Add Body Fat % on Aria Air

[KathrynFitzsimm]

The Aria 2, which is now discovered tinued, offered the function of displaying % body fat. The newer model replacement the Aria Air displays BMI, which is a simple height to weight ratio. This seems like a serious technological step down. In the case of weightlifters, body fat % is a much better indicater of overall health than BMI. Please add.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @KathrynFitzsimm, and thanks for taking the time to share this suggestion about adding Body Fat % on Aria Air. We rely on feedback like yours to help us develop products and features that we know our community wants to see. If this suggestion receives votes from other customers and gains popularity, it will be shared internally with various teams at Fitbit. To learn more about how Fitbit decides which suggestions get developed, visit our FAQs.

Watch this space for status updates. In the meantime, try visiting Health & Wellness to talk with other members about all things health and fitness.

[Rich_Laue]

This would require redesigning the Aria Air to add missing hardware. 

[KathrynFitzsimm]

While I appreciate that different functions require different hardware, as it existed in a previous model, the Aria 2, it seems like a lower caliber of product to not offer it on successive models. Whereas I can understand that the feature may be unavailable in the current model, I would imoplore FitBit to either consider a revision to the current model, offer another model with BF%, or include it in successive models.

[Morgansmith]

YES THIS!!! My family bought the scale assuming it did body fat %. The Aria 2 was discontinued so we don't even have to option to buy that one instead. 

[OhRubyRed]

The Aria Air doesn’t measure body fat percentage, when both the original Aria and Aria 2 did?

That... makes very little sense. But it saves me some money making an unnecessary purchase, I guess.

[Rich_Laue]

@OhRubyRed it is also why this scale is less than half the price. 

Fitbit did not include the sensors and the needed hardware to measure this data. 

[OLEEY]

I would love this to be added to future models. Mine just arrived today and I thought it did body fat %, since the Aria 2 did, so I'm pretty disappointed to find out it doesn't. Hopefully I can still return it 😞

[Rich_Laue]

That would be nice, but this scale does not have the required hardware. 

We will have to wait for the next model. 

Asking for this is equivalent to me asking for Tesla's self driving feature on my 12 year old car. My car does not have the required hardware.

Now with many newer cars that can park them self, they have the required hardware and there is an app for your phone that will sort of add self driving. 

[luftherz]

I literally logged in just to vote for this suggestion. I have the original Aria, which up until recently worked fine, but when I moved and got a new internet connection, I sadly learned that the Arias no longer support Wi-Fi connections because they’re so outdated. So now I have a perfectly good scale that won’t sync and won’t show me all my data. 

I was just gonna buy an Air, but learned they took away the body fat % feature. Sounds like a huge step down. Please add this to new models. 

[merlinpatt]

The Aria Air is just worse overall. They removed the much more convenient option of WiFi background syncing too. It's just terrible.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Bring-back-Fitbit-scales-that-connect-via-WiFi/i...

[Rich_Laue]

@merlinpatt if you went back in time, you would see that users asked for a scale that did not need WiFi. 

Personally I Don't see a problem with having the phone nearby when I step on the scale. 

[merlinpatt]

Then the answer should have been for them to have Bluetooth and WiFi, not just one.

You may want to deal with all that hassle, but for those of us with ADHD, it makes FitBit more inaccessible. It's also just more work (as I outline in the linked post), which takes away from the convenience of a scale. I want a smart scale to act the same as my scale but with tracking benefits.

[Dreamstimer]

I owned both past models of the Aria Scale. Both had sync difficulties but eventually they worked. Replacing batteries was stressful. Then I had to upgrade my wifi to wifi6. The Aria 2 scale stopped working so I purchased my third scale. It doesn't connect to wi-fi and it doesn't show body fat. I have to keep my mobile phone with me (really?).

I bought it from Europe but it shows lb rather than kg (this is just a small thing compared to the wifi and body fat).

I can't see why the third reiteration of a product would not improve features, but instead it removes some of them. I have to return this product and will find a way to downgrade my wifi to continue to use Aria 2 for a while, hoping Fitbit will want my money someday. If not, well, there are plenty of other scale manufacturers, right?

[Rich_Laue]

@Dreamstimer the third reiteration was going after a different audience. The group of people that where asking for a cheaper scale and a scale that did not require WiFi. The Aria Air addresses both points. 

This scale also doesn't send an electrical current through the body. Some users where upset with the Aria over this. 

As for your WiFi, check your manual.. With almost every smart device*, switch, light, refridge, camera, thermostat only connecting to the. 5ghz your router may all ready have this option. 

*The only exception that I'm aware of is the Apple Watch 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone, and thanks so much for sharing this Product Feedback! While we don’t currently have plans to release this feature, we always appreciate the passion and creativity that comes out of this Community. Since we know this idea is important to many of you, we have left voting open to continue tracking interest and will post another update if anything changes. To learn more about how Fitbit decides what product feedback is developed, visit our FAQs.

We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and your input is a big part of that process. We truly thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us.