Individual "Self timer" to guided meditations list

[madlion]

In the Track your mindfulness category on Fitbit home screen, may I suggest you add a "self timer" option to your list of guided meditations. This feature would allow the user to set a time for how long they meditate, and do it on their own in silence, without having to listen to a guided recording. Maybe just have a nice chime when the time is up.

[saf120]

Like minds on this 100%!

[Josephgal]

In addition to silently timing meditation, I would like to simply be able to record that I meditated on a particular day since I meditated with a Buddhist group (before Covid) and wouldn't ever touch my phone or watch in that setting. 

Like many, I am happy that Fitbit recognizes the benefits of meditation and am happy a teaching feature is included since it's so easy to miss a day, but having to play with my phone frankly sort of defeats the purpose. 

[saf120]

Another great point!

[DanceTree]

Being able to manually log my meditation will be a make or break item in my decision to continue with Premium. Ditto to all comments above. The offered meditations are fine for those who have not been practicing long. For those of us who have been at it for years, it does not fit the bill.  Strongly advocate for a tool that allows manual logging.

[jtmurfey]

Definitely keen to see a self time or add my own meditation / mindfullness practice to my FitBit. I already do meditation practice and I'm trying to get better and more consistent so was very happy to see this latest addition to my FitBit app

[saf120]

Yes with a wrist start/finish option like exercise. It just doesn't seem
that hard. Looking at the icon everyday in the app is becoming
increasingly frustrating, since the tool in its current form is useless
and, frankly, causes more stress than it can relieve. I don't use that
many premium options as it is, so discontinuing the service is probably a
good idea.

[FannyJS]

Yes please, I really miss this feature too. Self timer with biometrics, and perhaps even the option to add labels, like mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises (pranayama etc) and so on, so that you could see data for how different kinds of practices affect hr etc. I would use this daily. 

[MelFitness]

Yes! I would also like the ability to simply have a start/stop timer to log my own meditation sessions. If you can just input a time in minutes and have the timer start with a bell (after a short countdown) that would be great. I rarely use guided meditations anymore so it would help to log my daily meditation sessions. Or at least if it would let you log in your own time after you’ve meditated. 

[saf120]

Would definitely use daily!

[Gwenosaurus]

Please add a timer for mindfulness that can be used without one of the guided meditations. When using the timer it would still track your heart rate and log your mindfulness session.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Gwenosaurus, and thanks for taking the time to share this suggestion about adding a timer for mindfulness that can be used without one of the guided meditations. 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.

[JimInNC]

I am aghast that Fitbit is using the Mindfulness feature as a transparent attempt to get people to upgrade to Premium instead of to meditate.  The lack of a timer and the ability to start and stop a mindfulness session shows a complete lack of understanding what meditation is by Fitbit - it is as if our running does not count unless we buy your shoes, or our sleep doesn't count unless we listen to your music while we sleep, or our diet log doesn't count unless we use your meal program. The concept that the only way to meditate that is acceptable to Fitbit is to listen in on one of your speakers appears to me to be a sign that Fitbit did not get help designing this feature from people who either meditate themselves or have studied meditation. Disappointed by this new element that I was rather encouraged to see initially.

[Claudiapdx]

I agree with idea of a manual mindfulness log. In addition, I suggest when using a built-in session, at its end, have the session simply complete the log,rather than waiting for user OK. I fall asleep and wake up hours later, hit oj, and it logs the whole time instead of the duration of the guided session.

[kdavella]

A timer is a great idea.  I would prefer if it were a vibration rather than a sound.

[KKolstad]

Please add me to the list of those who would like a manual log or timer rather than using one of Fitbit's meditations. It seems that you are taking mindfulness very seriously and I applaud that. I take it seriously too but I don't have a way of recording it. Again, please add that feature. 

[FBMum]

It looks like this one has been granted, my android FBit app updated this morning and at the top of the list of metrics (and taking up valuable 'real-estate') is a Banner saying 'Track your mindfulness'.  There appears to be no way of getting rid of it.  I don't want it, I don't need and I didn't ask for it.  How do I get rid of it please?

[songbird1329]

Yes, can we please log  meditation manually?

[BrianL.]

Please permit manual logging of meditation sessions. If not, I'd rather have the ability to delete the mindfulness tracking feature. I think its a great idea to keep track of daily meditation as a way to stay motivated. But the way the app works now, it looks like a way for Fitbit to market a premium subscription. 

[kdavella]

Hi to the gang interested in this post on mindfulness.  I have an idea and will try it today and let you know.  A bit of a work around (sad that we have to manage on our own with this expensive product).  Any way, I figure for those of us that meditate with a different app like Calm or Headspace, we can still use the Sense feature and utilize the "Journey log"  if we "pretend" to be using one of their guided programs ie. volume off.  I'll try it today and report back.  Sad, sad, sad that Fitbit is not listening to us on this one, especially in these difficult times when most of the world needs this more than ever. 

[saf120]

Someone had suggested using the feature on silent, however, still leads to inaccurate automatic meditation logging in the activities section, and individual session lengths are not easily displayed--all of which are the opposite of useful.  Is it especially difficult include a self-timer with biometrics and some editing feature—exactly like the exercises?  Why isn’t there a way to start a meditation session from the Fitbit itself, for example?  I guess I don’t understand why this feature is treated so differently from athletic activities.  

Alternatively, is there a way to delete the entire section from the Today page in the app?  Having a 0/4 days on display every time I use the app for other things is annoying. 

Is anyone from FitBit even looking at this?

[kdavella]

OK everyone, Just tried a long meditation utilizing a guided session on the app, turned down the sound so I could use Headspace (which I have used for 4 years) and YES, under the mindfulness tile under Your journey, it logs the meditation, heart rate EDA responses and allows for a reflection.  Be sure to choose a guided meditation that lasts as long as you need (even though you are not listening to it).  I think some may be right who posted here saying forcing us to utilize a Fitbit guided meditation is the goal on their side.  I'll use this "workaround" until they realize that meditation is a very personal thing and they can't force it into a box.

[nmrguy]

@kdavella So you can change the duration on the guided sessions?  Or are you saying that we would have to pick one that lasts exactly as long as we want in the moment? - are there sessions that last 20, 40, 60 minutes?  

[nmrguy]

Definitely need a simple-to-access (just line Run, for example) timer for Activity=mindfulness.  It should be on the wrist display, ideally with sound options to begin and end - bell, gong, vibrate, or custom of choice. Or even just a simple timer that one can then custom assign to any activity - in this case, meditation.

This should be terribly straightforward for Fitbit to implement.  Definitely do NOT want to use the pre-canned guided meditations offered. 

I have already voted for this feature in the Feature Suggestions forum.

[kdavella]

@nmrguy I chose a 45 min guided, turned off sound and then meditated in my preferred and practiced manner for 25 minutes and when I removed my hand from the Sense, it asked if I was finished and wished to log it.  Interestingly, the day before, I tapped guided session on the watch, did my meditation without using a "canned Fitbit" session, when finished, I was asked if I wished to log it and I said yes.  It never showed up on the My Journey log UNTIL the next day when I started the canned session so I am guessing you must initiate the canned session even if you do not use it.  @YojanaFitbit, FITBIT moderator, if I am wrong, please let us now how to properly use the feature.  It would be greatly appreciated.

[nmrguy]

@kdavella Thank you, that is helpful to know.  I'm not sure what you mean by "when I removed my hand from the Sense", but OK.  Sounds like one can just set it up on/off from the app on the phone and it will log it in the manner you describe.  Yay! Still, it would be awesome to get a simple meditation timer feature with bell.  Seems like it ought to be pretty basic to implement.