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Fitbit Sense in UK cost the same as Garmin Venu. Garmin has all health & fitness app access for FREE and has pre loaded watch with workout plans and animations, you can also download maps for hiking, running or cycling FOR FREE and listen to Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music from your wrist without taking the phone with you. Watch faces are mostly FREE as well. Garmin's approach is to make money by selling fitness smart watches, not app subscriptions or watch faces...
I think comparing both today - Garmin is a no brainer. Probably as iPhone user I'd go for Apple Watch but their sleep tracking and battery life is rubbish... And as I do have bad sleeping habits and it is one of most important features for me Garmin is a winner.
I've read several reviews on the Versa 3 and I don't recall any of them mentioning the loss of the music play app. There's little interest in the issue outside of actual users, and no one is scared off from buying the watch because it isn't mentioned in reviews.
Perhaps we need to put some outside pressure on Fitbit to address this, not just to keep posting to the forums. The company -- especially when they have their new masters in place -- will be more concerned about getting new users, not satisfying people who have already bought in (who've owned at least two Fitbit products). Alert potential purchasers.
We should also get that many users, younger Fitbit owners haven't lived in a world where physical media was important. Streaming everything is fine to a lot of people, not realizing the utility of having and owning a copy of something, not just having "rights" to it. Their favorite playlist could be decimated by a small disagreement between two corporations, as one service loses the right to some artist's entire catalogue.
Yes, it's a big deal to be able to run and workout without a phone, especially for me. However, there's a larger issue regarding being able to use the media we own when we want to in anyway we want to.
I had the ability to download my own music on my old Versa. I received my Sense as a Christmas gift and was disappointed that the my music app was removed and that any music ability requires a paid subscription to a music service.
This is appalling. I am loving my fitbit but purchased it because I was told it could store music. No mention whatsover that I would need a paid subscription. I'm disgusted at the false advertising and the downgrade with no advice from fitbit that this situation is to be rectified.
I bought the Sense as a gift for my girlfriend and she just loved it, until we realized she needed a paid subcription to listen to music. The big reason to get it was so she could listen to music or audiobooks without taking her phone. After asking how big of a deal it was that that feature was gone, Her response: Take it back.
So let me see if I understand this decision fully. You make an amazing watch without features that existed previously (and caused no issues mind you) and decide to make a "new version" without those features and double down and cripple what remains of the ability to listen to music by forcing users into other high priced subscription services if they want music from their because why? Now I have to choose to either carry my phone with me when I'm outside exercising which is the entire reason I wanted a fitness band in the first place, to avoid having to do that, or go without music! If I'm going to carry my phone with me why do I need a fitbit then? What POSSIBLE reason would I want an extra device to bring with me when there are good phone armbands that I can use instead since I'm now forced to carry my phone with me because someone at fitbit had a "brilliant" idea to downgrade the ability of their latest offerings? There are good phones that can give me what a fitibt can without me needing to pay extra per month just to listen to music I've already purchased while I'm out and about.
Wow, I am so upset. I just bought the fitbit versa 3 (over the cheaper options) literally because it supposedly held my personal music. I have spent days going out to purchase wireless headphones and trying to figure out how I can get music onto it to now figure out that I can't. That is completely messed up. Do I return it? Do I buy a separate product to listen to music so I don't have to carry my phone? Am I forced to get pandora premium? I am pissed. Supposedly the number 3 smart watch my butt. Ugh literally the most buyers remorse I have ever had!!!! Please fitbit please please please bring the personal music option back. The watch has storage for 300ish songs! Honor that!
Hi @SunsetRunner , thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to storage music on Sense. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request. A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.
Description on my Sense says it can "Store & play music," turns out to be a complete lie since it can only download music from streaming services. Never returned something so fast. Ended up ordering an apple watch since it actually supports offline music, hopefully that works out.
Hi @EG531, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to listen music on your Versa 3. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request. A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.
Dear @YojanaFitbit . This is going on for months now. Why haven't we heard an official comment from Fitbit except from 'Thanks for sharing your feedback'?
Dear @YojanaFitbit. I echo all the above sentiments and am as baffled as others as to why Versa/Sense had personal music storage, and now doesn't have it! All the 'thanks for explaining/feedback,,,,' doesnt seem to be moving us towards restoring Music storage and am losing hope. Garmin Venu is looking more attractive option for those who can afford to give their fitbit versa the flick. Unfortunately I cant so am holding onto the tiniest thread of hope the company will either explain WHY WHY WHY or restore
To those just joining this mess, let me lay it out again and encourage you all to go get your money back.
The most likely scenario here is that Fitbit took money to only allow local music storage through one of the streamers to boost streaming subscriptions.
They can't come out and say this, that would probably break the contract. They can't say just say it's not coming, that would deter those of you foolishly holding on to hope that the feature's coming in the next update.
Think about it. If they wanted to keep people from returning the device and they were actually going to add the feature back, they'd say so. I've said this before but it was probably deleted: The silence is the answer. And it's going on 5 months now. The feature's not coming. Vote with your dollars and get another brand.
I agree with you also, took mine back after Christmas, but still coming back checking the updates to see if something changes.
Hate to admit it but I wanted this to workout so much that I would come back if the option returned. Fitbit has a huge following and support from others through workouts. I hate to lose that but my pockets have spoken for me since they jumped on the money grab with the paid music subscriptions.
Well I did it. I returned my Fitbit Versa 3 and got my money back. I’m really really disappointed as I loved everything about it except the inability to transfer my personal music from my laptop to my watch. And so disappointed with the poor communication from Fitbit as to whether or not this was going to be addressed.
So what’s everyone’s thoughts on the Garmin Venu Sq music?
The interface is not nearly as intuitive as the Versa so finding what you want to do on it takes time.
The vibration is more noisy than effective. Even at max, I'll often more hear it than feel it. I'm a light sleeper though so it's still enough to wake me up at least.
BUT... it works. The GPS actually tracks my distance run, which the Versa 2 never did even with my phone (it always used my stride length and step count to give my distance, which was always wrong). And the music works with my Galaxy Buds. Copying over is far quicker than the Versa 2 was, because it just copies the tracks instead of re-encoding them as it stores. You still need to install a PC app.
Also, it has actual buttons! Like physical, push buttons! 2 of them! Buttons are not the devil, guys, they're useful.
I like it, I'm glad I got it, but I'm still really sorry I had to. Other than that weird capacitative button, the Versa 3 seemed like a nicer experience for the hour I had it. Too bad greed exceeded consumer interest.
Gps means I don't need my phone (massive massive plus!) but not being able to put podcasts or music on my sense means i have to take my phone on runs. Struggling with the logic of this. Spotify only works as a remote on wifi which someone must have wanted but i can't understand the point of it. If offline mp3 used to be feature, please just bring it back. Even better would be to transfer files directly from phone to it. Thanks
I've never owned a Fitbit before, but I just ordered a Versa 3 this morning only to learn there is no functionality to add my own music to it *and* that there are numerous popular music services - Youtube Music, Amazon, Apple -- it doesn't support at all. I opted for it b/c I thought the fitness functions might edge out the Samsung Galaxy Active 2, but this is an absolute dealbreaker. I will be returning it & buying a Samsung as my first smartwatch/fitness tracker.
I appreciate there's only so much space and processor capacity on the little Versa 3, but to advertise "music experiences" and then not allow offline audio storage on the watch is, frankly, misleading.
Not everyone wants to use the limited library of a streaming service. I prefer podcasts or audiobooks on long runs and I've got a ton of iTunes files I'd want to be able to use.
It seems a disingenuous or even sneaky step to try and claim the Versa 3 has the music functionality of the Versa 2, when it simply hasn't, and is bound to cause a lot of ill-feeling and probably some returned units.
Please return this feature. Makes no sense to add GPS and remove local music storage of owned content. I will not replace my broken versa without being given access to my content.
I can't believe that Fitbit would drop a music app in an upgraded product. There is so much WRONG about this it's hard to comprehend. Reason 1: You spit in the face of those who have been with Fitbit for years, 2: this type of Bait and Switch strategy might be expected from other predatory software developers, but Fitbit (?) is a company that started this business to improve the health of its users, 3. its about the most blatant exploitation of a captured audience, (will you start charging us a subscription to view the time soon), 4. it is reason enough to start researching other options. It makes more sense to increase profits by increasing your base of loyal users. For example, added cost should imply added value. Your ECG app is a great idea and should increase revenue the right way: added value justifies added cost. Charging us for something we already own is predatory and NOT conducive to increasing your user base. The main reason I'm upset above all else is that taking the music app away is not going to bode well for your company and I truly liked my first Fitbit which I had for years. This kind of behavior does not warrant a loyal user.
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