Add more exercise options to Mobile Run

[godzilla_rising]

Gday,

I'm sure that this has been covered before (no doubt a multitude of times) however I believe that there are some improvements that can be made to the track exercise function.

Presently, we are only able to manually select from three options - Walk, Run and Hike. Auto detect options include Outdoor Cycling and Elliptical Trainer just to name a few.

It would be good if we could at least manually select those same options that are "auto detected" in order to better represent activities that are actually carried out. Instead, I am currently "running" sub 2 minute kilometres of the track exercise is to be believed for what it's recording.

I am sure later on down the track more options can be added, but the addition of a Road Cycle or Mountain Bike option I think would be a good starting point.

Cheers!!!

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Stubeywoobey]

I bought my Fitbit Charge HR so I can track my HR when I run or cycle. It's so annoying that I can't get it to track a ride- that's crazy!!!

[MarkLaViolette]

I would like to see the addition of dog walks, cycling, carrying wood as well. Many people these days are walking their dogs as a form of exercise, cycling in some form and burning wood for heat. Carrying wood is a type of cardio and strength building and would be nice to see these all added.

[Waterbombs16]

Hi everyone! I noticed that live tracking your excersise (fitbit flex and Samsung s6) you can only choose walk, run, or hike. I would like to see them add an option to track your biking. That way, instead of needing a 3rd party app such as Mapmyride to track your ride, you could do it within one app. Hope to see this added In the near future.

[HeydyF]

Hi there! This idea sounds pretty cool! I agree with the idea of having different exercises on the "Track exercise" option on the Fitbit app. Maybe it could be added soon. 

Keep sharing your ideas! 

[Lanfear333]

I would like the ability to live track other workouts besides walk, run and hike. I like to trail skate and would like to be able to track splits and gps distance in Fitbit instead of having to use another app, and then manually log the workout into Fitbit.

[Powerofone4]

Instead of just haveing 3 options, Run,Walk and hike. We should be able to personalise or have a option to choose more than just the top three, I mean come on no option for biking but you have Hiking??, At the very least make the option to easly change the exercise.

[himanshusuri]

I would also request to add tracking for activities like Yoga - that involves breathing exercises and some stagnant exercises (which however are strenuous).

[godzilla_rising]

Fitbit team,

I can well and truly say that you guys are now lagging behind everyone else when it comes to this particular feature, and to be honest...is very much disappointing!

Every other health watch company gives you the option to choose from a multitude of different exercises/activities to be able to track, yet here we are still only having the ability to choose from 3 options. 

[jblilbear95]

I agree with all the comments. Not all fitness activities are on foot. When I use the bike mode for my watch, I receive no cues, (well any activity for that matter) so I have to keep checking or just hope I got what I wanted when I complete my activity. 

[bahhumbug]

For my bike rides I currently Track them as Hikes and leave it at that (the map tells me if it was a Hike or a Bike ride) but it would be nice to be able to Search after the fact and change the Category to any number of other items (like in 'exercise mode').

(Earlier this year I used 'exercise mode' to record an outing and was able to update the Category at the end to what it was: Snowshoeing. Would have been nice to have a Tracked map of the route and still update the category.)

When I do 'road work' on my feet - it is not a Run, so I Track my walk/jogs as a Walk and later  update them to a new Category I've seen showing up: Interval Workout. (Again, being able to Search for other names to label my Tracked outings would be nice but even 'jog' is not an option in the current Search.)

[Ram_Shear]

I see this was last reviewed by a moderator nearly a year ago and still has not been update - most notably, no option to track a bicycle ride.   Seems like cycling is really the next big gap in functionality and you would think FitBit would be all over this by now.

[Lanfear333]

I love trail skating (quads, not blades). While I can run a 10 minute mile, I can skate a 6 minute mile. I don't want it to mess with my run stats. This was originally my post, and it's still frustrating that if I want to use my GPS, I have to use walk or hike. Even a cycling option would be better as there are wheels involved at least.

[SantiR]

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this suggestion. We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and we appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. We do not currently have plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released in our FAQs located at the top right box of the Feature Suggestions Board screen. For now, we will leave this suggestion open for votes (and closed to comments) so that we can continue to track community demand over time. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and we will let you know if anything changes.

[LMenefee]

Currently, when beginning to track an exercise from the Fitbit mobile app, you can only select from run, walk, or hike. I suggest adding at least biking to these options, as the Charge 4 can track this and many other activities from the device itself. It does not make sense that the device has this feature while the app does not.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject and updated label

[LMenefee]

In addition, this would allow bikers to still have audio cues for time and mileage.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @LMenefee. Thanks for explaining why you'd like to have more exercise options when using MobileRun with us. 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.

[Deb0703]

I agree that it would be really helpful to have the option of adding or changing the three drop down options as suggested by @LMenefee 

I never go on a run,  but use my bike frequently,  so I would prefer this to be one of the drop down options. I have spent hours trying to change the drop down options.  Maybe you could say in your instructions that these cannot be changed,  as it would help everyone else.  Or better still,  give us instructions for enabling us to change the three options on the drop down.  What I am really trying to do is use the map tracking option when I go out on my bike,  so I can see later where I've been.  At the moment I have to say I'm going for a walk or run to get it to track correctly in the map. I do hope you can fix this!  Thank you. 

[Victamon]

I am aghast at the dearth of workout-type options availed from within the mobile app (my OS being Android) sans smartwatch. The default ones evidently are 'Run', 'Walk', and 'Hike'. Is there truly no way to commence geolocational recording of an activity of any of the dozen-plus other types, without a connected pedometer-tracker?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[JohnnyRow]

Aghast, I say, I am aghast, filled with horror and shock, that Fitbit is not providing all the same options to those who have not bought a Fitbit tracker as to those who have bought one.  It is almost as if they are trying to make money.

[Victamon]

@JohnnyRow They could perhaps offer a premium version of the app. And even if not, what I'm suggesting is not really at odds with their making profit. Do you really think that many people that don't own and don't plan on purchasing a Fitbit watch would bother with the Fitbit app? Wel conceivably, I suppose so if it offered a bunch of useful stuff for free, but that's not what thus is about---there are surely plenty of other free pedometerless options. The point of adding modes like Bicyxle, Swim, et al. to the Mobile App is to make it more consistent and whole with functionality of the watches, which cab die or malfunction or cetera.

[Victamon]

I’m not suggesting that the free app necessarily should allow recording start/stop of each and every distinct type of activity presently recognized by the Fitbit system; but it ought to offer at least most if not all of the common locomotive options—in particular, besides the three already enabled, Bicycle is notably missing, as is Swim (although I don't reckon that most persons would take smartphone on a swim), and probably another ambulatory or mis c-catchall mode or two.

In addition to ‘Bicycle’ or ‘Bike’ mode for the watches and app, (this now deviates to disparate although-related suggestion)︓ it would be nice to be able to partition said mode into at least two sub-types, such as Road-bicycling and Mountain-biking, at least from main site if not the app without or even with smartwatch-syncage; i.e. extra useful could this be if selectable and modifiable from desktop- or mobile- (as opposed to streamlined mobile app-) version of one's Fitbit account, perhaps even with customization for the sub-types to re-title its category (e.g. from, say, “Bike” and “Bike” to «everyday bic» and «BMXing»).  In similar vein, it would be nice to be able to alter, but without outright deleting, previous exercise recordings: specifically, ability to modify past categorizations (e.g. in my case from many but not all of ‘Hike’s to ‘Bike’, ‘push_Lawn-mow’, etcetera; some ‹Walk› parambulations to ‹‘Walk’﹕dog-walk› , ‹‘Walk’﹕jogful› , ‹‘Walk’﹕other basic/default/common›.  Isn't Google backing the data now? Surely they can afford to manage some customizability if not limited expansion of classicications. Ability to add a brief descriptive note to ane individual saved past workout activity would, in a similar and compounding way, supremely also be helpful.

Moderator Edit: Formatting

[JohnnyRow]

Actually my understanding is that most are misled by all the exercise options, and it really doesn't matter what you choose; it's really just to stick a different label on the historic workout record for your convenience, and maybe in a few cases to show slightly different stats while being recorded.

Historically I think these were the first options before the fitbit devices had any input on the devices themselves (i.e. just pedometers); then as the hardware became more robust, the part of tracking from phone was basically just left there as was, not developed more, but also not removed so it could still be used without the hardware.  Not sure relevant to this discussion but I think that's how it happened.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Victamon, thanks for taking the time to share this suggestion about adding more exercises to the MobileRun function on the Fitbit app. Your feedback is truly appreciated and because this idea was already requested in the Feature Suggestions board, I’ve moved your post here. This will help us to make sure the suggestions don't get confused, or split a popular vote. Please don't forget to click on the thumbs-up to show your support.

[Victamon]

@LizzyFitbit Thankyou!, and sorry for overlooking @LMenefee's excellent suggestion (which i did promptly up-vote, prior even to noricing your comment for me) I mistakenly duplicated two years later, that should be simple & advantageous enough to implement into the mobile apps