Option to turn off step count (or add "Driving Mode") to avoid erroneous steps/floors

[MacWade]

I just got home yesterday from a driving 6 hours in my car and I checked my Fitbit. I was really suprised to see it had given me almost 8,000 steps, 3.24 miles, 134 floors, & way more calories thank I burned while I was sitting in my car.  I looked on the forum to see how to easily delete the steps, miles, floors, and calories so my data would be accurate.  The only way people are fixing it is by manually logging the activity "Automobile or light truck (not a semi) driving" and entering in the duration.  I think that is a cumbersome way to fix the issue everytime I drive because I have to make sure I write down what time I get into and out of my car so I know the start time and duration.  And how does it automatically know the calories burned when everyone burns calories when they are sedentary at different rates.

I think they should add a "Drive Mode" feature that when turned on it won't add steps, distance, floors, & will only add calories burned equal to you sitting in a chair.

You could access the "Drive Mode" either on your Fitbit One or on your phone app to turn it on/off.  If you have a Fitbit One you could press the button till the "Drive Mode" icon appears then hold the button down for 2 seconds to turn it on or off.

On the phone apps you would just go to your device under "Account" and there you could turn it on or off.

You could also have the option to give you an alert when you unlock the phone that reminds you that it is in "Drive Mode" so you don't forget to turn it off when you get to your destination.  It would also be cool if you could use Siri to turn it on by saying "Turn on Fitbit Drive Mode" or "Turn off Fitbit Drive Mode".

[Sandishmily]

I posted on their facebook page. Not holding out much hope though. It will probably get deleted. Anyone have suggestions for a good device to replace the fitbit charge hr with?

[schoolbuslady]

Me too. I'm done. Gave mine away to a friend that does not commute. Bye
bye, fitbit.

[SunsetRunner]

I def won't be upgrading until this issue is resolved, but I doubt I'd go to another tracker either.  the fitbit is awesome aside from this one issue, which unfortunately is a deal breaker moving forward.

I can also recommend tweeting @parkjames (fitibit ceo) and copying @fitbitsupport as they do respond there.  pages of comments on this thread clearly don't get a response, but maybe a more public response would.

you can follow the thread I posted here:

http://twitter.com/FitbitSupport/status/780607856563269633?s=09

[SunsetRunner]

Drive Mode is a GREAT idea, with SIRI interface and reminder it is on when unlocked. At least add it to the ACTIVITY menu under ACCOUNT.

[SunsetRunner]

Maybe you can have it stop tracking when the phone it is linked to is linked to a car Bluetooth. But the question is how you determine you are linked to a car? You can set reminders for when you connect/disconnect from the car's Bluetooth.

[SunsetRunner]

We need both an on/off switch for Driving Mode as well as automatically switching on/off when connecting to car Bluetooth. You can set a reminder for when you link/unlink from the car Bluetooth so you should be able to do the same.

[SunsetRunner]

A combination of an on/off switch and automatic on/off when phone FitBit is linked to links/uplinks from car Bluetooth. Apple iPhone 6s will REMIND you of something (close garage door, take your purse, keys, etc.) when when the phone links/unlinks from bluetooth in car now.

[Funkydrummer]

All very good ideas, but don't hold your breath. This forum is totally ignored by Fitbit. I'm going to sell mine and buy a different brand.

[stacybird]

I am unsubscribing from the thread after upvoting and waiting patiently.  Has it been a year yet?  long enough to be tired of more comments on the thread, but no status change of the ticket.  

Will not purchase a new fitbit.

[Rich_Laue]

I'm not sure how the blaze would connect to the cars bluetooth.. 

It would be nice to have a start switch through settings on the blaze

[PureEvil]

The tracker itself wouldn't connect to the car's bluetooth.

The smartphone connects and the Fitbit app simply monitors when it connects and disconnects to the car's bluetooth and then enters the Driving activity on your behalf.

[SunsetRunner]

That's what I had in mind. The app, or a ghost, will have to be running in the background.

Sent from Bill's iPad

[Ciochi]

Hi

Can you please add a function to stop monitoring everything except for the heart rate that you can start from the watch?

When driving, riding bicycle, riding motorcycle etc. You get false steps and floors. Your suggestion is to add driving as an activity but that has the drawback that you need to add it after you done it and it counts as an activity.

With my proposed "HR only" function you can start it when you get in the car and stop it when you get out. You will still have HR measured so calories will be a lot more accurate. And it will not count as an activity. And it is very easy to implement.

[SunsetRunner]

Or maybe they could stop counting steps and floors once moving greater than running speed.

Sent from Bill's iPad

[seafea]

Just checking to see if this has been fixed. Nothing? No news?

Weird. Cusotmer service assured me a fix was coming within weeks.

[Rich_Laue]

For now download the drivebit app

[alienbeing]

Please could you add the capability to zero out steps and stairs (and not calories)  in an activity from your phone by categorizing it as (for example) "NoStepsStairs"? I do not care what you call it, it is the functionality that is key!

My fitbit (Charge HR) sometimes records bumpy roads as an activity and counts steps and stairs I did not do. The above simple software tweak to the app would completely resolve this.

Note: categorizing in-app as either "Driving" activity that appears in search does not delete steps or stairs, it merely renames it as driving and one version deletes distance and one does not - both useless.

This fix is WAY better than having to go online and override an activity with a Driving activity, which does work but is irritating at best.

Thanks very much!!

[alienbeing]

Please note: this is NOT a request to stop the Charge HR from counting erroneous steps and stairs (which is a major design change) - this is merely a request to provide a way to cancel them easily from within the phone app 🙂

Thank you

[SDQBee]

Thanks Rich_Laue

I already use drivebit but it does not stop the steps added during driving being added to my challenges which is why I would like to see a drive mode added that stops any steps being measured by the fitbit.

[Rich_Laue]

@SDQBee your OP says nothing about the challenges, only about needing to turn of the Fitbit, giving the impression that you where unaware that there was a Driving mode. 

I would add your vote and comments to the request to Have the removed steps also removed from challenges. 

Beleive me I'm well aware of this, I was trying to answer a question and enabled Mobile Trac, in the next 20 minutes while sitting and talking to support, i received 150k of steps.. Support could see this but had no answer, even told me that they removed the ability to remove mobile trac. 

By the time I figured out how I could remove it I had done 300K+ in an hour. 

Boy did I have some explaining to the challengers. 

[SDQBee]

I would liked to have been a fly on your wall, Rich_Laue, when you tried explaining that one 

Thanks for the link, I will go there now and add my vote for that one. My sister and I are really competative but she would soon get fed up if I kept clocking up loads of steps. Luckily I have a pedometer and once my driving for the day is finished and synced, I take off my fitbit and clock up the driving miles that way. Not the best but makes me feel better when I am 'taunting' her about winning 🙂

[12HourWalker]

I just looked at the Google Play store and Drivebit has been replaced by Travelbit for Android users. I can still find Drivebit for Android by doing a quick Google search but I am wary of third party offers from site I do not trust. Thanks @Rich_Laue for putting me on this track.

[Rich_Laue]

@12HourWalker if you want drivebit simply go to fitbit.com/apps click on drivebit.. From their click on download, it will take you to the play store page.

I  see travelbit has auto detect of driving which is a plus. 

[12HourWalker]

@Rich_LaueI've done that and it takes me to a page saying that Drivebit is not available in my country. When I go to the Play Store directly and search for Drivebit, I get a referral to TavelBit saying Drivebit no longer works and TravelBit is it's replacement.

I do value your opinion though. While I have your attention, do you know any apps that will give me a battery percentage for my Blaze on a Droid Turbo 2 ??

[Deepak28]

Hi,

While driving a motorbike or even a car at times, the steps get added. This is a commonly reported problem.I can see an activity "Outdoor Bike" in Activity history. This can be solved to a certain extent by adding an actiivty "Driving" with matching times.

A simple solution for doing this could be to add a "Driving" button alongside the activity in Activity history. Like you have a "Delete" icon which can be used to remove existing activity. The "Driving" icon can flag activities like Outdoor bike with very less input from the end user.

Regards,

Deepak