blue tooth turned off.
Agreed that being able to turn on/off bluetooth functionality on the device itself would be a very good enhancment. JUST got a blaze, and was extremely disappointed to find that there is no functionality to allow the enabling/disabling of the bluetooth feature on the blaze device. This is the ONLY aspect that would I consider a drawback. (in-line with Pastorscory above).
Additionally, my Basis Peak (recalled) allowed this, and performing sync in the morning and then again in the evening was never a terrible chore. In fact, it helped my battery life anyway.
FITBIT, if you're reading, would love to see this feature incorporated...and can then recommend to all of my friends and family that the Blaze is indeed a great product to purchase!
Why is there not an option to turn automatic syncing with a dongle off? Someone in my apt has one and it syncs all the time.
When in challenges and trying to be discreet about when you walk or exercise this is ridiculously annoying!!!
It should be such a simple software update. "All day sync" being off does nothing. Close to giving up on fitbit or hiding it in my car until I'm ready to go to the gym 😡
My point is this update isn't just a fix for those with work restrictions. It boils down to privacy issues. It's akin to whatsapp letting you turn off your last seen or iMessage letting you turn off read receipts or even Facebook letting you disabling its friends list. Am I the only one who sees the fact not allowing one to disable syncing at a tracker level is an inherent privacy flaw?
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