Let us delete in-app notifications/messages

[rubyrune]

This is clogging up my iphone. I have a year or more worth of useless Fitbit notification messages I'd like to shed. I saw a 'solved' notice in here from a year ago stating it was resolved by stating there is no solution. This is simply ignoring the myriads of request/votes of customer requests/concerns to fix it. Fitbit should have had a REAL solution by now and apparently do not. In reality this problem has not been resolved but simply is being ignored by the company/moderator. The solution 'solved' to put a vote in ideas does not address the real concern or issue at hand. What's the point of a community forum if Fitbit does not listen to its customers? The thread should have flagged Fitbit/moderator to produce a real fix, we're still waiting.

[Sugar1924]

Yes this helps, but the problem remains: Fitbit refuses to permit deletion of notifications/messages/sleep data etc. I know it should be easy for Fitbit to allow us to delete any and all data. But why they will not allow this remains a mystery. I have data from my first Fitbit and I really do not care what I did 2 years ago and would like to delete that. One of your statements is upsetting says Fitbit could sell my data. Who would want it? AND isn’t selling my data without my knowledge wrong?

Sent from my iPad

[MichellePY]

Each fitbit user should have discretion to manage their own messages and/or notifications  as needed. This is an important feature that would be truly appreciated by the fitbit community. Is there any specific reason why this is being delayed or put off considering over 750 users have voted for this option or activity? 

[Joanie41]

A comment about selling data did not come from me. I’m getting responses to a variety of comments I’ve never made. How do I stop that? 😮

Sent from my iPhone

[Rich_Laue]

Right now the Fitbit app/community is set to only store 30 days of notifications, this has nothing to do with the rest of the app or your r tracker. 

[Sugar1924]

Yes, please Fitbit tell us why?

Sent from my iPad

[Sugar1924]

But that is wrong. I have notifications from 8/4/17-11/11/17 and by my calculations that’s way over 30 days! I’d have more, but I turned them off 11/11/17. Had I not done that I’m quite sure all of the notifications would still be on the app. When you read other comments they too have way more than 30 days of old notifications.

Sent from my iPad

[MichellePY]

I am not for sure if you understand my request. Yes the app is set to
delete messages after 30 days BUT the user should have the option to delete
prior to 30 days if they so choose like other apps allow that is what I am
requesting and many others on this specific community request string

[Sugar1924]

But not only do we not have the option to delete notifications/messages prior to 30 days, but the app does NOT delete after 30 days either. If it did I would not have any, but I have notifications from 8/4/17-11/11/17.
What am I missing?

Sent from my iPhone

[ut55]

No it isn't doing it after 30 days either.

[MichellePY]

Are there specific requirements that a fitbit request must meet in order for it to be considered? If so, can you please communicate those criteria so that we can have a better understanding of what you may need from us (fitbit users) to get this request on your (developers') radar?

[Sugar1924]

That's what I been saying. I've also been told these auto delete after 100 accrue, that does not happen either. It seems that we can turn these off from your account on the browser so none appear anymore and keep complaining.

Sent from my iPhone

[Sugar1924]

I could be wrong, but I remember on page 37 of this feed(sometime in August) there was link to Fitbit's criteria, and in spite how upset we are, the threshold has not been reached. I also recall that about 1 year ago, many of us on this feed, received an email telling us that our request to delete notifications/messages was denied. I did not save the email nor have I tried to find it on the feed.

Sent from my iPhone

[Pheoniz]

The answer is simple. Stop supporting them with our wallet. We all love our Fitbit and loyalty is unquestionable. They are almost the only game in town for now. The old saying “Companies that fail to plan are planning to fail.” Someone or company will come along with a competitive product and the game will be over. We need to stop acting like we have no control and exercise the our purchasing power. Do some research for other products that meet our needs and are competitive in price. Only then will Fitbit listen. Better yet, write the CEO a letter (the old fashion way of communicating) and let him know of our concerns. A letter gets actions. I Know from my dealings with AT&T.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[Sugar1924]

Ok Fitbit users, start writing. I have.

Sent from my iPhone

[Pheoniz]

I find this is most effective in getting desired outcomes. If one takes the time to write an old fashion letter, the reader summaries that this is a real issue for you. All the companies I wrote letters to, I got the desired outcomes. A letter campaign will do it.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[Sugar1924]

Pheoniz
Please send out the address so others can write Fitbit.

Sent from my iPhone

[OliB977]

I believe that I hit a nerve with Fitbit because I posted a theory about
why they are protecting the data and not allowing deletions. the post was
promptly deleted by Fitbit. So it must’ve been correct. That being the
case I will be finding another fitness tracker in the near future.

[Sugar1924]

I've noticed some of these post deletions are arbitrary, but you could right. I bet your latest comment will be removed too.

Sent from my iPhone

[bettinaSLC]

Hi @Rich_Laue, on 10-02-2018 05:17 you said: "These notifications are in cache, so technically they do not take up room in memory.”  I think you are a little confused about cache not being in memory.


Cache by definition is a type of memory, (see Cache Definition) which is temporarily used to store data while some particular application or Operating System (OS) operation is running and needs it.  An application itself does not specify that it needs “cached” memory (usually SRAM) or some other type of memory (usually DRAM), it simply requests generic memory.  The underlying OS is the “decider” of whether this memory will come from SRAM or DRAM (each using different circuitry, SRAM being much faster (see Cache Mem Faster Than RAM) than DRAM).

When you start up and log in to the Fitbit App[lication] on whatever device you installed it (let's say your phone), it talks to the "Fitbit cloud" to retrieve the user-specific data.  During that App startup processing, it asks the device's OS for a certain amount of memory to copy that data into, so it can have easy and quick access to it while the App is running.  (You want to be able to see the graphs of your sleeping stats, your notification messages, how many hours you did 250+ steps, etc.). 

So depending on how much memory the Fitbit App wanted or needed to get from the OS to store data locally (whether it's by default 30 days worth, or 100, or much more), that's how much extra space (memory) the App needs *while it is running*. But the App does not know whether the OS gave it Cache memory, or other memory.  The OS also might switch it from one type of memory to another if needed, and the App never knows the difference.  When you are using the app and are looking at older and older data, when the App kinds of "hangs" for a bit before it displays what you want, that is when the App is talking to the "Fitbit Cloud" again to retrieve more data, and it's requesting more memory from the device's (i.e. phone's) OS, so it can access that data quickly to display that information for you.

When the Fitbit App exits, then all that extra generic memory is freed up. Either the Fitbit App freed it up during its exit processing, or if the App doesn't free it, the OS does (it knows that the App is no longer running and therefor it no longer needs that memory).  So in my view it's best to exit the App when I'm done with it each day, so that my device (phone or iPad) can free up that memory, making it faster and more efficient for other apps to run. Personally I only run my Fitbit App for about 2 minutes every day (sync, look at steps and sleep, and exit). Others use it much more.

I hope this clarifies your understanding of how/why/when the Fitbit App needs to get more memory from the OS, and that the App never knows whether that memory it got is actually in cache memory or other RAM memory.

I still think that the Fitbit App programmer(s) should allow us users to delete all the personal data we want. For example, in the App's Settings, let us choose whether we want to keep 7 days of notification messages, or 3 months of sleep data, or 1 year of step data.  If Fitbit wants to keep all of our data forever for its own purposes (for instance to sell to medical research so they can analyze what the average heart-rate is for women over 60 who do walk an average of 10k steps/day, versus those who walk less), then they could still do that.

One suggestion to Fitbit, is whenever we sync our Fitbit with our App (which is when our new data also gets sent to the "Fitbit Cloud") it could also send it to Fitbit's company-wide data storage area (or some processing in its cloud could do this automatically).  So Fitbit could keep all the data it wants.  But our personal data area could be limited in size based on our desired Settings.

[bettinaSLC]

Oops, I couldn't find my earlier post so I thought that Fitbit didn't accept it.  So I just posted a simpler more positive version.

[Sugar1924]

Well put, what we are asking for and you elegantly stated should have always been an option. I do not need all my data on the from when began. I'd like to pick and choose.

Sent from my iPhone

[Sugar1924]

I knew it was familiar, but it seems as if you added good points.

Sent from my iPhone

[OdysseyJudge]

Thank you for the explanation!

Harriet

[SunsetRunner]

My fix for this issue is going to be that instead of upgrading to a Fitbit charge 3 when my charge 2 dies is to upgrade to an Apple Watch instead.

I recommend everyone else do the same until Fitbit gets the message, then they can beg us futilely to come back.

[Wooker1]

Completely concur!!