Streamline starting and stopping exercises

[SunsetRunner]

 Using the exercising feature on charge 2 was ok.  Push button to start and push ( hold for sec or two ) to stop. Now it takes much longer and have to go through all the tiles i do not use to get to the ones i dont.  Like the charge 3 a lot,  but need some common sense changes.  

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject and updated label

[DavideFitbit]

Hello @TJMcDuffin, thanks for taking the time to share your idea in the Community, I think this could be a very helpful implementation for many people, if there was an easier way to start and stop an exercise. This feature suggestion already exists so I’ve moved your post here as it is currently on "Reviewed by Moderator" status. 

[Wombat124]

I totally agree. I had a Charge 2 HR for 3 years and it was one button to start and one to stop, no messing. Charge 3 for a run it is Start, wait for it to connect to GPS - c8-9  seconds (or press the start again to start timer whilst it connects).  At the end, I just want to stop accurately. The first press depends on whether the screen is on, it turns it on if it isn’t and keeps timing, if the screen is on it will pause.  I’ve used this on 10 runs so far and only got an accurate timing on about 3. The rest it usually keeps running whilst I desperately try and stop it. Please please, one button start and one stop, or I’m going to stop using it.

[Rich_Laue]

I tend to think that Fitbit went a little to far with the start and stop process. 

However the changes to the Charge 3 where in response to the flood of posts complaining how easy it is to accidentally start and prematurely end an exercise. 

So yes many many users where upset with the simplicity of the Charge 2. 

[welljim]

If people were complaining that the button was pressed accidentally to start/stop excessive tracking, perhaps a more appropriate response would be redesign the button. Personally I find the button very effective on Charge 3 at least (I never had a charge 2). But I miss the instantaneous simplicity of starting / stopping exercises with one long button press, like it used to be in Charge 1 HR. Like Wombat124, I've got fed up searching for the function under all the menus and swipes, and stopped using it. Eventually, that led me to stop using the fitbit all together. 

[Wombat124]

Rich_Laue, I think you’ve made your point about the Charge 2 at least 4 times!  People here are talking about the Charge 3 so although it’s all very useful hearing the background, it’s totally irrelevant to where we are now.  Read through this and you will see that people are saying ITS TOO COMPLICATED, so please can Fitbit fix it. However, I don’t have much faith as it seems 7 months on and it’s no even on the feature list.  I’ve asked for a refund as I can’t get on with it. 

[dnamurphy]

@Wombat124- I agree. We are discussing the Charge 3 here, and I really do think this is a serious UI flaw, notwithstanding issues with the Charge 2.

Again, I will repeat my suggestion: allow users to customise what the button action does.

• Want it to stop/start an exercise? Then you can set it to do that.
• Want it to start a 5 min guided breathing exercise? OK!
• Want it to show the screen wake / notifications toggle (the current behaviour), then leave it as the default option.

I just don't see this as a massive roadblock. Give the users that actually want this functionality the option to implement it, even under the risk they might terminate their exercise prematurely. This really can't be hard to implement. I basically don't bother setting an exercise now, because it's too much messing around. I want to get on my bike and start riding.

Please, mods, can you push this into a dev feature request? The key aspect is that the default button behaviour does not change, so users have the exact same experience as now, unless they opt to change it.

[M-Lar]

Start and stop exercise recording is WAY to fiddly and overly complicated for a small tracker in full sunlight. The previous Charge interfaces were much better fit for purpose. You can spot the Charge 3 users in a group at the start/end of a run .. They are the ones huddled around fiddling endlessly with their wrists, squinting at their trackers trying to workout if they've pressed too hard, swiped just right, trying to workout if they've paused it or stopped it, etc etc. Needs fixing Urgently! 

[SunsetRunner]

Charge 3 is horrendous compared to Charge 2. I really hate it. Finally mastered starting the exercise, though you should only have to do one hard press when starting an exercise or finishing, just like in Charge 2. You have to select the exercise, press start, then press let's go. I haven't mastered stopping it. I know it can automatically track but no use if doing timed 5km parkrun I want to know exact time as I go through the finish line so I know whether I can ring the pb bell or not. I lose up to 1 minute trying to get the stupid thing to stop the exercise. utterly frustrating

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @SunsetRunner! Great suggestion, thanks for sharing. I've moved it into a similar request. Hopefully we will have support from other users since more votes and comments an idea has the more visibility and momentum it gains.

[Wombat124]

@YojanaFitbit thanks, but how many votes means it makes it to the 'fix list'?  And how long after that does it take to get rolled out. It's just that this was first raised in October last year and it's now 8 months later its still in 'Reviewed by moderator'  As far as I and many on here are concerned this is a very serious backward step in the UI which should be fixed immediately.  At this rate the Charge 4 or 5 will have come out and you will have lost customers as I'm already searching for a replacement that works and is simple to use

[SteverinoLA]

Agreed.  Much easier on my Charge 2 b/c I didn't need to see the tracker at all to end exercise -- just hold the button down for a second and then get the vibration confirmation that exercise logged as ended.

[JonoLo]

Been using my Charge 3 for quite sometime now and have the following recommendations. 

1. There are too many clicks to start & stop an exercise. I would like to just click on the exercise and off you go. 2. There's a lag when switching between screens, particularly with the exercise functions. 3. The font need to be increased slightly, it's sometimes difficult to read. Perhaps show less with an option to select more in an effort to utilize available screen space. 

Thank you.

[EdsonFitbit]

Hi @JonoLo!

We wanted to let you know that the ideas you recently posted already exist on the Feature Suggestions Board.

You can see them here where you can add your vote to those existing suggestions

Increase Font Size for Charge 3
Streamline starting and stopping exercises

Please try to make sure you only post one idea per suggestion, so we can keep the board organized, easily searchable and see which idea other members are voting for.

There shouldn't be any lag when switching between screens on your Fitbit Charge 3. I would recommend performing a restart to your device by following these steps. If this doesn't help you might want to contact Customer Support.

Thanks for participating in Feature Suggestions!

[Rich_Laue]

The biggest problem with the Charge 2 and exercises is that it is too easy to accidentally exit the exercise. With the Versa 2 they listened to the user. 

[PaddyClancy]

WHY WHY WHY add an extra click - sheer stupidity!

Who, from Fitbit, thought it was a good idea to add an extra step, or click, when starting and finishing and exercise on the Charge 3? My first question would be be, does this individual actually do any form of exercise using a tracker? My second question is who agreed with this suggestion and implemented it? Both should be fired. I loved my charge 2 but have stopped using my charge 3 for tracing exercise, not just because of the hoops I have to jump through but also because the screen is too dim, which has me thinking about those lads adding the extra click to start and stop an exercise. I am now looking at other trackers and should I return to fiitbit I will most certainly be checking this forum to see what the actual used have to say about a product before spending my hard earned pennies.

[SunsetRunner]

Just echoing what's been said already, but I find the whole start/stop on my Charge 3 so frustrating! I've finished several weights sessions only to realise I never pressed "Let's Go" after I had already pressed Start. I've gone for 5K runs where I'm fumbling through the buttons and screens trying to stop the thing at the end – can it not just notify me that I've run 5K and stop itself?

[Jessjong]

It would be great to get rid of the "let's go!" step for the Charge 3, I lose the first half of my workout all the time because after i choose the exercise category and press "Start" i assume the exercise STARTS. Then I check to see my heart rate later and see the "let's go" rather than tracked exercise. Even changing the language from "start" to "select" or something would help with this so it doesn't say its starting the exercise and my morning brain doesn't take it at its word. Although selecting the exercise you want and then needing to press select again seems redundant (there is a pattern here...). 

[Soul5]

I wholeheartedly agree that STARTING an exercise requires far too many steps. Swipe- tap-tap should be all that is required.  I swiped and tapped and tapped and tapped and went for a ride this morning and pushed myself hard, hoping I was breaking my personal records for specific legs. I got home to find that my fitbit was "connected" but not started. Very frustrating! Plus, it didn't track my ride as a ride but as rigerous activity. This is totally lame. I would rather have to delete an unwanted activity than have an actual activity missed!!!

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone, and thanks so much for sharing this Product Feedback! While we don’t currently have plans to release this feature, we always appreciate the passion and creativity that comes out of this Community. Since we know this idea is important to many of you, we have left voting open to continue tracking interest and will post another update if anything changes. To learn more about how Fitbit decides which product feedback is developed, visit our FAQs.

We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and your input is a big part of that process. We truly thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us.