Save countdown time on Sense/Sense 2

[BlazeFS]

The countdown timer on the Sense does not save once you exit the Timer app. For example, if I were to set a 30 second countdown timer, I want to come back to the Timer app later today or tomorrow and it would still be saved to 30 seconds. It does this on the Versa / Versa 2. It does not do this on the Sense.

Moderator edit: Clarified subject

[KaroDd]

Thanks AlecGo for your tip! This works great on my  eras 3. I was able to save 2 different times in the timer app! 

[BKNautic]

An easily set and reusable countdown timer is a critical function to me. Sailboat races, in particular, but a myriad of other activities as well. A strong vote for repeat countdown functions. 

[alex-w]

Yes please, correct this oversight.  I upgraded from my Ionic which used to retain the last setting.  The Sense is a superior watch and I love it.  I use the timer and countdown quite regularly and having to reset the countdown over and over again is annoying and time wasting.  The repeat timer only lasts a few minutes and then it resets to default.

While I wait for FitBit to correct this glitch I am using a great free app called SwipeTime.  The app is simple and barebone but works perfectly and retains the last setting you can find it at

SwipeTime by ImplicityApp | Fitbit App Gallery

[alex-w]

Forgot to mention to use a stylus or press the dial lightly with your fingers to set the timer 🙂

[alex-w]

Moderator please delete this duplicate post.

[alex-w]

Moderator please delete this duplicate post

[SharyS]

@alex-w does SwipeTime allow you to set minutes and seconds, say for 2:30? Not clear from the app description. Thanks.

[alex-w]

Minutes only. 

All you do is uses your finger on the dial and it will advance. It’s a basic free timer that retains the last setting.  

Make sure not to close it before it goes off or it will reset to default.   This is a nuisance because while the timer is on you cannot view your watch face.

To be frank, I have reluctantly reverted to using the Fitbit Timer that will work in the background--with colourful exclamations each time I have to re-enter the previous time setting.

For longer timers, I have also used Alexa as a timer which is useful and offers the additional benefit of the constant buzzing alert. 

The Sense buzzing effect is equally as weak as the Ionic one--if you are engrossed in a task it can be easily missed.  Alexa's timer alert  keeps on buzzing you until you take action 🙂

All the other timers available in the App Store are terrible-including the paid ones.

I hope Fitbit fixes this oversight soon.

[Danonline]

Congratulations, while I love FitBit and the community you’re the first company that continually strives to make things worse or more difficult with upgrades.

Like who both tests and codes your UI, not only does the timer not save as everyone has mentioned, but you’ve added additional friction as when you go into the timer app you now have to press add timer and then scroll through to the timer (additional steps for no good reason, when Versa 2 didn’t have these issues).

Also Exercise Shortcuts are missing on mine, so if I’m going on a walk I got scroll to the bottom instead of having it up the top. Once again more inefficient UI.

Honestly I bow down to how you can take a bunch of intuitive features and make it worse on a “flagship” device. You don’t need feedback from a community to know, well that’s silly it involves extra steps, you should have well paid UI/UX Designers that study this as part of their daily jobs. I’d be curious to hear from them their reasoning behind the extra steps mentioned above to make it more difficult for users.

[slywy]

I. Had the Ionic and couldn’t believe it was missing from the Sense. I had mine on 5 minutes for tea steeping. When I found it on the Iconic, it made that so easy. 

[Ddaubarad]

Very disappointed that this function was dropped from prior models.  I have used FitBit devices for years and upgraded from the Blaze to the Versa 3 recently and foolishly expected that the same functionality would exist.  Very frustrating to jump into the timer and have to say..oh wait... I have to reprogram the timer, especially when it is the 3rd time that day that I have used the same timer length.  This would be akin to saying yes we have an alarm, but you have to reset it every day.  Disappointed more than anything.

[danschu]

Yes!! Please restore this feature!! Before my Sense, I had a Blaze and an Ionic, and the Timer on both of those devices maintained the time setting. Why was this feature removed? It is one of several "minor" annoyances I'm seeing with the Sense. I'm guessing the developers don't actually use the Timer on the Sense to know how annoying it is to set it every single time.

My expectation with the Sense was that I would see ADDED functionality, not existing functionality removed. It seems foolish to need to up-vote an "idea" that existed on nearly every Fitbit to this point. Sigh...

I use the timer daily and the only saving grace is that I can use the Google Assistant to set the timer for me. I open the Assistant app and tell it to "set timer for 10 minutes" (or whatever time period I need). Making the Assistant app as a shortcut is also helpful.

[melissamc86]

The Charge 4 needs this added back too. It worked for me on the charge 3. I use it 6 times a day to track pumping sessions for my infant and would love to see that and the nursing mothers option added back.

[JDion]

I fully agree. On my Versa, I used the same timer all the time, without having to reset it. It doesn't make "sense" to me that Fitbit took a step backward and removed the feature on the Sense. It is really annoying to have to reset that timer every time I use it.

Having posted problems before and having received no answer or gotten the runaround, I will not hold my breath on an answer or a concrete solution.

[jules178]

Please please bring this feature.  I have been a loyal Fitibit watch customer and was absolutely astounded that this feature was REMOVED?!!  People who need to use the timer tend to need it for specific, repeated tasks.  The way it is set up, takes up too much time, scrolling around and re-setting the time.  PLEASE bring BACK what you had right all along!

While you're at it, please separate the timer and stopwatch so we can choose one or the other for shortcuts, etc.

Thank you and looking forward.

[SunsetRunner]

Please bring back this feature. During my workouts I have to reset my timer multiple times now, because if I accidentally back out of the app, it forgets the 30 second timer. Having to set the timer again and again is not only cumbersome, but takes a lot of time which essentially renders the 30 second timer useless.

And I cannot believe this feature was removed, like how? Why? This is supposed to be a sports watch. It doesn't even fulfil my most basic need for a fitness workout... 

[kmgl]

We haven’t received any response from the Fitbit moderator for months. At the very least could you please give us an update to inform us if our requests are being considered or if we need to look elsewhere for a solution.

[JDion]

I have received one answer from a moderator in the 5 years I have been using Fitbit products, and it was a generic answer; so, don't hold your breath. These posting boards are being used like pacifiers for babies.

That being said, there is a simpler workaround for setting the timer. I simply fire up the Google Assistant and say "10-minute timer". One peck on the watch is all I need. Not as good as keeping the timer in memory, but better than the multiple pecks required right now.

[cgomez708]

**ahem**ing fix this. Let's not be **ahem**s. I bought my Sense (upgraded from Versa) and immediately realized the feature being removed. 

[cgomez708]

This forum has been open for over 8 months. Someone please fix this. 

[Danonline]

Agreed, the FitBit Forums are just not worth posting to as they’re not fussed. And you’re right, never looked at that way as in pecks; look at adding water for example instead of entering numbers in for say a 1000ml bottle you gotta keep pecking away.

I have loved Fitbit from the early days, but the support has been trash and not sure what’s the point in paying for premium. Apples fitness might not be as good yet, but they’re defs catching up so might switch over by Christmas if nothing changes.

Regards,
Dan

[LeonidG]

Couldn't agree more! Coming from a different smartwatch, I was flabbergasted to see preset fixed and custom timers missing. It's so obvious, useful, and so easy to program, that it completely beats me how this could have been omitted! A huge and stupid inconvenience as of now on my Versa 3, which is otherwise quite good. I need to set up a new one each time I steep tea. Given that it's 3 or 6 minutes depending on the tea type, or 15 (!) minutes for Turkish, this becomes considerably more irritating than it should...

[Whitneynicklas]

I would Ike to throw my name I the hat for adding this to the Versa 3 as well. It's so silly that it was available on older models but not the newer ones. A bit of an oversight methinks...

[SassyBagels]

I just upgraded from the charge 3 to charge 4 since my charge 3 stopped working, and this same issue is happening. Once again it’s not a major problem just an inconvenience that seems easy enough to fix considering it was on the charge 3.

[RopeaDope]

I recently purchased a Sense and agree with everyone who says the ability to save a timer is a good feature to have. I had an Ionic prior to the Sense and it had the feature so I would expect a newer product to have the same features.