Meditation and Audio should continue playing while phone is locked

[bradbeech]

Guided meditations and audio should continue playing while your phone is locked.

1. If you lock your phone the audio stops.
2. While playing the phones light is on making sleeping difficult and draining the phones battery.
3. This also means that you need to rise from a relaxed state at night after a meditation to switch your phone off - which is counter productive to the goal of getting to sleep.

Link to original discussion:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-Premium-Coach/Guided-meditation-and-audio/m-p/4059814

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity and label

[hopmailkins]

Totally agree with everyone here. I want to like Premium, but this is pretty much a deal breaker 😞

[Mmiilleenna_a]

Up until today I could lock my screen and listen, but it is now not working. Over the past few weeks I have grown used to falling asleep to these meditations, and I now find out that it has changed over night. Please sort this out!

[Bkcaren]

Quite disappointed in the mediation situation. For a couple weeks I was able to listen with my phone screen off. I started the free trial based on that. I'll be cancelling within the 90 days I guess as Fitbit doesn't seem inclined to change it. Bummer.

[rogerbond]

I absolutely agree with previous comments. If this will not be fixed, I will cancelling my subscription as well within the 90 days. Again, this issue is a serious problem in the provided app and not a wish from the customers.

If the screen must stay on, it prevents me from falling asleep and drains unnecessarily my phones battery. 

What is the problem on Fitbit side? I don't understand why they just fix something, which is obviously wrongly implemented and hinders making business (money) with their customers? 

[Kileigh]

Love fitbit, cant wait for them to work out all the little bugs though, like this and the use of a microphone to actually answer and talk through the watch. Definitely need to fix the meditation feature. This should be relaxing!!

[Ninja93]

I have been using the meditation to fall asleep to, but shoving my phone between my matress and night stand so the screen light doesn't bother me to bad. This means my screen is on for hours most nights... Luckily my phone is new so it doesn't drain to much battery, but I'd like to keep the battery good for as long as possible. 

Please implement the meditations working while the phone is locked!!!

[Mikewinky]

Please add this feature!  I agree with the comments about the light being disruptive and then I have to get up to the app off!

[leeaura512]

This seems like a no-brainer, yet support just told me "this isn't the right fit for us" right now. I really like the sleep mindfulness but the screen light directly works against it. It literally keeps me awake. This might be my most used premium feature, which means it might be time to stop my subscription. 

[SquareCO]

Almost a year from this original post and this is not been resolved yet? This is very disappointing and should be a quick fix by the development team.

[Samtango71]

I totally agree.  I will not be purchasing premium for this reason.  I have a samsung and after the sleep meditation I don't want to wake up and turn off my phone.  The new expensive sense is turning out to be a bust.  Sad fitbit, just sad. Defeats the whole purpose of calming my mind. 

[Liam68]

This really is a deal breaker  for me not just in the mindfulness segments but the guided exercise as well. Not only does it stop when the screen locks it restarts the session from the beginning. For the cost of this service this should be fixed already. 

[Kacjp]

Currently have on a free trial of premium and love the sleep meditations. But wtf does the music stop when phone locks? 

Pointless and won't be continuing past the free trial.

Just another reason why I'm not 100% satisfied with my fitbit sense purchase.

[VaibhavVishal]

Yes please add this feature. This is the only reason I never use mindfulness before going to sleep, even though I know it can help a lot with my sleep.

[Strangeky]

I agree. It is absolute lunacy that something that helps me fall asleep requires follow-up. Can't do that while sleeping. Audio should play while the phone is locked. I feel like I can't even use this feature, which is the reason I decided to try premium, because if I allow myself to fall asleep my phone is left with the screen on all night long. Beyond frustrating that people have been commenting in agreement with the OP regularly over the past year and fitbit hasn't made any changes. Listen to your customer base. 

[VaraPrasad]

Please do support to not to stop music when phone is locked and also add support to download the sessions to save the data for offline use.

[translationmx]

Is it really too hard to add this feature after TWO YEARS OF PEOPLE ASKING FOR IT?

What's the point in having the phone screen consuming battery with the screen on, when most of the time meditation is done with our eyes closed???

I'm only still using Fitbit because my mom gave me one for Christmas. I sincerely regret paying for the yearly premium and I'm not sure I'll buy another Fitbit after this one runs its course. Sad, because I loved all things Fitbit and now I only have a long list of gripes.

[PiperMarie]

I purchased the sense for the meditation features, which I have used only a couple times.  I can't use the feature to sleep or when relaxing, which is what @Fitbit is promoting right now with the addition of Deepak Chopra.  Once the meditation starts, I tried turning my phone face down which I thought would work in the interim but the screen will stay active all night!  When I tried to turn it off, half asleep, I was awoken by a severely bright screen and had to focus my eyes because if you turn your screen down with out logging your meditation...it doesn't count in your stats - it's hard to fall back asleep when your frustrated by something that is supposed to calm you down!! So i will continue to use Insight Timer for my meditations, but i'm not able to manually log my meditations.  I really hope this is something they look into, or at least let me manually enter my activity!!

[Nayun]

Yes, this feature is absolutely needed ! For example, I was doing a running meditation today and it was really hard and extremely inconvenient having to keep my phone screen is on while trying to run. 

[Gatica]

I can't believe this discussion was started over a year ago and the feature still hasn't been fixed. I just searched for a solution to having an on-screen during an AUDIO-only meditation which requires a powered on screen and this was the first result in my search. Quite disappointed that is not just some silly mistake in my settings. I have been trying to relax with night time meditation for a few days, and had to wake middle of the night from the brightness of the phone, which doesn't even turn its screen off after mediation session had ended. Why it stays powered on is beyond me.

[Littlesmitty25]

Agree with everyone! This problem is a deal breaker. Using Spotify until this is fixed. 

[Gatica]

Finally noticed couple of days ago that it stayed on when I accidentally locked the phone instead of changing volume. Delighted it's fixed!

[Strangeky]

It is not fixed for me. I have the latest version on Android.

[Gatica]

Doesn't depend on your Android as much as the App version. Mine's on Fitbit 3.39.2 now. 

[Kacjp]

My Fitbit on 3.39.2 and not working. Tried to see if I needed background permissions on too, and that was greyed out so wasn't an option. My premium subscription trial is coming to an end and I will not be renewing if this isn't fixed.

[stephencarr]

Same, v3.39.2 Android, does not work. How is this feature any use to me if I can't lock the screen to prevent battery burn and accidental screen touches that stop playback.

As others have said Premium features should work properly, and I consider this feature partially implemented.