Smart Alarms that Wake You More Naturally (eg. in Light Sleep Stage)

[MikeHalsey]

I just got my Fitbit flex and I think it's fantastic.  If it monitors your sleep though it will have a good idea of when you're in deep (REM) sleep and when you're in lighter sleep.  You cycle between these two during the night on a pretty reliable pattern, and they're easy to tell apart as you don't move around while you're in REM sleep.  At least not as I understand things.

Could an update for the Fitbit modify the alarm feature please to wake you up as close as possible to your chosen time, but NOT during REM sleep?

This will allow you to wake more naturally, feeling refreshed, rather than how unpleasant it is when your alarm goes off in REM sleep.

Thanks, please all vote for this

Moderator edit: labels.

[fueGuillo]

i was about to purchase a blaze when i realized they dont really offer a smart alarm. Figured if any wearable would have it, it would be fit bit. So... not buying a blaze for now.  a miBand will have to do.

[british_aviator]

By "Smart Alarm", I am specifically talking about a new idea I had for an alarm feature. Since the Fitbit Blaze can already detect when you fall asleep, it could allow users to set a time to wake them up AFTER they fall asleep. For example I could tell the Fitbit to wake me up in 9 hours after I fall asleep. This would be great, especially for people like me who fall asleep at random times in the night. It would allow users to ensure they are getting enough sleep.

[GonzalodeDiego]

For all of you with a Versa or an Ionic there is an app in the fitbit app store that has ben recently published that works as a smart alarm. You can try it and send the feedback to its creator: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-App-Gallery/Smart-Alarm-App-Now-available/td-p/2719080

[dingpatch]

Not that this issue is "dead" at Fitbit but, it seems that the only people concerned with wanting this feature are those that are posting to this thread.

Most people that have been surveyed only want an alarm that wakes them up at exactly X o'clock and, as such, only a few people seem to want a "smart" alarm.

[Zetura]

@dingpatch Why not give both solutions ? And I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't know the benefits of a smart alarm. Well, you can't until you tried it a few days. You need to give to your customers what they need, not what they think they need. There is a big difference.

[kevinjc85]

@dingpatch, "the only people concerned with wanting this feature are those that are posting to this thread"?...

This 4.5 year old post is still going with 37 pages of comments and 5,106 Likes...that's not an insignificant feature request.

Who are the people being surveyed?

Do they even know that the technology currently exists inside almost every Fit bit to make this work instantly with a firmware update? If they did, who wouldn't confirm that as a feature they would want? So I don't buy that a survey,was conducted with all of the information made clear to the people taking the survey as this is a no-brainer common sense feature that other brands have (Apple, Min and, etc).

Fitbit lost me at this, and I bought a MiBand 2 instead. 

[Lauese]

for Ionic users take a look at this

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-App-Gallery/Smart-Alarm-App-Now-available/td-p/2719080

[kenk85]

I wanted to simply add a comment to emphasize how much I would appreciate a feature such as this. A 'vote' did not seem to be enough. Carry on.

[geez]

How many fit it users from this thread were surveyed? I am guessing none. I
bet many surveyed did not understand what it is and not understand the
value of a smart Alarm. Don't forget a lot of people are still confused
about smart phones and steer away from all things smart. We need it.
I saw Jawbone Health with some of its former jawbone employees recently
started up. Fitbit needs to compete with them---they had a great product
because it had a smart alarm that did not need a cell phone on to work.

[Rajid]

Let's look at this issue from the viewpoint of good health; something which is near and dear to Fitbit's heart. Fitbit gives us a lot of data about how much we have moved, how much we have walked, how many flights of stairs we have climbed. They even give us good statistics and data on how well we slept; some of the best sleep data out there! Now it's time follow up on on all of this health related data and push people to properly prepare for their day full of movement and exercise. Sleep is the method which the body uses in order to restore balance, restore mental health, and prepare for the next day. When we are aroused from sleep via an artificial alarm, with no regard to the level of sleep, it can disrupt our rest and make the whole day less productive overall.

For those who may think I am exaggerating the value of sleep, and thus the value of being awakened at the proper time, I strongly suggest you read a book about how sleep works in the body. Far from not understanding sleep, science now understands far too well the value of sleep and the detrimental effects of improper or insufficient sleep. Read a book like, "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams", written by a sleep researcher; Matthew Walker. Ask HIM if Fitbit needs a smart alarm!

[Clpearson79]

I feel like I have been waiting for this feature forever.  I currently use another app for this, but if I knock my phone onto the floor it doesn’t function as intended.  Right now I am on my 6th Fitbit, and I’ve been a loyal user since the first version.  That being said, I’ve heart Apple Watch is working on this too and may even “nudge” you when you are snoring.  I love my Fitbit, but this feature is really important to me.  

[farinadeliz]

Fitbit folks, this is a MUST HAVE FEATURE. I just bought my FitBit Charge 2 and i'm just tremendously dissapointed with the fact it doesn't use BOTH of its capabilities, being one the sleep cycle sensor and two, the silent alarm, to deliver a Smart Alarm, that will wake the user up whenever he/she reaches light sleep close to the Alarm time. This is not that hard to do, actually i don't think it is hard at all. I'm not even gonna speak about Jawbone: there are TONS of apps that do that, but the issue is that none of them have a silent alarm in your wrist.

This is not a deal breaker for me, but it's definetely something i was very much looking forward. And i honestly don't want to have to buy a Jawbone device, since all of my other need the Charge 2 fulfills perfectly.

I see this topic is under consideration and has been here for 5 years. It's a big demand from your users, so please give us at least some idea of when this feature might arrive, or if it ever will.

[lorranfeital]

Wow!!! 5 years and still "under consideration"?

I hope it does not take much longer, because it is a feature in which consumers win and so do you, as it will bring a quality leap to the watches.

[Tomtomato]

Give the option for the actual wake up time to be moved by plus or minus a specified number, based on the detected sleep cycle at that time. For instance, to avoid waking up during deep sleep.

For instance, set an alarm at 07:00 (plus or minus 30 min), based on optimal wake up time.

[SunsetRunner]

I am really hoping to get this feature soon. This would be an awesome feature to have.

[ajolo]

5 years under consideration. Extremely disappointed. This is an easy request and a major feature, come on guys.

[Rajid]

Wow! Over 5000 up-votes, almost 1000 comments all asking for it, over 5 years of waiting! You know, if Fitbit actually got off their collective butts and did this, I wonder what effect it would have on their stock? I wonder what effect it has already had on their stock by refusing to recognize the value of a smart alarm, while simultaneously giving lip-service to valuing sleep?

It's true that they do have some bigger issues currently, but really... Let me help you, Fitbit:

If (smart alarm && within 30 mins of alarm time && sleep level is "REM" or "Awake") {

    Alarm now

    Clear this alarm

}

(That's what Pebble did and it worked well. Certainly better than what Fitbit has now; ie, nothing.)

[Gryzor]

 Ahhhh Pebble... 😄

[geez]

https://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/6-former-fitbit-jawbone-employees-indicted-federal-grand-jury

Fit it should try to buy the software from the jawbone company.

[vitalyk]

So many folks here assume that Fitbit trackers have information about sleep level during sleep. It's also possible that the trackers simply capture raw data and upload it to smart phone on next sync for processing. This would conserve battery on the tracker and allow for more accurate sleep analytics. In such case, it would be tricky for a tracker to determine when to trigger the alarm a.k.a smart alarm.

[Beltheaten]

It is interesting to see an apologist post on this thread. Your perspective
effectively counters the righteously indignant, yet highlights that
developers have not offered any explanation, and does not account for the
"Always Connected" toggle or the possibility of predictive models.

[Elliekennard]

I have Always Connected and All Day Sync set and it doesn't sync at all until I actually access the app. I never close it.

That doesn't seem to work either.

[Jennifer42xyz]

Yes, agreed. Please That was my favorite feature for the Jawbone tracker.

[MarkSi]

I've been wanting to buy a fitbit for a few years now (since the Blaze), but I've been holding off until a smart alarm feature is introduced.

When fitbit implements this feature, they'll have another customer.

[sota767]

I miss this functionality from my Jawbone UP. I assumed Fitbit would have the same functionality since it doesn't seem particularly complicated. Nope, just a buzzing at the set time. C'mon Fitbit, you can do this already.