Allow the Fitbit to start "Track exercise" in the app by holding button.

[Candid_Cyclist]

For the fitbit Charge & Charge HR it could be a settings option.  If a paired phone is in range, pressing the button to start an activity could start the GPS Track Exercise feature on the app.  When you press the button again it stops the activity.

Instantly, the Charge HR has all the functionality of the Fitbit Surge as long as you run with your phone. 

Moderator edit: Added labels 

[sem404]

Hi!

I used to have another band wich works with endomondo (among others). In that band, if you press the "start" button, the mobile endomondo app automatically started tracking the exercise. You can carry your mobile on your backpack, and use the band to see your time, pace, etc; and when finished, all the data was collected.

Now using the HR I have to choose: if I want to have information about my run, I have to start the activity from the band, that tracks a "generic activity" without (real GPS) distance information, without lap times, etc. If I want to track that info, I can start MobileRun (or any other app) using the mobile app but they don't show their information in the band, so during the run I only have information about HR (not even a simple chrono, not pace, distance is tracked using simple steps...).

My idea: adding an option that allow the user to start an activity based on speed/distance (walking, running, cycling...) using the band's button. For example, you press the button, Mobilerun starts a run tracking the distance using the mobile's GPS, while you can check distance, time, etc on the screen of the band. Another option could be that, when you start a run from Mobilerun, to show time, distance, etc on the screen of the band.

It's a pity because I love the HR, but it's a pain to change to a (supposed) better gadget, losing features... Please, change that or I'll have to give away the HR and return to the old band  😞

(Apologize my english, i'm spanish :))

[Alex_Y]

that would be really good. 

Now it's a bit confusing with MobileRun and ChargeHR. It's not clear if I need to start activity on mobile and on FitBit as FitBit doesn't go to workout/activity mode. 

and if I start it twice (iPhone&band)  - there are two activities in the list after. 

Putting ChargeHR to workout mode once activity started in MobileRun  would be good.

[sem404]

Moreover, if you use MobileRun to track the run, the Charge thinks that you are walking, not running, so the stride distance is the one configured in "walk", not it "run", and as a result you've got a bad distance calculation 😕

What i do now is to track the run using both endomondo and Charge, but without linking the accounts to avoid duplicity. At least that way I have a chrono and an estimation of the distance i'm running.

We need this, pleaseee!! 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

I have a Charge HR and I always run with my phone to take advantage of the GPS and speed tracking.  It would be great if when you start the Exercise mode on the Charge HR it would automatically tell the app to start logging the workout.  Once the workout is over exiting the Exercise mode would stop tracking in the Fitbit app.  Right now I have to open the App, start tracking in the App then start the Exercise mode on my tracker.  I like having the stopwatch running on my tracker so I can easily see it without having to pull my phone out 

[Dazmapes]

Definitely agree with this. I'm always forgetting to start the app.

[Hoppy59]

Not understanding this, When I track exercise on my phone via the app I just start the App not exercise mode on my CHR when I have finished just stop the track exercise and it pulls all the data I require. No need to put CHR in exercise mode, just start the App.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi Strider 2 problems with this. 1. Starting a workout in the app doesn't turn on exercise mode on the CHR. If you want to see elapsed time you have to pull the phone out. 2.I don't want to have to touch the phone at all. I want to start the workout in my CHR and end it on my CHR. Digging my phone out and unlocking it is inconvenient when all sweaty from a run.

[WeaselSW]

Currently, when you hold the button in to start/stop/sync an activity, the dashboard or mobile app allows you to give that activity a title, but it does not recognize any entered title to a list of pre-defined activities.  Therefore, you can name the activity that the button press just recorded, but calories or any other identifier will not be assigned to that name.  If you want to actually save what you were doing, you have to manually click New Activity, assign a date, assign a start time, assign a duration, and assign the type of activity... and then, when it matches up with the same date/time that the button press recorded, the webite merges the two entries.  This is so cumbersome!

The interface should be simple!  The button press for start/stop/sync activity should be listed on the activity page (both website and mobile app), and when you start typing what you were doing, then the pre-populated list pops up and you select the activity.  You can take the suggested calories burned value, or change it to enter your own.  Click done and simple, it enters that entire activity and assigns it to your log.  No more manually entering date, time, duration, type, etc... make it streamlined, easy and effecient. 

Vote if you agree!

[Ruzica]

I agree with this one!  It would make logging activities so much easier!

[Mongozdad]

2) I would like to be able to edit the activity log entries stored by my flex.  Yes, i realize it appears to already allow this action, but the editing is too limited.  The most productive use for activity logs entries from the flex is as a placeholder for activities to be filled in later when the user has access to the web.  Case in point, when I go biking, I set an activity log with my flex.  When I get home,I would like to be able to just edit that entry into a bike entry (or a skiing entry, or kayaking, or x-c skiing, or snow-shoeing, etc.), because the time and date are correct, and those are the two things I mess up the most!  However, the system does not allow for such flexibility.   So I delete the aitomatic entry, enter the activity manually, review it to find that the date is wrong, or I have messed up am or pm again.  Then I delete and re-enter (see 1 above).  Please consider these two minor changes.

Thanks much!

[WeaselSW]

Hi Mongozdad,

Yes, that is the situation that I would like to see enhanced as well.  It's so needless to have to delete the automatic log, just to manually enter all the activity information over again, when it would be so easy to just edit the original automatic log to the type of workout you performed.  I hope others see this need as well and vote on it so fitbit makes the change.

[rsampaio]

I really wish they would pay more attention to this idea. I thought it was a given when I bought my fitbit and now am a little mad that this doesn't happen.

[paul_bitfit]

When I run I have my phone with me to track my run. What usually occurs is that I set up the mobile fitbit app to track my run, start the run, fiddle with getting the phone in my armband and then start my run. Would be a nice feature if you could set up the phone app to track your run, but not start the tracking until you hit the excercise button on the fitbit to tell the phone to start the actual tracking. 

Cheers,

Paul.

[bamitchjr]

YES!  I want to see stats from my run, not daily stats when using MobileRun!  The daily data is far less useful than the data of the workout I am currently doing!

[Ianor12]

Ok, so im ready for my run. I have my chargeHR on and my phone in my shorts back pocket. I want to track my route through Gps so I'm using my fitbit app to begin tracking. The problem is I need to press begin on my phone, verify it is started tracking and the put it in my pocket. Why can't I begin this task by pressing the button on my wrist. It should know the app is open and ready to track gps. This is even more relevant when I'm finishing. I don't want to be fumbling around looking for my phone to stop the tracking, I want to use the button on my wrist top stop the gps tracked workout.

[KeviJay]

So glad i'm not the only oner thinking this.  I'm actually surprised that there aren't more poeple looking for this option.

[madailjoao]

Long press on Charge HR = exercise log + gps track. At this time the long press just activate the training feature, but when we are close to the phone app it should start GPS recording.

[blondie85]

I run with my phone in a belt pack and I find that my run timings are inaccurate because I have to start the MobileRun session in the app before placing the phone into the belt, putting my gloves on etc.  

It would be really useful if we could set up the app ready to track the run, but then actually start the session from the button on the Fitbit when you're ready to go.  

This would of course only work for Fitbits that have that capability e.g. Charge, Charge HR, Surge etc.  For people with simpler models a delayed start function for the tracking would also be nice.

[Candid_Cyclist]

How can this idea not have more votes?  Seriously.

[BigHaole]

The Fitbit Charge HR is a good device, but I am continually amazed at how many "basic" features it seems to be missing, even if the Fitbit advertisements imply that they are there.  I find it shocking that HR data is so hidden, during exercise.  You have to physically touch the Charge HR to get it.  No option for continuous display, Quick View (wrist rotation), HR alarms, or voice cues through the app.  In fact, if you use the app to track your exercise, the app won't display HR, which it normally displays, when not tracking exercise.  

Anyway, rant over.  I've voted for your suggestion.  Anything to make the Charge HR a real exercise tool would be good!

[SilviaFitbit]

That's a great idea! This could save some time to the users because you could activate the exercise feature directly from your tracker and it will sync to the app. 

Thank you for visiting the Feature Request board . 

[HybridHayley]

I thought of this idea yesterday when I went for a run. Ideally I dont even want to touch my phone... It took me a while to get my music up then the app to start tracking then put the sodding phone back in my pocket. It was very frustrating.

It would also be ideal if you could have set up a customised default work out plan.

For example:

I run with the couch to 5k podcast in my ears so I could train with interval cues and music. 

It would be great if I could have a select playlist (music, podcasts even access to spotify?) which was controllable through your headphones (i know they have something like this with limited control) and once you press that button on your fitbit it automatically starts the GPS, Recording data and plays your music.

[JamesBird]

There's lot of us agreeing this is a good idea. It seems daft to me that my CHR is linked to my phone and shows me who's calling me when I'm running, but won't trigger the FB app. But how do we get Fitbit to sit up take notice? This thread been going long time, but they seem able to pay it no attention. Come on FB you know you want to.

[Candid_Cyclist]

Because it would cut into sales of their higher end fitbits.

[HybridHayley]

That might be true but the higher end models are to rival the smart watches. 

I bought this solely for health and fitness. I didnt want a smart watch, so to not improve on its effectiveness as a health and fitness device might loose custom rather than gain it.

Tracking health and fitness has to be painless as possible for it to keep up with the market rivals.