Add Airplane mode to Versa series

[Ionic]

I recommend adding an airplane mode to the first firmware update.

I have seen several posts wondering about turning off bluetooth or WiFi on the new Ionic.  Several people have stated an interest based on small amounts of radiation, others have considered FAA regulations for devices.  This feature would also benefit people who work in government, tech, and security industries who work in places where transmitting devices of any kind are not allowed.  I am interested because being able to control how often my device transmits and whether or not it is able to sync provides me the ability to extend battery life because I don't always want a smart watch. Sometimes I just want a pedometer, but I don't want to switch between two different devices.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject and updated label

[Rich_Laue]

I think you might want to turn the watch completely off, since any time there is electricity flowing .there is radiation. 

My neighbor can point his ham radio antenna towards my tv and trlltyou what I'm watching. He simply is listening to the radiation from a device that is over 100 feet away. 

[fitpal3]

Don't hold your breath, I can find posts dating all the way back to 2013 asking for this and Fitbit just doesn't care about health minded (how ironic) So I went back to Garmin, especially because they fixed all of the active hr bugs and now it is a very nice device.

PS. TO: "smart people" please stop replying with: "Turn off your device", "This is radiation is not harmful" These are not constructive posts, so #1 look up a TED talk (titled: Wireless wake-up call | Jeromy Johnson | TEDxBerkeley) about wifi/Bluetooth/cell radiation there is enough conclusive prove by now that this radiation (which is btw the same freq as your microwave 2.5GHz) is dangerous for humans. #2 mark my words just like tobacco in 10-20 years this will all come out into mainstream media.

[wowcrafter]

I have decided to take my Ionic back and buy something that has what I want, like airplane mode etc.  Only way to make them change this issue is to hurt them in the pocket book. Good Luck All

[Rich_Laue]

@Szuja location services are found in the phone settings. Swipe down and tap to turn of location. 

The ionic only turns on its GPS when the user requests it to be turned on 

[steveb944]

Pretty self explanatory. Wear OS has it, I think it's useful for Versa.

Feature would turn off all radios in order to extend battery life or give us a non-smart use option when we don't need all the syncing.

[LanuzaFitbit]

It's always great to see the different ideas our users have. Thanks for posting @steveb944.

Let's see what other users have to say.

[omidontop]

This is a must-have feature!! How come it's missing?? It is not only important when you're on-board a plane, but a lot of people have EMF emission concerns which can be addressed by allowing them to turn on the airplane mode. I personally have the same concern and have stopped wearing the watch during the night as it is too close to my head and while sleep tracking is great, it's not worth developing a tumor. It is quite unnecessary that the watch would be attempting to sync itself while I'm sleeping. One great feature that can be added on top of that is allowing the user to create a schedule for the airplane mode turning it off during the night and have it on during the day. Please take this feature seriously.

[Xctual]

I also want it to be a little clearer to the moderators and others; the Fitbit trackers are actively sending out wireless signals constantly. It does not matter if you turn off this option on the app nor does turning off bluetooth classic actually completely turn off Bluetooth LE. An "Airplane mode" feature would be amazing and would be an easy solution to fully stop all wireless transmissions. Whenever someone wants to sync their device after work or any situation where they had to turn on airplane mode, they could just turn it off and Bluetooth LE would kick in again to allow syncing. The ability to completely turn off bluetooth for the device itself using a toggle or a new airplane mode is a highly requested feature that the developers seem to constantly be overlooking. A toggle for completely turning off and on bluetooth and/or an Airplane mode would allow numerous users to bring their devices to work and for the people who fight for our country to not get written up for detected wireless transmissions. This needs to be implemented if I'm to continue using my Fitbit as well.

[Rich_Laue]

@Xctual every electronic device is sending out EMF signals, no radio is needed. No BTLE would not just kick in but would need to be manually turned on through the tracker .

If the BTLE was off and not listening then requesting a sync through the phone would never be heard. In any case we need more than the few dozen votes we currently have. 

[Xctual]

@Rich_Laue

I think you misundersood. Manually turning on/off Bluetooth on the device itself wouldn't be a problem for most of us who tinker with our settings and actually have to care about whether or our device is emitting Bluetooth LE. Also, I understand that it wouldn't kick in by itself and that the user would have to turn syncing on himself by turning on bluetooth. A feature like this seems so simple. But yes, you're definitely right about more votes.

[Gilik83]

@Rich_Laue i really don't understand your point. EVERY other sportwatch/activity tracker has the option to turn Bluetooth on and off. Of course this is manually. Garmin, Polar, Samsung... I think it must be something of a company decision not to do that. But i am confused about why. This doesnt seem to be a difficult one so why not add the option. If you look through the entire forum there are a lot of people asking it. Not to mention the people who don't find their way to the forums. Is it just being holding on to a company vision or something else. People are asking for this since almost the first fitbit and yet fitbit keeps bringing out new products without this option. Really would like to know why? 

[PipWasHere]

Please stop confusing electronic emissions with transceiver signals. Everything with a battery and electronic components will radiate. If you enter an area where there should be zero emissions, then you should not be wearing any electronic watch. The key issue raised here is the lack of the ability to manually turn off the radios, Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi, to avoid, in my case, violating safety and security protocols in proscribed areas. It is not just about turning off broadcasting; the radios should be off for reception, too, to prevent attempts to handshake and the exchange of information. Turning off the radios completely would, I assume, also extend the battery life in areas with limited or no reception.

[Rich_Laue]

My point was simply thstthaving the option to turn off the Bluetooth would add extra steps when one wants to sync .

[Xctual]

@Rich_Laue

Yeah, that's a given. But it could be on by default, and the users who need to turn it off would be able to just switch it like they would for heartrate, notifications, etc. It's all about votes for now, though.

[FuzzBuzz]

please add this... probably fairly easy to use implement as well

(What about the bottom right buttons long press? I'd like that)

[beermatt]

Just want to add another vote for this, there are several valid reasons for wanting an airplane mode or similar (to be able to manually disable/enable WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS, for reasons described many times above, no need to repeat), most other smart watches seem to have the feature, people that would want/benefit from the feature would understand that while in airplane mode sync will not work (so non-issue); I'd appreciate this being added 👍

[SunsetRunner]

i am also voting for this. Like on all smartwatches, i should be able to decide which radio (WiFi/Bluetooth) leave active or not, or to disable them both with Airplane Mode. Please bring this feature to life.

[Roger1948]

It would be very handy to be able yo use this Fitbit when flying and at my destination

[JonathanNumber1]

I had the same question and Fitbit reached out to me and they advised that currently they do not have an option to turn off the bluetooth on their devices. So, Yes, we are getting the continues exposure to the bluetooth frequency on your hand. At this point Fitbit will not do anything to correct this issue. They seem to think people don't care for it. Anyways, I discovered that Samsung Gear Fit 2 has the option to turn off the bluetooth, the Wi-Fi and the GPS. I have made the switch and I am really happy with it. Samsungs Health page is bit different and it takes a moment to get used to it, but since I have better understanding how it works I like it even better then Fitbit.

I think fitbit is going in the wrong direction and people are going away from Fitbit to companies like Garmin, Samsung and the like.

I love my Samsung Gear Fit 2!!!

[Rich_Laue]

Bluetooth is the least of your problems, any type of device that has electricity flowing through it gives of radiation .From those earbuds that shoot radiation straight into your brain to the phone even when on airplane mode. Even the FM radio will give off a radio frequency that can be picked up by another FM radio that is nearby. 

[JonathanNumber1]

Awesome, Thank you, however I still don't want to add more radiation. Not to mention that the policy at my work does require not to wear bluetooth or wifi enable devices (yes, we can't have cellphones inside). This is company policy.

[HQuick60]

For several reasons i want this too. I dont want any radiation when iam sleeping. In my opinion it is also a complete waste of resources.I use the alarm clock of the watch to wake me up. For this to work the watch needs no bluetooth, wifi or any connection to the internet.

[Rich_Laue]

The WiFi is only turned on while the tracker is charging .And the Bluetooth most of the time is only listening, not talking. Ie transmitting. Turn off all day sync or the phones Bluetooth and the phone won't ping it .

[Szuja]

I want to save every bi of battery life I can. I don’t want to turn off my phone’s blue tooth because I use it for a wrath of other devices. I don’t want to have to go in and change my sync setup constantly. I simply want an airplane mode by pushing a button on the screen. That would be perfect! If I want a short battery life I can always buy an apple.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[Rich_Laue]

With reviews claiming 4-5 days the versa lasts a few more hours than apples barely 20.