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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.
I would really like Fitbit to offer a bluetooth free option. I would point out that a lot of the folks that are saying they can't have bluetooth in the office, particularly the military folks, might want to review those security protocols more closely. In most cases, the restriction is not that you can't have bluetooth ON at work, it is that you cannot have any bluetooth CAPABLE device at work, regardless of whether it is on or not.
So rather than trying to come up with a way to turn bluetooth on or off, I would like to see Fitbith offer a track with no bluetooth capability at all.
As a noted in my comments here, I would happily invest in two Fitbit trackers, one simple, bluetooth free one, and a fancier one like the Charge HR, if only there was a simple, bluetooth free option that I could use during work hours. Instead, I am not willing to invest in any because not being able to track my activity during the work day seems like a pretty big data gap!
I would like to purchase a fitbit product, but I am not allowed to have wireless transmitting devices where I spend 10-12 hours of my day. Additionally, I am not enthusiastic about wearing a device that is transmitting energy 24/7. I know it is very low, but I would prefer the option to turn it off and decide when to sync. I am a weight watchers memeber and used to use the active link. That is now being replaced by the fitbit products, but I will not be able to purchase one until there exists the ability to turn off the wireless capability. At my facility alone, there are at least one thousand employees that are not allowed to use wireless devices. In comparison, outside my immediate work area, I see my other coworkers wearing fitbit devices in the range of 25-35% of the population. I really hope to see this option soon.
I suggest that all fitbits could simply have the setting option of only turning on bluetooth while charging, that way it would be possible to use in restricted areas, for electrosenstives and preserve battery life without in any way changing the interface!
Synching would then only happen when it is anyway close to a computer dongle or to a smartphone at the place for charging, which would be perfect for those who need the bluetooth off most of the time, as they do not need sync on the road anyway!
I understand that many people are looking for the ability to turn Bluetooth on and off, including the OP. I hope Fitbit hears that request. However, I originally commented on this thread because it was the only thread that came close to the issue that I have. Namely, that I work in one of the many workplaces where the ability to turn Bluetooth on and off is not sufficient. Simply said: Bluetooth cannot be a feature at all. Period. For those of us that work in such workplaces, it would be nice if we could at least have a Fitbit pedometer, with no Bluetooth, so we could track our steps and sync that data with the data collected when we wear a more sophisticated Fitbit model, like the Charge HR or the Surge, during our non-work hours.
I would absolutely prefer simple usb synching too, and find the bluetooth dongle and sync frustrating, yet this probably needs a very different interface and control system. If any fitbit comes with usb sync i would certainly buy that!
+1 for the ability to turn off BT when not syncing. I really only need to sync once a day, at most, and would really not have an active BT signal attached to my wrist for the rest of the day.
Pretty much planning on returning my Charge HR, which is a real shame 😞
I hope FitBit is developing some way to turn off/on Bluetooth on their devices. From the comments this is an issue for a wide variety of users. From my searches, I could not find a device that gathers all the types of information that has the ability to turn off the Bluetooth.
There is a significant portion of the market that would purchase a device because of that feature alone. Several people have posted that this is an issue with their employers/workplace. I myself cannot wear my FitBit because it is not allowed in my workplace. I know the government is not considered a small business employer. So there are financial advantages for developing this type of product. Not all development has to be more high tech. Sometimes you just need a product that people want that no one else offers.
I would like to have an option in the device (I have a Charge HR) like a tapping the button 4 times fast and disable Bluetooth. I think that can save energy and also it's good for people who want to avoid Bluetooth radiation.
Agree with Mary23: "Not all development has to be more high tech."
Plus, the term "more advanced" is relative. In this case, it is a step backwards to use Bluetooth technology that is not proven to be safe for humans 24/7. Users who want to have the ability to turn bluetooth emissions on only for syncing are actually more advanced in their thinking since they are being proactive with their health in trying to avoid harmful consequences.
Users of tobacco products were thought to be sexy, chic and hip initially. If no one had spoken out about the harmful effects of tobacco, we would have had many more pople dying of lung and other cancers. Smokers became such as nuisance to society that almost all states have banned smoking in enclosed, public places. This was unthinkable 50 years ago. Imagine if it gets to the point in the future where all bluetooth technology has to be restricted in public spaces. What if humans evolve to the point of mandating that bluetooth only be used for bare essentials such as syncing?
When infant formula first came out, it was thought to be super advanced and time saving for "modern mothers" to be able to avoid the inconveniences breastfeeding. Years later, the trend is reversing and many more mothers are nursing their infants since we now know that breastmilk is more advantageous for human brain, immune and psychological/emotional development than artificial formula. Now it is a socioeconomic status symbol to be able to breastfeed an infant longer than the typical 1-3 months.
Please Fitbit, we want bluetooth off by default, as a baseline. We want to be able to opt-in, to have a choice in how much radiation we receive, to be able to turn on bluetooth only when we want to, when we need to sync once or twice a day for a few seconds. We do not want to be forcibly opted-in to absorbing bluetooth emissions 24/7. Thank you.
I definitely, heartily support this feature of being able to switch off all wireless connectivity (Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Classic). I bought a FitBit Surge but returned it the next day when I discovered that I could only switch off Bluetooth Classic (Music control, etc) but Bluetooth LE would remain on 24 hours a day.
It is unacceptable in my opinion that a device does not have this feature. I personally am not a fan of EMF radiation (however low it may be) near my skin 24 hours a day. I would rather just turn it on briefly when I need to sync the data.
If FitBit implemented a software/hardware feature to be able to switch off all wireless connectivity, I alone know of at least 700 to 800 people, who would love to own a FitBit with such a feature.
I work in a facility that has a policy that prohibits personally owned electronic devices that have WiFi/Bluetooth capability. Without the WiFi or Bluetooth, the devices are permitted. Is there a way to turn off the transmit capability of the FitBit when: a) we are out of range of our synchronized device for a specified amount of time; b) I manually turn off the transmit capability of the FitBit from the App on the device we are synched to; or c) I set a time window - say 0800-1700 hrs Mon-Fri - when the Fitbit will not transmit? This sort of capability will help those who work in government facilities, offices that handle classified material, and those that work with sensitive electronics or around RFID sensitive devices.
Bluetooth ON/OFF toggle needs to be made avaialble for the Fitbit Surge. Based on the Surge more detialed interface and the current implementation of the Bluetooth Classic ON/OFF/PAIR toggle I assume adding or expanding to provide a general Bluetooth ON/OFF/PAIR toggle too would not be a major task.
Other trackers could be more troublesome to implement requirement button press duration or number of presses (Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Charge HR and Fitbit One) or number of taps in the case of the Fitbti Flex.
My initial focus would be on the Fitbtit Surge though as it is the premium device and should be the easiest to implement.
The first Garmin Vivofit unit has a true Bluetooth On/Off. If Fitbit can't be seen to care enough to even comment on this issue, I can't see them caring if I leave this link:
This is something that should be considered and looked into for future devices as well as future FW updates as I have learned that new employees coming on baord are being told during their orientation that Fitbit devices are NOT permitted because of the inability to disable the bluetooth and this is seen as a security risk and those of us already here these rules are slowly trickling out and being enforced, thus there will be a lot of fitbit users at other offices and facilities not able to carry and use their devices during working hours and if they are like me that is where the majority of the steps are counted. The risk is not so much the device itself but that it has bluetooth that cannot be disabled in facilities where no wireless (wifi, blutooth) is permitted. So this is something I believe needs to be seriously considered. Thank You!
I have just bought the Surge for myself and the Charge HR for my girlfriend, only to find out that we can't disable Bluetooth completely. We have found that WiFi and Bluetooth devices interfere with our sleep. There is no way that we'll be able to use these devices to track our sleep, which is a real shame as this is one of the standout features that we wanted to use them for.
We did consider sending both devices back, however, they seem to be the best on the market so we are keeping them in the hope that FitBit can add the feature to be able to disable Bluetooth completely apart from when one wants to synch.
Please FitBit, can you add the ability to disable/enable Bluetooth on demand.
Hi Rob My sentiments exactly. However, I don't think anyone at Fitbit usually reads these posts. They very *occasionally* respond to the higher "voting" threads but this thread is probably a lower priority on their radar (due to the number of votes I assume). Therefore, I would suggest that people vote up this thread in large numbers so that FitBit sit up and take notice! Thanks Ric
Thank you for the heads-up. Perhaps if we all work together we can get this request escalated. Whilst good quality sleep is important to our health of course, it's the fact that we'd be subjected to Bluetooth radiation throughout the day too. Also, it's the exploitation of security vulnerabilities in the device itself, such as this recent news topic about devices being hacked via Bluetooth: http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/21/fitbit-tracker-bluetooth-vulnerability/. If one could disable bluetooth, you minimise the risk as if it isn't active, no-one can get in, whilst you're on the bus, or the train or anywhere else in public.
Dear FitBit - please can you implement this very simple feature to disable and enabled bluetooth completely when required.
As FitBit seem to have ignored this reasonable concern of users and not allowed Bluetooth reception ON the actual device to be turned off, I for one will be immediately returning this item. As pointed out many employers, airlines etc do not allow Bluetooth use and this alone is reason enough for FitBit to allow this feature. It is their loss and a good reason to buy an alternative more user friendly device. What a disappointment for a company claiming to provide a health related product!
The best thing we can do is make other prospective buyers aware of this design issue via online reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. I suspect that Bluetooth cannot be disabled on the device because the manufacturer wants to continually monitor users via their long list of App permissions on users' Smart Phones. Live data harvested is probably resalable.
Matthew (moderator) nothing in my post implies Malware is distributed and the link you've provided is not relevant to the subject of this thread. All we want to do is disable the Bluetooth on FitBit devices until we need to synch them. Why has it been made impossible to disable Bluetooth on the device until it is needed? Why haven't FitBit responded to this request and genuine concerns by numerous users here and elsewhere? Turning Bluetooth off will put users mind at rest that they don't have continuous Mictowave RF running in immediate contact with their bodies 24/7 and it will also extend battery life. This should not be difficult to achieve via an update and synch and it will probably lead to less returns for refunds, fewer negative reviews and more sales.
@Jonnymuk My previous post was in response to the poster above you, who posted an article from earlier this year which was debunked as false. This was indicated by the @ mention which preceded it.
In regard to your question, I assure you that this request has been relayed to our team, and will be included in the future if it fits appropriately with Fitbit's development plans. Hopefully you'll take some comfort in the fact that a Fitbit tracker's power output is less than 1% of a typical cell phone, and that studies have indicated the 800MHz - 2 GHz radiation output of a Bluetooth device to be negligible. We consider our devices to be completely safe for all users.
I think you'll find a plethora of information--both academic and generated by your own customers that should give you pause before making statements that open with "hopefully you'll take some comfort in...", only to be followed by the very things we're telling you we're uncomforable with!
We are trying to tell you--loud and clear, that we do not take comfort in such assurances, and that if you do not respond to our concerns in a meanignful fashion--we will no longer be your customers. That's all.
~~
Although I wouldn't take the responses of a forum moderator to be held as corporate gospel, I think people should be waking up to the fact Fitbit has absolutely no intention of providing this feature. None at all.
Such a masterful piece of wordsmithing as MatthewFitbit has provided should be all you need as proof.
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