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I think you should be able to sync with your phone and then upload data at a later date. Let us store data locally so that an internet connection is not required to see current stats.
You all beat me to responding to the @Heatholi post. I agree with everything you said. It's not wizardry. We don't live at Hogwarts. It's plain programming. And the choice of FitBit to not let us have access to our data without a data/internet connection. I'm glad you are getting something out of your FitBit @Heatholi. You must not hike out of range of your data, change time zones or vacation unplugged. Then the FitBit is perfect for you. Enjoy. For anyone else I recommend the Gear Fit2...the 3 is coming out soon.
I have been researching the Gear Fit2 offerings and will be going to look at one today. It seems fully capable of standalone operation, even has built in music storage and player so won't need my old iPod with the weak battery. Anyway; wish you all well, if things progress as planned I'll be off FitBit by the end of the week.
As a fitness professional who teaches public, corporate and private classes, I don't use my Fitbit anymore. I also discourage anyone who asks from buying one. The device costs enough that sharing my sleep, diet, exercise and Geo info with the Fitbit company should be optional.
It's a SW issue - not HW. Are you suggesting we should not make demands as the end consumer for getting the most out of our money? Do you think it's better we sit quietly and not provide feedback to FitBit? If your meal is terrible at a restaurant, do you say something to make it better the next time, or do you just never go back? What do you think the restaurant would prefer - what do you think FitBit wants? They need this feedback!
Just adding my voice to the discussion: I'd definitely like to see an option for offline sync, in addition to the cloud version. It makes no sense to me that my phone and my Fitbit are a metre apart and can't communicate unless I'm connected to the internet. It's a constant minor nuisance when on subways, while travelling, and so on ... Even just having a *temporary* offline sync would help: let the app see the stats just through Bluetooth, then update them to the cloud once the device is back online, later.
I agree, this lack of offline access to data that *must* be passing through the phone is silly, and I like the suggestion of at least detaining it for a while during periods when network access is unavailable. It's maddening that people have been asking for this for years with no result.
Completely agreed - I've been using a FitBit for a couple years and used to be able to check my progress offline while camping/backpacking. Now, I can only sync with my mobile device when I have a signal or wifi. Completely eliminates the utility of the mobile device other than a conduit from the tracker to Fitbit servers. This completely alienates a HUGE segment of your community, backpackers, hikers, vacationers. PLEASE return the ability to sync offline to the mobile device and have the device sync with the remote servers later. I was shopping for an upgrade to my old flex and am now looking at competitors for this reason.
Adding my voice to the conversation. Just came back from a multi day backpacking trip and am supremely frustrated I couldn't update to my phone while out of range. I had NO IDEA what I had accomplished until I returned home. Definitely a huge FAIL to not support the outdoors community. My next unit will not be a fitbit, and I will advise the youth in the outdoors program I lead (hiking, camping, orienteering) to stay away from this device/brand as it does not support our needs.
I work in a location where I may not have internet connection for months at a time. I would like to have the option of storing and looking at Fitbit data on a local device that can then be synced when I get intermittent internet access (every few months)
I was directed to this forum by Fitbit support when I asked why I had no saved activity during a wilderness backpack trip so I could "add my vote for this feature."
I've not yet heard any positive response so I can only assume they are not working on resolving this deficiency.
I'm now looking to replace my charge 2 with a tracker that works simply to my cell locally and doesn't need internet every day.
Tim, I got the same response... "please post to the forum and vote for features." They suggested I post to a thread and share my ideas with developers. I pointed out that the idea was originally posted 2 years ago and has nearly 1200 likes, which shows a lack of interest on the part of FitBit in delivering this feature. They simply responded, "we can't confirm every idea is going to be implemented.. developers consult regularly...moderators are doing their best to collate the features customers want, etc." Based on the interest and length of time this has been posted, I suspect management is not prioritizing the functionality customers want, but rather looking for new cool ideas to develop. This is basic and not "cool" so I would be surprised if it gets done without someone higher up realizing they dropped the ball here. I let them know my next device will support offline sync, and it's up to them if I buy another fitbit or a competitor. I suggest others do the same.
As stated in many of the posts, Fit Bit does not seem to want to address this issue. There are many likely reasons, control of the data being the most likely in my opinion. Be that as it may My Fit bit Blaze is nearing the end of its life (cracked the face glass) so as one post mentioned it will be up to Fit Bit if I buy another one. By the look of the lack of response from them on this MAJOR issue it don't look like it will be a Fit Bit.
I have a bad heart, i use my charge 2 to record activity and heart behavior. Unfortunately, when I'm at the hospital, i cannot update my fitbit or show the current data to my doctor as, when in the hospital, i dont have internet access. Unless this dependence on the internet for all data updates etc., is resolved, i may have to look for an alternate brand of health/fitness watch - sad, i like my charge 2, otherwise.
Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this suggestion. There aren't currently plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released here in our FAQs. 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.
Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this suggestion. There aren't currently plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released here in our FAQs. 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."
Once again, Fitbit demonstrates its contempt for its customers. These feature suggestion forums are a total waste of bandwidth.
I am opening this feature suggestion after being informed that the feature suggestion "Allow Offline syncing / Store data locally" has now been marked as "not currently planned" and closed to replies. The context of this feature was:
Currently to sync data from a Fitbit to your phone the data must go from the Fitbit to the phone, then to the Fitbit cloud servers, then back to the phone. This requires an internet connection. If no internet connection is present then the Fitbit phone app will refuse to sync with the watch (even though the connection is over Bluetooth - so does not need an internet connection). This has the following implications:
- The user can no longer see and use their data. If there is no internet connection for an extended period of time then the data is lost (travelling with no network coverage/WiFi, armed forces on deployment, in hospital, there are many occasions when this is possible).
- The lack of sync'ing with the phone app means a pre-configured Fitbit alarm clock cannot be changed. The alarm will continue to activate at the predefined schedule until the battery runs out.
Given Fitbit have closed the previous feature suggestion to responses I have the following to say in response to their message (please refer to the Allow Offline syncing / Store data locally feature suggestion for the many responses from disappointed users and the poor final response from Fitbit):
This is a disgraceful response from Fitbit. People have paid hard earned money for their products only for a drone-like scripted response to be given informing the community that, despite thousands of votes, this will not be looked into further. The real reason for that is because the reliance on the Fitbit server side data locks us in to their platform and therefore keeps the cash flowing in. They will also inevitably monetise the data and sell it on. I will be telling every friend and colleague I know not to buy a Fitbit due to the company's poor approach to customer service and the poor quality of the products (my Wife has had 2 replacements and mine is falling apart after less than a year).
I don't usually have access to internet when I'm outside away from my home wifi. I really would like to be able to have my Ionic sync with my phone without the need for the data to immediately go check in with the internet servers. Such as say, when at the gym or out for a run.
I do travel a lot with my Fitbit Blaze (before I had a Fitbit Surge). The Problem I have is, when I arrive in another time zone, it takes up to 24 hours till I find an on-line connection for data. But I have immediate syncing of my mobile device local time via the Telephone System. So my Mobile Phone shows the correct time, while my Fitbit Blaze is not updating ... because in that place I have to find an Internet Data connection till that can be done. So the Fitbit Blaze is most of the travel a useless device for being a Watch, same for Events Notifications from my Mobile Device. Nothing works basically without on-line connection. And at most airports, during a few hours stop-over or at arrival places, it is not possible to get an Internet On-Line connections - however the mobile phone adjusts upon turning it on.
At a minimum, the TIMEof a Fitbit should be able to sync off-line with a mobile device to which I sync with my Bluetooth.
The Notifications from the mobile device to be active off-line is a help, but not as important as the TIME.
I have not done any "tests" on that, but as the telephone part, the clock and calendar are still active and up-to-date even if the phone is off-line, I'd suppose that any calendar or call notifications would still be sent to the phone, even if it is with no active data line. Why would a communication between the phone and the fitbit device require an Internet connection? Because fitbit wants to know where their users are at any given time?
Most disturbing I find to arrive at an airport, seeing that my telephone connected to the local network and updated to the correct local time, but my FitBit device turns a useless piece as far as a "watch" is concerned. I was even already on multiple day travels to various countries (I live in ASEAN) and had all the trip never a right time on my fitbit. This is when an otherwise useful device turns into a nuisance. I am also not really keen to pay for "data roaming fees" just to entertain the fitbit device. Therefore, the fitbit should sync time just with Bluetooth on.
Sorry Rich_Laue, but I am not sure what phone you use. At least my phone has 3 ways to communicate with the world. One is the Telephone Network, one is the WiFi, one is the Bluetooth.
What FitBit requires to Sync is any of these three with an on-line connection to the Internet and Bluetooth to connect and sync.
My subject is talking about, that the Fitbit should be able to Sync with the Mobile Device with Bluetooth, without the requirement of an on-line Internet connection - for updating time and sending Notifications from the Phone to the Fitbit.
I am certain that the specialists at Fitbit precisely understand what I mean
Same issue. Had travelled into India without Internet. Extremely inconvenient to convert manually home time to the local time with additional half hour offset. Looks like you have a toy instead of watch. At the same time any smartphone can be easily automatically synchronized through local cellular base stations even without Internet.
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