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I lost my Fitbit at the airport in Toronto. I know there is no way I am ever getting it back. I would like the ability to brick a lost device so no one is incentivized to keep a lost or stolen Fitbit.
This request is from 2014 and I can not believe that in 5 years this has not been done yet. Is there any security focus? Especially as your newer devices get “smarter”. You should get this into the next sprint. No excuses that it isn’t already there! It should be easy enough to implement 😩
@Jack323 You play devil's advocate but then turn around and provide a perfectly good, simple solution to the problems you raise. Of course it would work that way--you disconnect the device, it's now unpaired and can be connected to any other account. The same system Apple uses.
As for giving out information--it wouldn't be to random people on the phone. You would of course have to show ownership of the account.
I found this thread because Saturday I dropped my FitBit on a mountaintop. (My mistake, I took it off to apply sunscreen.) I actually have some hope of finding it because it's still connected to my account, it's possible whoever has it is wondering how to return it. (It synced Sunday morning and that means someone brought it down off the mountain as there's no cell service up there.)
Fitbit DOESN'T sync using the phone network. It syncs via Bluetooth. If yours synced after you 'lost' it, that means it's somewhere in your pockets/luggage right where you are.
Yeah, I know it only syncs through bluetooth--but does it have to be **my** bluetooth? Because my phone should recognize it, yet when I bring my phone to where my gear is (including all the clothing I was wearing) my phone doesn't connect.
Yes, it can only sync via your own phone's Bluetooth. That's the only phone it's paired to and remember that when you pair, there is a code used. If it sync with someone else's phone, that will NOT show in your phone. Never. Your phone isn't connecting because the battery on the Fitbit probably already ran out!
So, supposedly support told me that they “marked my fitbit as lost and no one else could use it”. I would prefer to see that in the UI and prefer to be able to mark it myself. The suggestions in this thread are all very good. I don’t understand why 5 years after the first post nothing has been done
By Fitbits own admission they will knowingly allow someone else to re-pair and add your stolen/lost device to their account. They are able to track your serial number within their system. Why won't they allow you to declare it lost/stolen and notify you when someone else attempts to register your device. Why won't they allow you to notify the other party who is in possession of your device with a message?
I feel like this is a basic service that should be offered. If Fitbit values your business and customer service they would, however they seem to be greedy and will happily provide no service in attempting to recover lost/stolen property.
I commented a lot about user privacy on these forums, but this is such an easy fix.
Just maintain a list of the trackers similar to how law enforcement does with cell phones, but in Fitbits defense it should be up to the user to report it immediately in order to prevent any issues. No reason it should take you 3 days to report it missing and if it does than the other user registered prior your out of luck.
I'm sure fitbit is thinking oh they'll just go out and by another tracker.
Hi @RAH1111! Great suggestion, thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similarrequest. Post a comment or click on the thumbs-up to show your support.
@YojanaFitbit This is hilarious. The community has been suggesting / requesting these types of features for 5 YEARS!! Clearly Fitbit is NOT listening to their customers requests ... this is reflected in the stock price once being around $50 / USD in 2015 to today's value around $7 (which has only increased from $4 when Google purchased them). Hopefully we'll some some real action now with Google ...
@AllCdnBoy You have to watch out for fitbit they sugar coat this forum like we are playing a game of Candyland when in reality its more like the game of Life.
Its apparently an issue when you post in caps and use multiple symbols in a row like ! or ?. Great post though, i just don't want to see it taken down.
I mean with no checks in place there is the potential for these lost or stolen fitbits to end up on ebay as a preowned tracker.
I can't say i heard of someone being robbed or mugged for a fitbit, but since stealing a phone these days is relatively useless, it might draw some attention to fitbit users if they can be easily flipped on ebay. In that sense it could be a stretch, but implementing this feature could help save a life.
Just think put the checks in place like with the cell phones would have the same effect as the blinking light for a car alarm, or those signs in the front yard of a house with an alarms. Granted there are those that think they can beat the alarms or dodge the cameras, but knowing that the tracker can't be used is going to have a deterring effect on some.
Bricking is unnecessary and a waste. Fitbit simply needs to allow the owner to add a message to the display that stays there until deactivated on the dashboard - for example: LOST: please contact XX. This is a good incentive to return the device, because the finder can't deactivate the message in order to use the device, AND it provides the info needed to return it.
Fitbit should develop some form of tracking and disabling for lost/stolen Fitbit devices. No matter the price, these devices are too expensive for some people to have no option to recover a device. It is also sad to see some members associated with Fitbit actually encourage others to use a lost/stolen device as their own.
Hi @SunsetRunner, we wanted to let you know that the ideas you recently posted already exist on the Feature Suggestions Board. You can see them here where you can add your vote to those existing suggestions:
Please try to make sure you only post one idea per suggestion, so we can keep the board organized, easily searchable and see which idea other members are voting for.
Hello @dreapanda. I can't really post too much because the moderators will take down my post. If you look back at the history of this and the many other suggestions to protect the investment you made, you will find many suggestions about not letting someone simply find your lost Fitbit or steal your Fitbit and pair it with their account. Fitbit moderators have all acted like these are great suggestions but Fitbit has not done a thing about them. Most of my posts have been taken down as "inflammatory, off-topic and cross-posting." because I suggest other products or criticize Fitbit for not responding. Look deeper and then decide for yourself. I would say "private message me" but that is not an option on this forum.
you are very slowly. my fitbit is gone last year. and your answer is not good for me. Now I decide to buy a new one (Mi band) . This brand is cheaper than Fitbit. If it lost again, I will not sad.
I am happy I recently lost my Fitbit (probably came loose/off by itself) with no chance to track/inactivate/recall and I hope the finder/thief finds good use for it and/or can make a buck off of it. This means I can move on from this awful experience with lousy products and customer service/developers that thank customers for suggestions but makes NO effort whatsoever to meet the simplest of wishes but instead pushing changes to the horrible interfaces (app and web) that were never asked for and just ruins usability.
Hello Svante J and EVEYYH, glad to hear that you both have moved on. I find it intriguing that this (and other threads that I either started or contributed to) are still active. I continue to be notified of new posts as others stumble onto these discussions and slowly realize that Fitbit has no intention of making any changes to improve. I'm glad to see one or two other users here and there become enlightened over the years and turn to superior technology, my favorite being the one that I loyally use and continue to buy when upgrades become available. To avoid having my post deleted I will just say that the name of the product shares its first letter with the alphabet.
While I do believe that FitBit is behind the ball with this specific feature, for cost comparison, it's still better than Apple. You pay a premium for a brand that still thinks they're too good to be compatible with anything other than other Apple products.
Yes. It is too bad they don’t have this feature yet. Eventually the band will pop off and you will lose it. I thought with Google buying them in January, some of the issues would be addressed. Like this one. Eventually when I lose my device, I will get a different one from a different company
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