Lock Touchscreen to Clockface

[Thob86]

I'm finding over the course of the day and while sleeping my Surge's touchscreen becomes switched from the watch face to one of the other screens. It would be very helpful if there was an ability to hold down one of the physical buttons to lock the touchscreen on the watch face and repeat to unlock. This would prevent accidental navigation away from the watch face. Please consider adding this functionality in a future firmware update. Thank you.

Moderator Edit: 

The latest Surge firmware update added a function which reverts Surge to its clock screen after 15 seconds. Some users would prefer to continuously view another data tile, such as Steps, Heart Rate, or Distance. This is no longer possible for more than 15 seconds outside of starting an Exercise log.

This existing Feature Request represents a good solution to the issue, and I encourage anyone who might be interested in this new feature to vote or comment in this thread.

[SunsetRunner]

@draglist if you track your run you can leave it on HR for the duration of the activity! The return to home function only impacts the main screens of the Surge.

[AZEducator]

With so many voice activated items out there, why are they so selective.  On my phone I can all someone, leave myself a message... all with a voice command.  So why can't you just say, "heart rate" "steps" "flights"... and the surge goes to that screen??  I have the same question everytime I am at a grocery store, if the cashier doesn't know the code they have to look it up in a book, why not, "roma tomatoes" "asparagus"... and the register puts in the price??  The technology is there, why isn't everyone using it??

[bamacoast]

Can we get an answer on this issue? A simple yes it is going to be fixed or no it is not going to be changed. I believed their has been enough feed back from customers being upset over the screen automatically switches back to the clock after 15 seconds. No one from fitbit has really adressed this issue. Please end the discussion with a decision.

[BasiaK]

Hey! I just purchased my first FitBit. I thought I was buying an activity tracker, but instead it constantly reverts back to watch mode. If I wanted a watch, I would have bought a watch. I want to instantly know how many steps I'm taking or what my heartbeat is, not what time it is. Please fix this, it is not acceptable for an activity tracker! I am debating whether to return this and just downgrade to one of the other ones that will show me my heartbeat without extra swipes.

[draglist]

I tried setting what @IW1206MT recommended today, but could not get it to work. Not intuitive.

I got on the treadmill and noticed a new wrinkle now that it's in the 80s outside... Not only did the Surge revert to the watch setting, but with my hands sweaty from exercising, I could not get the watch face swipe to work... So now, not only am I attempting to swipe the thing while working out, I'm unable to do it the first time due to the sweat on the watch face. AND... often the thing would revert to the watch WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO DO THE SWIPE... bothersome and dangerous. Another thing: often, for some reason the HR monitor shows blank... I get that it happens now and then. Before the "revert to watch display" degradation, it was no big deal... I would just hold my wrist still until the thing caught up to my HR. But now, once I do swipe to see the HR, if it's not caught up, after a few seconds it reverts to the watch display without showing me anything. This causes me to have to swipe multiple times to see the HR. Completely unsatisfactory change to the way the product worked.

I get that some folks want to see it revert to the watch. The simple solution would be to allow a user to select his/her desired screen, quickly tap it twice to lock the screen in that display setting (a nice padlock image as was described elsewhere up here would be nice). The user then could double tap the display when he/she was finished and it then would revert to the default display.

Please fix this to be user selectable from the main screen! bp

[Rodshaz]

What we need is a lock. It never stayed on the same screen before and was a pain on the ass.
Sent from my iPhone

[Scottysize]

It's become apparent that FitBit is not reading this post.  For that reason, I emailed tech support today.  I encourage you to do the same.  Here's what I sent them:    

What are you doing about this? 

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/ideas/v2/ideapage/blog-id/features/article-id/16908/page/1#comments

The Surge screen reverting back to the clock face is a big deal.  This was implemented with the last update put out by FitBit and it’s a change FitBit should have never made.  Is there a solution coming?  Either allow us to lock the screen on whatever screen we want, or go back to the way it was.  It’s high time FitBit spoke on this subject!  If you read the forum, you’ll see that we, the users, are very unhappy with this change and want it removed.  We didn’t buy a watch.  We bought a fitness device that tells time.  Your people have spoken and they are not happy.  It’s time for you to get involved.

[leonrosen]

What I want is a multi metric display lock. I want to see date and time
and steps and stairs and hr on one screen at once.

[Tor-Espen]

Yes please

[bamacoast]

I agree with scotty. Fitbit is not responding and apparently has no intention to adress this issue. Not even a response is terrible customer service. I cannot and will not recommend anyone purchase a fitbit or give it a favorable rating.

[Pamrn]

Yes definately agree that a lock screen would be nice, there are times when I want to see my watch, but when exercising, I definately want to see what my HR is doing and 15 seconds is not long enough for me to see progress toward my goals.

[AnkerEde]

I just sent my surge back to amazon. There are about 150 pages filled with ideas and bugfixes, but not a single announcement when the next patch will be ready. I payed 230€ for a superwatch with inaccurate gps. This watch would have so much potential if they release a sdk. Iinstead i bought a used charge hr for 80bucks. Thats ok. Regards ae

[SunsetRunner]

@Pamrn You can achieve what you are looking for by starting an activity. Press the button on the left side of the Surge, then navigate to the exercise you want and press play. Your stats remain on the screen for the duration of the activity. Also, the Surge will log the activity as exercise.

The debate on this thread is about the ability to monitor a specific stat for longer than 15 seconds when not in activity mode. For example, I may wish to watch HR while I climb the stairs at work... not worth starting an activity, but it is inconvenient to have to keep swiping the screen away from clock in this instance.

[AZEducator]

Also having to start an activity or even swiping the clock everytime you want to monitor plays havoc on the battery life.  I wish they had left well enough alone.  There are only seven screeens so why does it have to go back to a certain one? We should be able to put it on the one we want and it stays there until "we" the user wants to change it.  Not sure what they were thinking when they changed that.

[audtaylor]

I would like to be able to lock my screen to the heart rate monitor.  It is difficult when doing interval training to have access to my heart rate.  It is the main reason I bought the fitbit HR Charge but am very disappointed that I cannot lock this screen.

[Rudysa2]

This should definitely be an option, and it surprises me that it is not already available.

I just purchased my Surge last week and it annoyed me as to how it reverted to the clock after a set time. This is a simple solution, simply to allow the users to toggle whether they want the display to revert or not, they could even adjust the time until it reverts.

[boe0485]

I would like the option to lock the screen of my choice.  Another possibilty is to create another watch that along with the time and date also displays heart rate and steps.  The screen certainly has enough space to display several data fiels.

[Janine111]

I recently had open heart surgery to fix a birth defect and got the Surge to help me recondition my heart.  It was great, because I could see my heartrate at all times.  When I started having issues with Atrial Fibrilation and required an ablation, the FitBit was most helpful.  It helped me through my recovery when my doctor told me not to allow my heartrate to go above a specific number and when I tapered off the medication.

I bought  a FITBIT as a tool to help me improve my health.  Now, since the update, it is so ANNOYING!  I don't need a WATCH, I don't want a WATCH.  I BOUGHT A FITBIT.  .  It was a great useful tool, now it's defintely not nearly as useful.  I'm seriously disappointed. PLEASE give me back the ability to leave it on the heartrate tile.  It's just too annoying to imagine.

[IowaEasy]

I have posted earlier about my displeasure with the change everyone is talking about.  Aside from the inconvenience, I felt is is very dangerous to be flipping screens while running or on an exercise machine to see your heart rate.  There is a somewhat fix, although not very satisfying.  You can put your Surge in Exercise mode, and then "Workout."  It will display HR continuously without starting the program.  When finished, just start, then end, and then delete.  Then return to watch. Donald B. Gardiner 

Moderator edit: removed personal information.

[thebosman]

This "feature" is ridiculous.

FitBit should know better than forcing things like this down users throats.

Provide MORE individual flexibility and options, NOT less!!

Besides, why would your R&D development spend valuable time and resources on this type of feature rather than allowing users to put screens in their order of preference?

Seems that FitBit would be prioritizing development based upon user requests.

[Zekeal]

It may have already been mentioned but could the constant heart rate display not be integrated into the already existing clock screens, or have a new one set up to show both time and heart rate?

[Crunchyfroglegs]

I've found myself checking the heart-rate more often than anything else. I'd love a default opition, or to order the screens myself. ❤️

[ralucam]

Fitbit, any updates on this issue? I'd really want to lock the screen on HR. Thanks.

[mrfrank505]

I would love to have it back the way it was! Sometimes I wanna watch my HR while working out, or my steps when I go for a walk, very absured to have added a feature that has no option like this! 

[moTMan]

Extreamly frustrating that I can not lock my screen on the heart rate monitor while working out. Poor decision to implement this feature(?) without giving it more thought.