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To remedy the disappointment of the the loss of the altimeter in the Charge 5, suggest you re-add the the flights-of-stairs count by using the app and the mobile phone’s built-in altimeter/barometer.
Hi @Donsrantz, and thanks for taking the time to share this suggestion about using your iPhone altimeter to restore Charge 5 the floor tracking with us. We rely on feedback like yours to help us develop products and features that we know our community wants to see. If this suggestion receives votes from other customers and gains popularity, it will be shared internally with various teams at Fitbit. To learn more about how Fitbit decides which suggestions get developed, visit our FAQs. Watch this space for status updates. In the meantime, try visiting Health & Wellness to talk with other members about all things health and fitness.
Android phones have a similar built-in altimeter/barometer so the suggestion to use the app to create the stairs/floor count for the Charge 5 should be equally applicable. - Don
In addition to this (all the existing comments) I replaced my Charge 3 thinking that since the Charge 5 was newer and more expensive it would have all the existing features of the Charge 3 + others. I stupidly didn't check the spec. I have had a Charge and then a Charge 3 before this Charge 5 - the Charge 5 consequently seems to me to be a downgrade. I suggest this be rectified. It would help if Fitbit played down all the touchy feely things and simply concentrated on practical real world aspects of the product. And don't get me started on the wristband. I will now look at Fitbit alternatives in future.
I am equally mystified by the removal of the altimeter/floor counter in the Charge 5. My spouse gave me a Charge 5 to replace my ageing and much used Charge 2, and I was astonished to find that it does not have this feature. I agree with those who see this as a downgrade. I would revert to using my Charge 2, but don't want to hurt anyone's feelings! Since adding an altimeter does not seem to be an option, if there were a workaround using my iPhone's capabilities, that would be a plus.
Upgraded this year, as every year since the Charge models have been on the market, to the Charge 5 and it Totally SUCKS that it NO LONGER KEEPS TRACK OF FLIGHTS OF STAIRS!!
Very disappointed that this is not a feature. Would not have upgraded from Charge 2 to Charge 5. I assumed that that Charge 5 would have all features of a previous release, plus some. Want make that mistake again.
I was startled to see that my Charge 5 did not include an altimeter. Tracking my flights was something I did daily with my Charge 3. I need to climb stairs to keep my heart in the best condition possible — I’d rather not go through another surgery.
I agree. It is a HUGE disappointment that the Charge 5 doesn’t count stairs climbed. It is one of my favorite features and helps me tremendously when evaluating my primary workout activity - hiking. I love everything else about the Charge but will definitely need to add the lack of stair count as a caveat whenI recommend it to other’s. It would have been a break it deal for me if I had realized in advance that the feature was removed. 😢😢😢😢😢😢
Because of this missing feature, I will be looking into alternative companies.
It confuses me that a feature aimed at activity was removed, yet the ability to pay for stuff with the watch is added. Removing this was a step in the wrong direction.
Like the others have commented, flights of stairs climbed should be considered a core feature of a fitness app . Also agree with some other users that some features added like Fitbit Pay override a core function seems wrong for the the core purpose of this device. Disappointing to say the least and as I replace my Fitbit every couple years, other brands may be the way to go next time.
Astonished that my new charge five doesn’t track my stairs! Really depended on this as part of my indoor exercise in bad weather. I thought maybe I needed to walk up and down the stairs a couple times to get it going! L O L. This is my third Fitbit and I am very disappointed.
I have been a Fitbit user since 2015, and I have both the Lighthouse badge (50 floors in a day) and the Shooting Star badge (20,000 floors), so i was shocked to see that the floor counting function was left out. I work in a building with several stairwells, and on vacation I always take the stairs rather than the elevator to the top floors. It is an important part of my routine. Like others who commented, if Fitbit doesn't somehow remedy this huge omission, I will be looking elsewhere, but I really do not want to do that. I cannot imagine the thinking (or lack of thought) that resulted in this change--to drop entirely an activity that used to be rewarded! Amazingly sad.
I was wondering today why I didn’t see floor count on my Charge5 which replaced my Charge4 (because the band broke off). So I searched online to see how to enable the function on this new Fitbit device. Amazed to learn that the Charge5 isn’t capable of counting floors. That wasn’t noted anywhere that I can recall as I was deciding about purchase. It would have been a deal breaker. Wow. I feel manipulated by Fitbit and disappointed.
Just bought the Charge 5 because my Charge 2 died. Quite a bummer. And now I see that stairs are not counted? I struggle with that, as noted by several others. I've been known to trek up flights of stairs in a motel after hours on the road in order to hit that stairs goal..... Afraid I'm going to miss it.
Why take something away when introducing a new and supposedly improved product. Please fix it ASAP - it shouldn't be that difficult since all of the previous trackers could do it.
Agree with others in the thread. It was a huge disappointment to find out the Charge 5 does not have an altimeter. I was very happy with my Charge 4 until the stud holding the wristband broke off, and am very sad the Charge 5 does not measure altitude gained on hikes. I will be purchasing another brand unless this is remedied.
I agree I am very disappointed with the loss of the altimeter. I hike frequently and used the flights climbed as an incentive. I expected a Charge 5 to be an upgrade not a reduction in features. I am going to look for a different product with an altimeter.
I agree with the above sentiments. I want a fitness tracker. The lack of the altimeter is what is has been causing me to refrain from buying a Charge 5. I don’t want it cluttered up with music and pay stuff. I just want tracking. I have owned a 2,3, and 4. They were all sleek and have evolved and improved quite nicely over the years. I absolutely loved the 4 and the iPhone app’s dashboard , but this week the strap tab has broken off the replacement I was sent less than a year ago after the strap tab broke off the first one at 8 months. ( I had paid extra for the Rosewood upgrade, too. ) I’m so disappointed they took the altimeter out! Between that and the bad cases, I’m comparison shopping other brands for a replacement. If the 5 still had the altimeter, I would have just bought the 5.
Looking at my charge 5 on my Fitbit app tonight and wondering why after walking 20000+ steps and 10+ miles there are 0 floors. Decided to Google this issue and what do you know? A cut back version that should be able to do the job. With a GPS device built in you can calculate the altitude climbed during the day.
I’m gutted ! My 2 year old charge 3 was playing up. The floor counter wasn’t working properly and The screen wasn’t illuminating. So I decided to upgrade to the latest version. Big mistake! I now have a lot of mindfulness and health information that is unused and no floor counter. I have had Fitbits since they came out and always upgraded but this is my first disappointment. The strap is also a problem I will have to purchase one with a buckle as the one supplied is too bulky and I have to keep taking it off to let my wrist breathe!
I totally agree. I had to replace my Charge 4 because an attachment point to the band broke, and I feel that the 5 is a step back... added features that aren't particularly useful (stress sensors) and removed the stairs count, which was helpful for those working on fitness goals. Also, I find it to be less reliable... have had multiple sync and battery drain problems.
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