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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.
Matthew thank you for your response. My concern is shared with others - we are effectively pioneer users of devices which expose us to microwave RF in immediate contact with our skin 24/7. Nobody would wear a Bluetooth headset or keep a mobile phone glued to their bodies 24/7. It is unnecessary for the Bluetooth on Fitbit devices to be on permanently and hopefully it will be rectified by FitBit after repeated requests here and elsewhere over prolonged periods. Given the lack of any action from FitBit to address these concerns we have our doubts about your commitment to do this and we will be returning 3 new FitBit HR Charges tomorrow for full refunds because we are uncomfortable about 24/7 skin contact exposure to Bluetooth RF.
Hello, that would be a great option. Does unchecking "use BT" on the fitbit HR really turn off BT or just make it in a "sleep mode" or something ?
Radio Frequences emission are more and more a important concern for users / autority / medical reasearch. So FitBit must communicate and implement this option.
I'd like to turn off BT, and just turn it on few sec just for sync it with my smartphone.
Hi Pomme, unchecking Bluetooth on your Smart Phone / Laptop's FitBit App only turns off Bluetooth Synching on the App / Smartphone or Laptop - it does not stop the FitBit's Bluetooth from remaining permanently on - there's no way to disable permanent Bluetooth on a FitBit it seems despite long term requests via an App Update. For this reason I have just returned 3 new FitBit Charge HR's given as Christmas gifts and received a full refund and I'm buying 3 Garmin Vivosmart HR's (the latest single combined device unit not the previous unit with a separate HR device). The Garmin Vivosmart HR allows users to turn off Bluetooth on the device itself and also on the App until you need it synch them. Their device is also waterproof to 50m and can be used in swimming, cycling and even golf modes. A check of the user manual confirms Bluetooth can be disabled on the Garmin Vivosmart HR device and it seems many other Garmin wearables. Moreover a Google search of "Fitbit Charge HR" and "Pain" reveals countless reports of pain, rashes and EMF/EMR concerns raised by users. A similar search on "Garmin Vivosmart HR" and "Pain" reveals no user reports of any issues or concerns that I can find. Is there a connection?
@Pomme sorry, but the toggle you are referring to just stops the phone app from trying to sync, but the tracker is still fully functional with Bluetooth on and waiting to connect.
i want to buy a surge,but after i have read that BT le was forem turn on in all of the product of fitbit i decided to not buy,i want to sync my device when i want and the idea of bt constantly send and receive information and send me a lot of radiation is too bad for my opinion,i'm waiting for an update that fix it,i will pay 250 euro for that device and i must have that feature,if the developer add that i will buy the surge if not i'm watching for another device.
As a new fitbit user (received a Charge HR for Christmas), this has been my biggest issue thus far. I also work at a facility that does not allow Bluetooth in any way...not even mice or keyboards. It's disappointing that I have to leave my Charge HR in my car, not collecting steps, not collecting HR data, etc... And what's worse is that my company participates in the "Virgin Health Miles" program and I have my CHR set to sync my data up directly...so that means I either lose all my daytime steps, or I have to carry around another step counter that does not have Bluetooth...neither is very desirable.
I could easily see thousands of new fitbit users at my facility alone if this feature request were implemented. Please consider this request seriously...your bottom-line, and investors, will thank you for it later.
I agree that the Fitbit needs an on/off switch for the Bluetooth. I know this is something that's rare, but the first time I wore the Fitbit I had the worst migraine I've ever had that didn't respond to any of my medication. After almost going to the ER because it kept getting worse, I decided to see if taking the Fitbit off solved my problem, and sure enough the headache was almost immediately better after I took it off. I know some people are very sensitive to the prolonged exposure to Bluetooth. Say what you will about it being a low frequency or my migraine being caused by something else, but I just don't think it's a coincidence that Ive gotten headaches every time I use it. I love the Fitbit features, but it's not worth it to me to keep it for these reasons. I'm returning mine.
I, too, would appreciate the ability to power off BT, particularly when sleeping.
You say "power output of a Fitbit device is extremely low - less than 1% of the typical cellular phone" -- I say no one with a healthy brain should EVER keep a mobile phone radio ON next to one's bed. Also, "extremely low" is not quantifiable...
You say "We do not believe that the Bluetooth signal is capable of [...] bringing any ill effects as a result of wearing" -- I say BELIEVE! and also please consider the peace of mind of the PLACEBO EFFECT. Give me the Bluetooth switch and remove the doubt once and for all.
I happily found out that garmin vivosmart hr has bluetooth off by default and sync directly to computer via usb cable without bluetooth dongle, while charging at the same time!
Technically, ftbit should be able to do this too, since there are absolutely no need for bluetooth if the cable for charging can be the same as for synchronizing, the only difference being that the sync will happen only when you attach the cable.
This article tell that fitbit has a more stable bluetooth connection, which of course is nice for those who need it 🙂
I will test out later how many days my vivosmart hr will last between charging, right now i sync every evening, so it gets charged all the time. Beeing free from bluetooth is a must, and it being waterproof is really useful too, so it seems i will use the vivosmart hr from now on, will be missing the nice fitbit forums though....
(the vivosmart hr is completely different from the old vivosmart, the naming is a bit confusing)
Just posting to agree that the ability to turn off Bluetooth functionality is crucial. I get that Bluetooth always-on is convenient, but since it's banned in my workplace I will be forced to retire my Charge lest I lose my job, simply because I cannot disable Bluetooth connectivity. Other fitness trackers have this feature available, so hopefully FitBit will jump on this idea, stat.
Turning it on or off by way of connecting to your PC with the FitBit cable to change the setting via your dashboard would be a relatively simple and easy to understand fix for those who need this functionality. Hopefully you can implement it ASAP. I'd rather stick with the tracking system I know and like, but if I have to replace my tracker entirely in order to be able to continue to wear one, then so be it.
Please add a feature to turn off bluetooth so that users can control this feature when they need to have it off or when they are not wanting to sync. It is definitely not required at all times and having it on 24/7 is completely not necessary. I am planning to return my watch if I cannot figure out a way to disable it. It just is not worth the potential risk that it could be causing.
I've turned back my fitbit HR and never come back to fitbit again. They don't care their customers.
I confirm also that the vivosmart HR is a better choice. I bought it last week and it makes me very happy. It has the same features, plus it is smarter, sharper, more confortable, it is 5 atm waterproof (50 meters under water) and ... The BT IS OFF BY DEFAULT. it has to be switched on to sync. If you don't want to switch it on you can sync with you computer with a cable.
Garmin is the best choice i did ! Thank you all. I've learned all This here on This community.
Couldn't agree with you more. Share your view via online reviews elsewhere as it'll prevent people being saddled with a device that exposes them and theirs to 24/7 Bluetooth. Perhaps ultimately Fitbit may listen but I suspect they want 24/7 Bluetooth for a reason - live data harvesting perhaps?
Sync's may be 15 minutes or 5 minutes, doesn't do any good to me. What it does is drains my battery! I charged Fitbit Charge HR yesterday and it is already half today, in one day. Guess what, I don't have my dongle connected. I don't have my iPhone's bluetooth ON nor do I have dongle around me, but it may be 10 Feet any where. I am on 6th floor and the floor below me may have dongle connected and it auto sync's wow (sarcasm). It is just ridiculous !!
Also, when I discussed with Fitbit agent, they asked me to turn OFF all day sync, Call Notification, Quick View OFF, no custom greetings or alarm (bascially not to turn any feature other than it is suppose to do). I don't mind even that as long as it doesn't sync every 15 minutes with some dongle in 10 feet around me. It is ridiculous, first don't use the features still it drains.
Fitbit has agreed to replace my Fitbit but I have to send them this first, wait for the ground delivery so they have it and then they will send me new one.
If I wanted to charge my wearable technology everyday I would have bought Apple Watch, the reason I didn't buy is it needs to be charged almost everyday.
I love Fitbit but this is just not a feature helping anyone in anyway!!
As a security researcher, that fitbit bluetooth beacon is great for tracking peoples locations. Fitbit should really have the option to turn off bluetooth until your ready for a sync.
No way to turn off Bluetooth was the sole reason why I stopped using my FitBit Charge. I loved using it; however, I do not want the Bluetooth turned on when I am holding my young children. I limit the use of my cellphone around them as well...I know there is ER everywhere, but anything I can do to reduce their exposure can't hurt. Also, there is no need for the Bluetooth to be on when I am not syncing (and improved battery life would result, too).
When FitBit provides a software/firmware update or releases a new version/product that has an on/off capability for Bluetooth I will start wearing one again.
Please create a tracker where we have the option to turn off bluetooth. I simply don't want to have a bluetooth device attached to my body 24/7. I recently bought a competitor's brand that allows this as I'm not going to use my Fitbit anymore because of this. I would become a Fitbit user again in a heartbeat if I could turn off all bluetooth on my device and turn it on only when I wanted to sync.
Hi, @Jen2004 , you might want to add your vote to this feature request . It works best if there is one request with lots of votes than duplicate requests with only a few.
I think it's important that we (the few) who are now aware Bluetooth cannot be switched off make prospective buyers aware of what they are lumbered with and expected to tolerate when they buy a FitBit device. This forum is private and our concerns are apparently ignored by FitBit. The only place we can share this information with others is via negative 1 Star online reviews elsewhere - then perhaps FitBit might worry about lost market share. They don't seem in the least bit worried about the genuine concerns of their existing customers who have already bought their devices and lined their pockets.
Like many others, I cannot have Bluetooth on in my workplace. It's a more common issue than one would think. Then you add all of the people who are apprehensive about the radiation, and there are even more people who agree with this. Unfortunately, in order to vote, a person has to have a fitbit account. I'm guessing there would be more votes because many people researching this would have no reasons to have an account. I have one because I have a Fitbit One that I no longer use because of the inability to turn off Bluetooth at work. It is useless if I can't track for 9+ hours a day.
What I find disappointing is that this issue has been being talked about for quite some time now, and Fitbit continues to release new models without the option of turning off Bluetooth. That makes me think that it's something that they just don't care about and/or don't plan on implementing. If it can be done on other activity trackers that are very similar (Garmin Vivos), I have a hard time believing it is that difficult. I would just buy the Garmin, but I like the sleekness of the Fitbit better, and the app/website is better for the Fitbit. I keep holding out for a device, but as two new styles are coming out in March, I am beginning to lose hope and feel that I'll have to settle for a Garmin. Please don't make me settle! I would love to be able to purchase the new Alta and turn the Bluetooh off/on!
I am so happy to use the bluetoothfree Garmin Vivosmart HR, comes with a nice simple USB cable to sync to mac/pc and charge at the same time. It is slightly bigger than the fitbit, but works very nicely with its regular wristband and feels very good to wear.
Missing some Fitbit features, yet love the vertical display and activity alerts, and i can live with the 5 day battery life - stairs are a bit weird, since atmospheric pressure change can add to that, and you need a certain amount of stairs for it to register. The heartbeat sensor is amazing and have already taught med to get more serious workout and run.
Have started to tell my friends so I can get more people to share with 🙂
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