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".

[LucaEllis]

I have a charge 2 device and notice that it does log some "steps" when driving my car. I can later log this as an activity which does work but I would love to be able to just have it on my watch and click start driving - once done driving then just click stop. I feel like this would be much easier to do than manually logging it later on.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @LucaEllis! Great suggestion, thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request. Post a comment or click on the thumbs-up to show your support.

[LesterM]

Just give it up. So many people have requested and offered the same ideas for over 5 years now. It’s obvious that they will never fix this issue. A moderator even said that they are not working on this feature anytime soon. Return you devices and get something else. You’ll be a lot happier for it. Every other smart watch/fitness tracker has a pause or stop logging step feature. 

[Casey4554]

Lester, which trackers have it?

[LesterM]

Samsung, Garmin, and Apple has them. They are the only once I have personally purchased, so I can’t speak to other smart watches in the market. I’m looking to replace my Charge 3 with a Samsung Fit. Currently using an Apple Watch but just don’t like how bulky it is. I had a garmin vivofit, which had a pause feature, before I purchased a Charge 3. The only issue I have with the Garmin watches is that the bands are not replaceable. Hope that helps.

[anilb]

This is so infuriating. I bought my dad a Fit Bit and discovered after a month that the bus ride he takes adds to the steps. It just BLOWS my mind that there is no "Pause" Pedometer button on the watch. Are you guys nuts? I can't even throw this watch in the garbage can since it is in India now. Why didn't I just buy the Samsung Watch, I am crying tears now. What a **ahem**ty company this is. I will never ever buy anything from this crapshoot organization nor ever recommend it to anyone. Start stealing people's money directly, why sell a product?

[GrumpyCyclist]

Doesn't even need a pause button. The thing can detect if I'm walking, running, swimming, cycling, and so on. I'm sure it could detect driving. But, I agree, with all the stuff they're refusing to fix, always shoving things into this suggestions forum to languish in internet purgatory never to be looked at or addressed.  Once I've saved up enough I'm ditching it and getting a Samsung.

[HarleyKB]

done with fitbit, their support is terrible for feature or bug fixes, probably bought 9-10 watches total and 2 aria.. Many of the same issues reported multiple times on multiple threads never addressed,  Stopped bothering reporting them myself since I can see others have the same issues going unresolved. lots of inconvenient workarounds offered from other users.

[Zatara]

2020 and this is still not a feature.

The fact that the stepper is so inaccurate is really pissing me off. Its the one major issue I have with the fitbit but also seems to be the simplest to fix.

[Pattybadd]

I would like to be able turn off or sleep the Fitbit steps while I am driving my bus for work.  It registers all the bumps of the bus.  Driving a bus is not a smooth ride.  So when I am done with my route, it has me registered for 4000 steps or more and I know I didnt take that many steps.  Please try to address this ! 

Patty 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Pattybadd, this is a good idea. 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.

[doublendoublem]

I'm going to chime in here, and also reflect on the fact this suggestion is 5 years old and we've yet to see any action taken to address this issue, which still persists across devices and firmware versions.

Let's resolve this, FitBit.

[LeahLiv]

Get a new tracker. They literally do not care.

[travmantoo]

I'm very disappointed with my Charge 3 and Fitbit's customer service. This was suggested almost 2 years ago and... NOTHING. I drive a truck and every time my wrist starts vibrating because I've made 10,000 steps in WORLD RECORD TIME, I feel like throwing it out the window. The only reason I still own this thing is to track my sleep because I work nights. THAT is not super accurate either. It can be fooled in to thinking I'm sleeping almost as easy as my mom was when I was a kid.

[NJMversa]

Not to be logged as an exercise & therefore counted as a workout day. A menu item, similar to “do not disturb” for driving to not count the steps while actively driving and times can be adjusted through the app. Real simple. No complicated add driving as an exercise and have calories counted like a workout too. 

[RuneWraith]

I don’t like the fact that my wrist movement etc while I’m driving count towards my steps for the day, it’s makes the whole process feel completely pointless. With a stationary mode you could turn it on when you about to travel in a vehicle or are working at your desk so it doesn’t count shaking of the wrist as walking during these times. I am astounded sometime like this doesn’t already exist but it certainly should, it should be possible to tell your Fitbit, I am currently not walking.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @RuneWraith, this is a good idea. 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. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @NJMversa, this is a good idea. 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.

[GrumpyCyclist]

Oh look, two more "great ideas" moved to this page to be ignored in perpetuity. I drive 2000 miles a week, 200 miles each drive. If I didn't remove these steps by the end of the week I'd have about 40,000 more steps logged than actually taken, yet Fitbit don't see this as a problem. And to add icing to this mouldy old cake, when I DO remove these steps it adds "driving" as a workout so I keep getting "whoa you've gone over your workout goal for the week". No. No I haven't. Driving is not a workout.

Fitbit's development was stagnating for a while, but since the Google takeover it just seems to have got worse. Like every other company it's now "let's release a new device" instead of taking time to fix purely software issues with their current generation. And to add insult to injury they don't fix the same issues on the new devices either.

[Em_Tee]

My Charge 3 is by no means perfect - when swimming it logs arm strokes as steps, as well as counting laps - and sometimes it counts the laps wrong.  I'd love to be able to think I could swim 44 laps of a 50mtr pool in an hour, but reality says otherwise.  As for the floors climbed, well, today I've only walked in my absolutely flat backyard, and I've done 66 floors.  

I'm keeping the Fitbit because despite those drawbacks - especially annoyed about the swimming, as that was my main reason for buying the Charge 3 - it has been reminding me every hour to get out and do a few steps, which is what I needed.

BUT I would love to be able to delete the incorrect floors, and the extra steps, and I would love to be able to delete all the unearned badges.  

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Em_Tee, this is a good idea. 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. You might also interested in voting for this other suggestion: Remove unearned step and floor badges.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @jiri.popek, thanks for explaining why you'd like your Fitbit device to auto-recognize your driving activity with us. This feature suggestion already exists, so I’ve moved your post here. This will helps us to keep the forums organized and make sure the suggestions don't get confused, or split a popular vote. Add your vote to show your support and keep adding your suggestions!

[JanetMMcC]

Because The Powers That Be have ignored the many suggestions here to return
"drive" mode to Fitbits, I'm voting with my feet. I couldn't get my 3rd
band to stay on my Charge 3, so I bought a Garmin.

--
janet

[NASABiker]

Riding my Harley to work results in "achieving" 1000s of false steps, and 10s of false floors of stairs.  Am grateful I can edit that after the fact by recording a "driving" exercise during that time.  (It used to be a more involved editing process that was such a pain that I quit using my fitbit.)  While better than it used to be, editing after the fact is a pain.  

I tried to use my versa 2 to "Start" a "Driving" exercise session... But "driving" is not an allowable exercise shortcut that can be sent to the versa 2.  

Seems this should be an easy enhancement.  

The best option would be a Harley rejection filter... But that would require too much analysis for a niche group.  Adding "driving" as an allowable versa 2 shortcut, would go a long way though. 

[EdsonFitbit]

Hi @NASABiker, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback about adding driving as an exercise. This feature suggestion already exists so I’ve moved your post here to keep this board organized.