Improve “Raise to wake” (Quick View) functionality on Versa

[MrEngineer]

I have the issue that the display stays OFF very often when i raise my arm to look after a notification or just look up the time.  (Fitbit Versa)

Also discussed Here:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa/Display-on-gesture-not-working-Display-stays-OFF-when-I-raise-...

It is quite frustrating to always look at a black screen and have to use the second hand to touch any button on the watch in order to switch the display on.

—> definetely room for improvement here!

And it would be nice if the display wakes up automatically when a notification arrives.

—> next point on the Fitbit todo-list for future software updates.

[HadronJJC]

Please implement a setting to adjust the sensitivity of the screen wake. There have been multiple times that I've raised my wrist and the watch doesn't wake up. I have to deliberately put my wrist down and do it again and flick my wrist to get it to come on. Please allow me to turn up the sensitivity so it illuminates at a glance. 

[dannydandan]

I am returning my Versa precisely due to this reason. It's great that Fitbit achieved 4 day battery life, but if this is the cost, it's not worth paying.

At a minimum, a watch should be able to tell me the time when I look at it. The tilt-to-wake algorithm needs to be more sensitive.

[czandor]

The watch is turning on with rotation, when your arm is in horizontal position.

If you raise it slightly at a 20-degree angle, it will no longer turn on with rotation

[dannydandan]

Whatever the algorithm is, it's not working consistently and definitely not working when lying down in bed for example.

If you want to see how it's supposed to work, put an Apple Watch and a Versa on your wrist and compare the two.

[yoyomum60]

That definitely does not always work. It does NOT always turn on with rotation. Does choice of watch face impact this? I'll do anything right now for a fix.

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@MrEngineer wrote:

I have the issue that the display stays OFF very often when i raise my arm to look after a notification or just look up the time.  (Fitbit Versa)

Also discussed Here:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa/Display-on-gesture-not-working-Display-stays-OFF-when-I-raise-...

It is quite frustrating to always look at a black screen and have to use the second hand to touch any button on the watch in order to switch the display on.

—> definetely room for improvement here!

And it would be nice if the display wakes up automatically when a notification arrives.

—> next point on the Fitbit todo-list for future software updates.

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[czandor]

My experience is, the watch is turning on in these situations:

- Rotating your hand when your arm is in low angle (almost horizontal) position. Please remove this angle restriction. And the sensitivity is very low while the watch is vibrating (eg. incoming call) 

- Double tap on the Band or on the screen. It is using accelerometer, so not working when the watch is vibrating.

- Button click

The watch is NOT turning on:

- Rotation with high angle

- Tap while vibrate 

- Clicking the left button to wake after the watch is surprisingly turned on automaticaly

[SergeB]

This option worked perfectly on my pebble watch, you have purchased the technology, why don't you implement it in the new watch??

[czandor]

 YES!

- Please improve hand gesture detection (maybe by removing the arm-angle restricion)

- Please turn the screen on when shaking the watch (like the Pebble watches)

- Please add an option to turn on the screen when notification or call coming

[gburd19]

I just purchased the Versa, thinking of returning it. When quick view is turned off, the screen doesn't automatically turn on when a notification or call is coming in.

[SergeB]

Indeed, the least this thing can do is show you the time when you need it
(without starting to shake around your arm around like a monkey)

[lakap]

I am having the same "Raise to Wake" issue and it's very annoying especially while you are in bed(oh my dear pebble does it awesomely well even after 2 years of harsh usage). This is a simple basic functionality and I see no one from Fitbit development team is taking a look at this issue, as so many people reported so far. Atleast a commitment to fix from customer relations team is expected. Very bad!

Since I just bought this(versa) couple of  days ago and will wait for couple more days to see if any software update is coming up to fix this else will return it. I see Fitbit Versa Ad in every store I visit but not the same attention is give to their own forum to get aways with simple issues like this. I think once they received a pile of returned Fitbit versa devices with this reason they will fix it.

[SergeB]

The problem seems to appear less when I use the fitbit "business" clockface instead of a paid "third party" clockface

Please share your thoughts

[--Whirlwind--]

I don't have any issues waking the device to see the time, however, I do have an issue with Versa coming on at night when I'm in bed  moving about/sleeping. Can we please have a night mode to disable quick view defined by the user e.g. 10pm-6am please?

[BlazeFS]

I have 2 requests:

1. If you turn off screen wake / quick view, please make sure it stays off. It will turn on when I'm doing something that shakes my wrist, such as washing my hands. It doesn't bother me much, except it also turns on at night once or twice that I see, even though I've turned off screen wake / quick view.

2. Please disable screen wake / quick view at night, either by a schedule or by automatically detecting sleep. I would actually like to use the screen wake / quick view feature, but keep it off because otherwise it will wake me up numerous times at night. 

[t0rie]

Another vote for 'always on', notifications wake screen and better turning on, in general. I was a Fitbit Charge 2 user (Charge before that, and many many Fitbits before...) but I had to defect as telling time was a big thing in what I look for in a watch. And it frustrated me that it was so flakey. I'm looking to come back to Fitbit with the Versa but see that it's still an issue... It would be great if this could be fixed in an update!

[Limesti]

Yes, FitBit please add a sensitivity option to the screen wake on Ionic/Versa. It works well alot of the time but there are still many times where I go to see the time and nothing happens even after flailing my arm and wrist around. I eventually have to push a button to see the watch face turn on. My 'screen wake' option is already set to auto.. it just needs to be more sensitive in my case. People are often in different positions sitting, lying down, maybe upside down and the programmed movement doesn't happen every time which leads us to see a black screen instead of the time.

[Limesti]

Defintely need this sensitivity option for the screen wake! This happens too often in my opinion for a $300 watch and I cant even see the time.. I don't always have two hands available to push a side button to get the screen to turn on. Please make this a feature in a future update!

[tommyjwall]

Just got mine today. Upgrading from Pebble Time. The flick of the wrist to get it to wake I didn't even consider a feature, but it's not included on the Versa, and this is a HUGE functionality let down for me. PLEASE add this feature in. 

[Andierr]

My Charge 2 has a better raise to wake feature than the Versa. At the very least Versa should have an option for this.  I want to use as a watch. 

Also, to be able to add times when all notifications can be turned off (eg, at night).  

[RFreedom]

My display turned on well for the first 2-3 weeks without paying any attention to how I was raising my arm or turning my wrist.  Now for the past week or so, no matter what I try, it never turns on with my wrist/arm movement. I have to tap the screen... 😞

[Ssircole]

In some ways this is a step back from Blaze. 80% of time screen does not come on with movement. Then i receive notification and touch button and screen comes on. However, the screen seems to lag even when it comes on so then i  push button and  closes notification.  

[yoyomum60]

Over the past 2 months I have received dozens of responses to my post. Each fitbit user echoes my frustration with the screen wake functionality. Fitbit has not responded. Period. So my real question is - does fitbit care? Do they plan on fixing this? Selling a watch that does not easily show the time should be a priority issue for fitbit. It would be so customer friendly of them if they simply told their users (customers) what the deal is with this. Is there a fix planned? Why is this a problem? Roadmap, etc. Hello fitbit, are you out there?

[mrs_funkway]

Yes this has been a pain! I don't remember having this problem with the Charge HR. I need to be able to see the time at a moment's notice, especially if I'm in the middle of a task or work flow. If it takes longer than that, it interrupts my flow. I have the Versa on my left (non-dominant) hand, and because the button to view the screen is also on the left, it makes for an awkward reach across to turn it on. Taking way more time and effort than I have. It's also harder to check my HR.

And someone else mentioned a sleep function. I would also like to have that. I stopped wearing my watch at night because it would wake me up. I tried going in every night and turning the quick view feature off, but then it has to sync again and I have to test it. So it's just easier to take off.

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[Lisadp]

This is really important. It's the #1 usability problem for me as a former Pebble user.

"Please implement a setting to adjust the sensitivity of the screen wake" - agree with HadronJJC, but would go further to say FitBit must implement "shake to wake" or "flick wrist wake" a la Pebble to make the transition from the now unsupported Pebble to Versa/Iconic easier. There is already a suggestion for this for the Ionic here but it's not tagged for Versa. If that suggestion gets up please expand the scope to Versa also.

[Amlev]

End of July 2018 and still no reaction from Fitbit? I just purchased a Versa, have had it for 24hrs, and getting the screen to turn on requires an unnatural purposeful wrist twist/shake and/or tapping the screen at least twice to get it to turn on...