Please enable live location tracking!

[JohnsonH]

I saw a post about this in the Ionic thread, but I didn't find anything here under Suggestions -- and i think it's an important one! Please add the ability to live track our locations ... for safety reasons and also for post-workout meetups and refuels! I believe it's standard for all Garmin trackers to have this feature, and it's honestly the one thing that's making me contemplate switching from Fitbit to Garmin. I live in the outskirts of DC and want to be able to run in the evenings and/or at night while being able to share my live link with my husband for security reasons. Please, please add this!

Sites like Strava can do this with premium accounts (they call it "Beacon"), but I'd rather it be part of my Fitbit device so I dont need any additional apps (or monthly fees!) ❤️

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @JohnsonH, thanks for sharing this idea. It sounds really helpful to have an option like this, hope it gets a lot of votes. Keen to hear what others think?

[Donna80]

I'd feel safer having this too, especially if you jog with headphones on.

[JohnsonH]

agreed!!

[MadamVastra]

YES please.

[kfield317]

I was in the market to upgrade and was considering ionic or versa but also looked into other brands. This feature is actually one of 2 reasons I just bought a garmin.  I'm on day 2 with the garmin and have run both days.  My husband says it's cool to see me running but he also knows that I"m safe and he knows not to call me (he has a bad habit to call when I'm running).  I had a Charge 2 and was ready for more "smart watch" features.  Definitely a feature that is great and if FitBit were to get this and "find my phone". I'd definitely switch back! 

[JohnsonH]

Yessss, THIS! ^^^^

I just bought a versa online (bed bath and beyond let me use a coupon, despite the fine print saying they dont!) and it arrives today. I'm excited to try it, but i definitely wish it had the live tracking feature. In this case, it hasn't deterred me from buying fitbit yet because I do more indoor workouts than outdoor - but with the weather, i know that will change too and i'll do more outside when it's not quite so darn hot!  @YojanaFitbit, push this to the top of the list, please! 😛 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

Please enable this, at the moment I have to track my activities on both my Fitbit and Strava in order to have live tracking.

[gmbmx]

This is a great topic! I think this feature should be at the top of the list for Fitbit. With Garmin, this feature has been available...and really is a game changer when it comes to the conversation of purchasing the ionic over competitive options.

My scenario, I have a blaze and have used Fitbit for years now. I am in the market for an upgrade and considered the Apple watch, but "all day" battery life doesn't cut it for a fitness device (IMO). So, the Fitbit Ionic is my next consideration as I have owned Fitbit's in the past. The Ionic falls short of being a "smartwatch" (I assume most would agree, to no fault), but the idea that I may one day be able to respond to texts (from an iPhone) on the Ionic leaves me clinging to that hope...AKA, there are few things that deter Ionic buyers (IMO), but the things that do are the less talked about features that could potentially be part of the Fitbit user experience. 

I've researched several devices, and while the music capability of the Ionic is tempting, LIVE TRACKING! That would be the icing on the cake for me despite the Ionic's shortcomings. 

Let me be clear, I don't think there is a perfect fitness watch available by any means, everything from a Fenix 5, to the Ionic, an Apple watch and everything in between has some flaw that could arguably steer a buyer in a different direction.

I know there is more to this Live Tracking feature than just doing it, but come on Fitbit! Call it "Safe Track" if it's a branding issue...upgrade your servers, INVEST in these devices just as we have (not that you don't). I'm pretty sure most are tired of yearly upgrades to the next device that's another couple hundred dollars and has 1 critical new feature that everyone clearly wanted (a bigger screen) and rebranded claims (Cough Cough, Apple).

You have a great base of users that want to see competitive features, but the longer it takes to bring the "most complete" fitness tracker to market, the more Fitbit community members are going to go elsewhere for "safer" or "smarter" tech (once again IMO).

In conclusion, make Live Tracking happen, it's a brilliant possible feature that would only enhance the user experience.

Best!  

[SunsetRunner]

Please enable this or atleast support Strava Beacon. I have to log my activities twice. Is there any update on whether either option is in the pipeline?

[samsdad]

I, too, would like to see live tracking.  I use a cheap app - Pacer - that lets me send live tracking data to whomever I choose.

But...

While live tracking shows location in real time, it doesn't provide a means to alert those with access to my live tracking data with a way to notify them that I'm in trouble and need assistance.  If they are watching my progress and see that I've stopped, they have no idea why.  Am I talking with some friends I've encountered on my walk?  Does my dog need to take a dump?  (Those with dogs know how long it can take to find just the perfect spot!)  I am sitting down to take a breather?  There's no way for them to know.  I would like to see incorporated into live tracking the ability to send out an SOS that I need help.  There could be two types - one to alert those watching my live tracking that I need help and another more serious SOS to summon EMS.

Here's a real life example.  Last winter while walking my dog, I slipped on the ice and broke three ribs.  While I was able to struggle to make my way home (while experiencing significant pain), it would have been great to activate an SOS call for someone to come and help me home.  If it had been something more serious, such as a compound fracture of my leg, I could have used the more 'serious' SOS to summon emergency services.

It seems to me that if I can provide people with live tracking, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to incorporate an SOS function into live tracking...

[wiseman13]

I would settle for being able to activate the Strava Beacon feature from my Versa.

[SunsetRunner]

I would actually prefer if they just used Strava's Beacon feature. 

[JD_Metro]

I need this pls. Considering switching to Garmin. My wife is afraid I’ll drop dead. Would be cool to even share live run details like heart rate pace distance etc too. 

[TammyHonour]

Agree with all comments above. Live tracking on board would awesome, but honestly linking Strava Beacon via Bluetooth would be a workable solution for me, as I carry my phone anyway for Spotify and safety.

Like others, my next smartwatch will be a Garmin. Fitbit's inaction on this and the whole no calories to kilojoules conversion thing is just too frustrating! 

[DianaBouwman]

A great idea, but unfortunally for over more thsn a year and it still isn't worked out by Fitbit. This is about safety for FitBit users....so make this happen Fitbit

[elinor_lev]

Add Israel to location in advanced settings

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @elinor_lev, thanks for explaining why you would like to have more options to change location on the Fitbit app. 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.

[05ballardb]

There should be the option to switch between the viewing the live tracking of an activity on the device and on the phone. For example starting a run on the phone and the device automatically switches to tracking the activity and vice versa.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @05ballardb, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to switch between the viewing the live tracking of an activity on the device and on the phone. 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.

[05ballardb]

@YojanaFitbit 

Thank you for moving the request.

In addition to the original comment I made about switching between phone and device, I think it would be good to have an option for group coordinators to have the option of signing up a team to do live tracking of their phones/devices as part of an event (run, hike, cycle etc.)

For an event where multiple expedition teams are involved in completing routes at the same time it monitors the position of the teams and the activity data. Real-time data may be a challenge but every 5 minutes could be an alternative option.

Other activities like cycling outdoors could be linked together for live tracking  to provide a virtual spin class for outdoor cycling as an additional feature.

[Skilleta]

I really want this as well! Right now, when I go on runs, I don't use my fitbit charge 4 to record it because I want the beacon on strava. Thus, I record it on strava and then import it over. But, because I tracked it via strava instead of fitbit, I don't get my heart rate data when I view the strava run. If I did it the other way, tracked on fitbit and imported to strava, I could have the heart rate data, but then I don't get the beacon and safety comes first. So please add a live tracking function!

[mattb4]

Agree this would be useful, but a workaround that I've been using is to instead share my location through Google maps (I have an Android device). I believe you can do something similar in iOS. That way I keep using Fitbit to record the workout (and get HR data) and family and friends know where I am via Google maps.

[05ballardb]

@mattb4 

Now that Fitbit has been taken over by Google something like this should be able to be integrated fairly easily as a built in feature that uses Google maps.

[.-_Amali_-.]

Yes please! I totally agree with this. I constantly share my live location with my husband and mum on my phone for safety reasons and would love for this to be also an option on my fitbit Charge 4.

Also a children's version of this too! I know that for now there isn't a fitbit for children with GPS but it would be so important for safety reasons on days out.

[snaildy]

Please do! My phone's GPS is so poor it prompted my purchase of the GPS enabled Charge 4. This more reliable GPS device would be more helpful if it could send others my real-time location.