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".

[Ton]

@BoomTapYou seem to have taken my reply the wrong way... I didn't mean to be disrepectful of your post. It's just that we keep repeating the same things over and over with none of the Fitbit people giving a **ahem** or falsely acknowledging the problem. I don't know why I even bother coming to check here every time a new reply is posted (again, nothing personal  to you, and probably after all, maybe I too believe in miracles myself??? LOL). As I said a few posts ago, I feel like it's a lost battle and threatening to return the tracker will not affect them in the least. For one person that will return it back there are at least 50 who will buy a new one. I myself I've learnt to live with the problem, but I'm not a bus or a taxi driver or similar and I have sympathy for those people, who are not certainly able to use the tracker decently.

[BoomTap]

Thanks for the clarification. My apologies if I was too reactionary. How I roll sometimes. 🙂

Stay gold!

[Ton]

@BoomTapNo problem, mate. Apologies myself.

[Anilam]

It's ages since I can see that this issue was raised and I am really waiting for fit bit to allow turning offf step counter when needed (driving and horse riding in my case). It's really frustrating as I tried logging it as driving but it does not delete steps and charging fit it while driving worked only once and now is still contingent steps despite being on the charger ;(

[rainbow4abc]

If they ever "fix" this /  provide a "stop counting steps" button, I'll use it when I go to the theater.  Last evening, I racked up 900 steps through applauding.  I'll leave it in the car next time, but then I get no steps while I walk around at intermission.    This gets more and more frustrating. 

[Ton]

@rainbow4abcYeah, that happened to me too several months ago. I realised when the screen glowing in the dark. I didn't get all those steps though, probably only around 100, although I did think we were applauding a lot.

[Ekland]

Totally agree.  I ride a horse most days and do not want the horses steps counted as mine. It makes using the Fitbit a total waste of time.  All it needs is a pause count option. 

[LizFitbit]

Hi @MacWade and commenters - I wanted to share a development which impacts this particular suggestion. Whilst I have no update on a 'driving mode' per se, I can share that our team has been working on an improved algorithm, which has been launched in our newest device, Ionic. This development should see greater accuracy and reduced erroneous step counts during driving and other activities where arm movements are different, like pushing a stroller or shopping cart etc.

I will leave this suggestion as 'reviewed' for now until I have an update on full driving mode. Thanks all.

[Jen11]

So no comment about when horse riding, on a ride on lawnmower, tractor drivers we need a pause function for many reasons other than driving and pushing a shopping cart!!! why should people buy the new iconic when no evidence of the product will work? 

[Hippo_Rugby]

LizFitbit sorry but responding that this will be in another model is not an answer. Your response now guarantees that my next band will not be a Fitbit! You take our money and then when we ask for a small feature say it will only be available if we buy another model! So basically this forum is not to help those with products, but to help you develop your future products. 

[Ton]

@LizFitbitWhile your contribution might give some hope for the future tracker generations (and praise to you for it as for the first time some concern on the subject by the Fitbit devisers is hinted), I also have to agree with Jen11: shall we all ditch the ones we have and buy more? I certainly will not and am pretty sure I'm not alone... Again, a simple switch on/ off function would sound like the simplest and most sensible solution.

[Tgrinste]

@LizFitbit I can only assume you are the only Fitbit employee in this thread? At any rate, it is a smack in the face to the loyal Fitbit customers with 3+ years with the company to say that a well thought out improvement has NOT been implemented in the newest offering. I literally have to subtract my steps twice a day so I don't get false count due to my motorcycle commute. It angers me that you dismissively compare this issue to pushing a shopping cart. 

[B.Wagoner]

I know I certainly won't be buying another Fitbit till this significant
issue is resolved.
--
Bradley T. Wagoner
713-737-5773

[LizFitbit]

Hi all, thanks for getting back to me. I'm sorry that my reply was frustrating. 

@Jen11 You are right that there are other similar activities such as lawnmowers, tractors etc. I mention driving and shopping cart/pram because they are the more common use cases where this comes into play and also have existing discussions on the feature suggestion board.

@Hippo_Rugby I understand you're frustrated and I'm sorry I can't be more helpful. Implementing any update - perceived as big or small - involves a significant amount of planning, research and work as well as impact on customer support and our ability to support new features etc. As a forward-looking company, we're constantly striving to improve Fitbit products and services, so we aim to incorporate community feedback into future development.

@Ton There are a lot of proposed solutions in this discussion but I've re-escalated the on/off switch idea to our team and will be back with an update. It can take time so thanks in advance for your patience.

@Tgrinste I have just joined the community team and my role is to improve our feature suggestion area. I realize my post was not what you were hoping for and I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm aiming to provide a partial update on progress in lieu of no update at all. 

Thanks for your feedback and patience. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

[Ton]

@LizFitbitI am speechless! It took all this time to get someone sensible enough to give us some feedback on this matter: that surely raises some hope. Thanks again. I'm sure the subscribers on this thread will check back with different minds from now on. Fingers crossed...

[Mapex]

I ride a bike too and returned mine...

[rainbow4abc]

@LizFitbit   thank you for your comments.    An OFF switch would work for me.

$130 for this charge 2 was pushing my budget, but for health, i justified.  $300 for the Iconic, won't even be considered until the reviews roll in.

[PureEvil]

@rainbow4abc,

For whatever it's worth, both the Blaze and Surge have an option to turn it off in settings.  While the Ionic is not out yet, I'd be surprised if there wasn't such an option on the Ionic.

Additionally, I believe that most trackers stop tracking while they're charging.  So you might try plugging it in to charge while you're driving.  My drive to work is about 5-10 minutes, so I don't really have an opportunity to verify this.

[Ton]

@PureEvilI didn't know about the Blaze and Surge. But that makes it even worse that such an option has been discontinued on the Charge 2 which was launched quite some time after them 2!

About the count stopping while charging, that's true, but how about the people who work on a vehicle and need to get out of it many times a day? Also, as mentioned already in this thread, there are apps (Drivebit and Travelbit) which would be more practical than plugging in and out the charger. Still the most practical solution of all would be a simple switch function...

[dcgate]

it is a typical technology company attitude - instead of a simple feature and update existing devices, they over-engineer an algorithm that won't work properly for several iterations and only put it new devices.

I just bought my charge2. If I'd known it couldn't distinguish when I was driving/on the train or had no simple feature to avoid erroneous measures at that time, I'd never have bought it. I certainly won't be buying another fitbit product, algorithm or not.

[rainbow4abc]

@Ton @PureEvil      I did put my fitbit on its charger in the trunk of my motorcycle and  it counted more steps than when being worn on my arm.

({({(deeeep sigh))})})

[Mapex]

BOTTOM LINE....the technology just isn't here yet...if it was this post would be ling closed...

I'd buy another if i was convinced of it's accuracy but that doesn't look anytime in the near future.

[Loubostock]

I would love some sort of pause button for when I'm driving so it doesn't tell me I've done several thousand steps on my 4 hour journey... I'm sure It should be do-able for my fitbit blaze!

Thanks!

[Ton]

@rainbow4abcWow! I never tried myself but I think it's one of their suggestions to bypass the problem. Oh well...not much to add, then...

[TRoss1776]

I agree 100%. I'm a professional driver, and there are days where I will have well over 1,000 steps counted, that I did not take.