Lock Touchscreen to Clockface

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.

929 Comments
DiOnna
Jogger
@Gooner21 Thank goodness!! Finally, we have some hope!!!
franksj
Premium User
Base Runner

Give us the option to lock any screen.  Thanks!

dennishong
First Steps

I need this feature as well. My main use of surge is for heart rate. I need to have a consistant heart rate screen as a default screen. Please re-add this feature.

JKWheelin
First Steps

Like many others, I bought the Surge for the heartrate monitor and was disappointed when the default tile behavior changed. I'll be very happy if the next update allows the ability to choose a default tile or lock a tile.

AZEducator
Hill Runner

I am not holding my breathe.  It has been months.  When I purchased mine, it would stay on any screen I wanted and they changed it after it was too late to bring it back, just changed it, no notice, no reason, one day I wanted to watch my steps and every 15 seconds it kept going back to clock.  I don't want it to do that, it didn't do that when I purchased it and I am really angry about it.  Was an original adopter of fitbit in January 2010, I told all my friends and now when they want to update their fitbit, I tell them to stay away from Surge and to stay away from fitbit altogether.  Go apple watch.  If I didn't have a iPhone 4s I would have gone apple watch.  My iPhone is dying a slow death (phone is fine, it is the battery) and when I update it, I am probably going to update to an apple watch, also.  The only think I don't like about the apple watch is you have to have your phone to do anything.  Fitbit is pretty much a stand alone device.  But when I purchase something, I want it to work the way it did when I purchased it.  I don't want the company to keep changing how it works.

draglist
Recovery Runner

I downgraded my Amazon.com rating from 5 to 4 stars today and I cited this as the reason. The watch works OK when selecting the exercise option, although the display is considerably smaller. Still happy with it overall, but what a crazy, self-inflicted wound to the company's credibility.

Michael
5K Racer

@draglist Actually the size for the HR is exactly the same on the exercise screen as it is on the HR tile. (It just looks smaller because of the other data on the screen.)

murrishmo
Jogger
I edited from a five star to a one star review on Amazaon because Fitbit
has lost me as a customer over their handling of the issue. This is the
last Fitbit product I buy. I'm getting the next version of AppleWatch. It
integrates with the health features of the phone anyhow. I don't need a
dated-looking stand alone product if the customer service is going to be
this terrible. I'm done. Just riding it out until the new Apple Watch
comes.
CalifGramma
Recovery Runner

I am so happy I was able to return my Surge and Fitbit HR........... 4 months........ no change........ The next generation of Apple Watch is supposed to be fantastic 🙂

JLauer
Jogger

I vote YES.

A lock screen option would be great. I would prefer to continuously view another data tile, such as Steps, Heart Rate, or Distance. 

digen
First Steps
In my case, during a bike ride I will stop somewhere for a break or to take a photo, hence I'll pause the ride. However, this has a chance of me accidentally having the wrong button pressed and losing the ride stats. Today, after pausing the ride and then checking the surge, instead of the paused screen, the tracker displayed the clock. I nearly thought I had lost the stats but fortunately I had accidentally pressed the right button to save the ride 😄
Y-NOT
First Steps

Hi,

 

 

Do you know if there are any news with disabling the touch scree?

 

Thanks

Ndi
Strider

This is a token comment, as I saw many great ideas here.

 

I got my Surge fairly late, only late July, so I got the patches firmware. When I saw the swiping, I thought it would display heartrate, because it's a monitor. I was moderately disappointed when I saw that it won't hold.

 

I don't need a watch, I already have one, a nice one (sorry, silicone and LCD don't go well with a suit) and I'd much rather a) monitor steps or heartrate and b) avoid the people staring at the watch, then me, then the watch until I explain why I have 2 watches or just lose it some day and eat my shoelaces.

Dave748
Base Runner

I see a lot of people complaining that the screen now always goes back to the clock screen after 15 seconds.  While this maybe useful in saving battery this is a fitness tracker watch and sometimes I just want it to stay on one screen.  

 

Surly it would be very, very easy to make it an option as to whether it goes back to the clock screen or not.  Maybe as this is a touch screen device you can make it lock on a screen by swiping up on the screen you want it to stay on.  Or maybe you swipe up on the screen you want to set as the screen it always goes back to after 15 seconds like it does with the clock screen at the moment.  You could even make it an option you can set in the app or something, but at least give us a choice!!!  

 

Personally I think the ability to swipe up on the screen to set it as your home screen would be great so you don't have to relay on the app to set it.  I've only had my surge for a day and a half but this is already bugging the hell out of me.  For me it's a deal breaker, if it's not fixed soon, like the next week or so, I'm afraid it's going back as it's just too anoying to deal with after paying so much money for it.

 

If anyone else agree's with this idea please vote.

 

Thanks for reading.

orcaswizard
First Steps

I have not worn a traditional watch in close to 20 years and have no interest in starting now. I want the surge to show me what subject I care about during the exersize I am doing at the time I am doing it; not the time of day. Alternatively allow us to change the order of the information shown so we could start with whatever we care about as the default, followed by the others in "OUR" order of importance.

mwkimmel
Keeping Pace

It's been over half a year and still no resolution. It's obvious fitbit just doesn't care about what its customers actually want. I had no choice but to get rid of my surge. I sold it for not even 1/3 of the price I paid for, and honestly, it's not even worth that much anymore. This tyranny I've come to expect from Apple. It was a long relationship, fitbit, but I need a company that wants to keep my business. You've lost mine forever. Goodbye.

 

P.S. the new Samsung Gear S2 is absolutely gorgeous.

mbielik24
Jogger

Seriously,

They made this stupid change in late April or early May and in June they said they would fix it with a new update.  It's obvious they don't care about the user experience.  I have told everyone that has asked about this watch I'm wearing (they always first ask if  it is an Apple watch) to not get it and stay away from Fitbit products.  Once I can use my Flex Spending next year to buy a heart rate monitor watch to replace this one, it will be nice to have closure with this company as they are terrible with customer service.  Responding to the customer by saying the change was made because it was requested doesn't mean it is a good change, especially judging by this community board.  All they had to do was make it a choice.  Such a simple fix!  Even though I'm not an Apple fan, I am very happy to hear they are taking wearable business away from Fitbit.  Fitbit, you did this to yourselves by not listening to your customers from months and who knows how much longer.  All you cared about was your IPO.  I enjoy watching al the complaints on your forum but feel sorry for everyone that bought what should have been an excellent product.  

donsurge
First Steps

Completely agree, if you are working towards a goal, to swipe back to the tile you want after 15 sec is ANNOYING. 


Patafoin
Base Runner

same thing for me when biking!

don't know how to explain it in english but when biking, my hand makes an angle with my forearm and sometimes it pushes the button.

i'm aware that the surge should be at the equivalent of three fingers distance of the joint. but with the vibrations, the surge moves to the joint.

AZEducator
Hill Runner

I would like to see a lock screen but not on the clock face.  We should be able to choose which face we want to lock.

orcaswizard
First Steps
I agree completely. The best would be the ability to set up the order of the items that they appear in. The most important single item though is to define at least the default. I don’t care at all about the time of day, so it is mostly irritating for me as it is.

Z

It is very frustrating when the screen switches back to watch constantly. I'm interested in my heart rate and steps etc... having to constantly switch back is very annoying.

I didn't spend a fortune on a fitness tracker to have it remove what I'm looking at to tell me the time every 15 seconds! I appreciate others wanted this, but many others did not. Please, please, if you are going to forceably change the screen every 15 seconds then please either give us the option to choose the home screen that the device reverts to in the dashboard  or let us lock the screen with a button. Even an option to set the time delay on screen change would be better than nothing.

Please don't just give us an option to disable touch screen as some have suggested. This would solve accidental swipes for people, but not help those of us driven mad by constantly having the watch replace what we are looking at.

 

 

Thank you!!

madanmohany
Jogger
You are right. But please understand the no response from @Fitbit from a very long time. If you actually observe even their limited responses you could see they tend to find an escape route and do not look like they really intend to fix this issue. Initially they commented (after months of backlash from a lot of users starting from mid April when it used to behave as we are requesting it now and all of a sudden they changed it. Looks like they could save the battery drain by doing so. The clock face might burn the battery slower than the other options and hence they might have made that change. Is it so Dumb Fitbit?) saying they do not plan any Firmware updates any time soon and so asked the users not to expect any updates sooner or later. Then after a couple of days they realised that they had to update the Firmware to fix or improve other features of Fitbit Surge and so they bit their tongue in their cheeks and made a statement that they are looking into this issue (just to save their a** for the moment as that would contradict their own statement if they do not). If they are really working now to solve this, then they should first get the trust of their customers who are hoping them to solve this issue by posting regular updates every 2 days starting today. Fitbit has to prove now that they are working in the interests of all their customers. Wake up Fitbit.
AZEducator
Hill Runner

@madanmohany

You are so correct.  They can add all they want but shouldn't be able to remove functionality.  The clock after 15 minutes, make it an option not a requirement.  Also, the  light coming on whenever the watch thinks it is too dark.  I move all the time and my watch is forever lighting up even when I don't need it to.  It is also doing a number on my battery.  There is an automatic mode for the light to come on.  Why isn't it only coming on if you are in automatic mode.  I have it always  as everytime I touch it I want it to come on as it always seems pretty dark.  But for the same reason, every time I move,  it also comes on.  My battery used to last 2 to 3 days (they say 5 but it has never lasted that long).  Now it barely lasts 24 hours.  Forget it if I use the GPS.  Then I need to charge it right after using GPS whether I use it for 30 minutes or an hour and a half.

 

Again add all you want but don't make changes that make this device something different that what we purchased.

Michael
5K Racer

@AZEducator You can turn the Quick View feature off in your device settings page.

SurgeQuickView.png

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