Next generation Alta HR/Alta with altimeter (stair counter)

[sjhowe]

I own a Charge HR because I really wanted to track heart rate but I originally bought the One so that I could discretely track my steps. The Charge HR is anything but discrete and I really don't like big wearable tech, especially ones that shout "I TRACK MY STEPS". More importantly, I always wear an analog watch and wearing two watches is just dumb.

When the Charge 2 was released I was really looking forward to updating my Charge HR, but the display is massive and looks stupid on my small wrists. Then I was beyond excited to hear about the Alta HR. My boyfriend was just about to order it for me as a gift until I saw they don't track floors so I had to call him in a panic saying "DO NOT ORDER - No floors climbed = No deal"! Thanks but no thanks. 

I understand that there are size limitations for what features can be included but please can you create a sleek/slim tracker like the Alta HR and Charge 2 put together that we don't have to be embarrassed about wearing? (Yes, I've had multiple times when I've gone out and got the "are you actually going to wear that?" in reference to my Fitbit). Something with sleep tracking, floors climbed, interchangeable bands, and small. Text/call notifications would also be nice 🙂

Moderator edit: Labels and title for clarity

[purpletenniscat]

Altitude is so important for us hikers!

[SueAlan]

I have also asked for an Alta HR with floors added (and waterproof case would be a definite plus). I stopped using the HR I was given as a gift and just use my One because the floors feature is way more important to me than the added features of the HR.

I have thought of getting a Charge 2 but, I agree, it is too clunky for a small female wrist...definitely not a fashion statement.

[jnorton193]

As of mid-July I earned the badge Astronaut for climbing over 28,000 floors! The Alta HR is very attractive, but floors are a must! My Charge 2 quit keeping track of floors, so I opted for the Alta HR, unaware that it doesn't record floors. Very disappointed... 😞  

[SueAlan]

I got my Astronaut badge about the same time as jnorton193. After seeing your experience with the Charge 2, I guess I’ll stick with my good old One. It may not have all the bells and whistles but at least it’s reliable and counts flights.

[jnorton193]

Thank you Sue Alan,
    Maybe If Fitbit gets hit in their pocketbook by people not buying new Devices, they may upgrade their product.

[Lishthedish]

My charge HR kept breaking and after having Fitbit support send me lesser quality replacements (twice within the same year) that kept breaking as well I decided to take the 50% discount to get a new product and I picked the slimmer/cuter Alta HR. It's not worth it for many reasons (like having another Fitbit charger and weird screen visibility) but most importantly I miss not having the floors climbed showcased on the Alta HR. If I could go back and re-choose my option from Fitbit support I would take the lesser quality replacement Charge HR over the discounted brand new rose gold Alta HR. 

[jnorton193]

I agree, the Alta HR is a disappointment. There should be a way to include
floors, since they had it way back when they had the Fitbit One.

[SueAlan]

I actually gave up my Alta HR and continue to use my Fitbit One. It counts steps more accurately that anything worn on the wrist and also counts floors. Here’s hoping Fitbit listens to us and creates something the size of the Alta that counts floors and is water resistant enough to wear in the shower.

[jnorton193]

 I may need to return to my Fitbit one, as well 

[SueAlan]

Did you happen to notice the Fitbit One is no longer listed as an option on the Fitbit website. I guess they just want to force everyone to use ugly, huge, less accurate wrist worn trackers in order to get floor counts.



Come on Fitbit…if you insist on making only wrist worn trackers, why can’t you come up with a tracker for women that includes floors and is water resistant enough to be worn in the shower?

[jotuna]

Agree with others: excited to have the new alta hr, bummed that I have to look at a big fat zero every day all day when I live in a two story house. And no way to log manually? Really??

[Rich_Laue]

The Zip, Alta, Alta HR, Flex, and Flex do not have barometers to count floors

The following models do count floors

One

Charge

Charge HR

Surge

Charge 2

Baze

Ionic

The discontinued Ultra and Force also counted Floors.

The Charge 2 is basically the Allta HR with floor counting

[Rich_Laue]

The Charge 2 is the same as the Alta HR but with Floors

[Rich_Laue]

The reason the Charge 2 is bigger is because of the Floor counting.

[jnorton193]

I understand,  but the little Ultra, which is Tiny! Had  Stair tracking capability.

[Mr_Pete]

I too am very unhappy that the Alta HR does not track floors.............Hard to believe I missed it in the desciption!

[LizFitbit]

Hi everyone, there aren't currently any plans to add floors climbed to Alta HR. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and we will let you know if anything changes. If you want to see what other trackers have this feature, you can learn more here: https://www.fitbit.com/compare. Thanks for sharing this suggestion.

Text and call notifications are currently available on Alta HR - learn more about notifications on our help site here.

[Embo66]

Just want to add my voice to the chorus here about putting the Floors option into the Alta. I started with a Fitbit Charge and that was one of my favorite features. Indeed, I would deliberately use the bathroom on a different floor just to get in that exercise -- and see it reflected in my daily accomplishments.

As we all know, this feedback is the critical piece in getting yourself motivated and interested in doing more, better, etc. I'd be thrilled if the Alta models could be upgraded to include this feature! (Or, alternatively, making a Charge HR that was as slim and good-looking as the Alta.)

[Rich_Laue]

This will not be possible without doing a complete redesign of the Alysa HR, and probably will have to make the unit as wide as the Charge 2.

Since the current Alta HR does not have the ability to measure floors it will also require the user to by a new tracker. 

This is simply why it is not planned. 

It seems to always be better to do ones research before purchase. 

[cathym2]

They could do floors on the little Fitbit One, so why is it so difficult to
add it to something smaller than the Charge 2, which is not even counting
floors accurately - currently you are getting only about 2-3 for every 3-4
you actually climb.

[tjulianna88]

@Rich_Laue do you understand the "or a make a smaller Charge 2" phrase? I know (and most of us do know) that the current Alta HR doesn't have the sensors to measure floor climbing. It's just that as someone with a small wrist I would like to have more features in a smaller size. Actually I did my research. Firstly for my hubby, as the Fitbit Charge 2 he owns was my idea, and he liked it so much that he insisted to buy one for me. My only problem was that it was way too big for me. Hey I'm someone who uses her Fitbit Alta HR S on the 1st or 2nd position. And I was really torn between these 2 models, and it's incredibly irritating that whenever I want to buy a new gadget I have to choose between features and style. I have a lot of friends really involved in running, swimming or cycling and none of them uses Fitbit, just because at their level they have other options like Garmin or Polar. So I see Fitbit mostly as a lifestyle band so style and size should be a concern for them. No one with a small wrist and an office job (umm... dress code) wants to wear the Charge 2 daily. It's a legit issue and a legit suggestion.

[SteffC]

And by the way.... It can be done. I used to own a Jawbone UP Product that was the same size as the Alta HR and had way more features, including floor tracking. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a money thing. Who says you should own more than one tracker to accomplish everything you want and need? FitBit does. I was actually told that by FitBit when I asked about this very issue. I am hoping one day they will get it. If Jawbone wasn't such a pain in the rear to deal with, I would still be a customer.

[Rich_Laue]

@eedoherty1988 your Flex 2 should be Dr texting and recording your bike rides. If they are not please post in the Flex 2 board. 

As for stationary biking, yes this will not be detected. 

[Scrapjen]

With the discontinuance of the ONE ... unhappy customers are looking for alternatives. The Alta in a 3rd party clip (as One wearers do not want a wristband device) is the closest thing to a One. Unfortunately, the floors feature (or lack thereof) is a deal breaker for many. I understand that every feature can't be in every device, but surely there is some space in the basic Alta model, as it doesn't have the heart rate function?

... I also really like the timer function, and the button also helps scrolling through stats. The tapping can be tough.

[SantiR]

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this suggestion. We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and we appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. We do not currently have plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released in our FAQs. For now, we will leave this suggestion open for votes (and closed to comments) so that we can continue to track community demand over time. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and we will let you know if anything changes.