Announcing Fitbit OS 2.0 and Our Brand New Simulator!

[JonFitbit]

Introducing the latest awesome offerings for Fitbit developers: Fitbit OS 2.0 and our new multi-device simulator. Developers can now rapidly build applications and clock faces for Fitbit Ionic and the new Fitbit Versa, without having to purchase a device.

https://dev.fitbit.com/blog/2018-03-13-announcing-fitbit-os-2.0-and-simulator/

[jeremiahlee]

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@AmbientPower wrote:

Works fine on mine running 10.13.4, MBP Touch bar.

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Yes, it works fine, but it presents the above message on first run.

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@AmbientPower wrote:

I simply don't think you are running the right app. Fitbit OS Simulator is a 64 bit app, not 32 bit.

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I downloaded it yesterday from the link in Fitbit Studio. It says version 0.6.0. macOS gave me that message on first run, so I assume something is triggering macOS to believe the simulator is 32 bit, even though the app appears as 64 bit in System Info. Perhaps there is a 32 bit process spawned?

[jdiamond]

Jon, I am not a Fitbit Developer, but I've been forced to become one:  I just bought a Fitbit Versa and I'm on the verge of returning it for one show stopper - no API access to steps this hour means you can't put steps this hour on the watch face, and that is absolutely CRITICAL for people who use reminder to move.

While Fitbit has a screen that shows steps this hour, it's ABSOLUTELY USELESS because none of the fitbit official apps update in real time and you can't get at them quickly.  So the ONLY HOPE is to get this on the front screen.  (Imagine running as fast as you can as the seconds in the hour are counting down to zero - this is a very real time scenario that happens often.)

Please make this an ABSOLUTE PRIORITY - find a way to get a true notification to the WatchFace App once an hour so it can track steps in the hour.  Then I will learn how to program so I can get that on the front of the watch.  Then I will keep my Versa.  (This is such common sense - pull out a charge 2, see what it shows on the front screen.)  It would also be very good to have access to the "hours you made your reminder to move".  Basically everything the FitBit App does, but then it can be in real time and easy to see, just like it is on other Fitbits. (In fact, I think it would be good to implement ALL of the standard fitbit displays this way.)

Not as a high priority but also important - please provide API access to sleep data.  This is the Fitbit's strength over the iWatch and it's my primary reason for having a Fitbit.  This is NOT something other Fitbits had, but that's always annoyed me greatly since it's a metric I really care about.

Here's hoping to see these API tweaks in the next 45 days.  Else I really am giving up on the Versa.  It's darned pretty but not very functional as a FitBit thanks to very poor responsiveness and UI choices by FitBit.  It's actually quicker to check my stats using my phone and the Fitbit App, and that's not the idea of a wearable device.

Thank you, 🙂

- Jeff

[jeremiahlee]

Hey @jdiamond, a bit of unsolicited advice:

• You have a valid feature request. However, threatening to return your device because it lacks one feature you need is not an effective way to get it prioritized on the product roadmap. Fitbit has sold millions of smartwatches, has tens of millions of active users, and prioritizes its roadmap based on the benefit of most people.
• It's called the Apple Watch, not iWatch.
• The 'b' in Fitbit is not capitalized.
• All Fitbit devices since the One released in 2012 have had sleep tracking. Sleep stage tracking was added in 2016 starting with Blaze.
• Your message comes across as unnecessarily aggressive. Jon is a nice guy. He's a real human. Be kind!

[AmbientPower]

I agree with the last post @jdiamond, you are coming across as aggressive, and just a little rude. Your request may be valid, but it’s not for you to demand it, or dictate its priority. Certainly, making a request in such a way will not endear you to those who set such priorities.

[jdiamond]

Hey just wanted to say - sorry if that sounded a little bit negative.  I think I know what happened.  The Versa is still very much a Pebble Watch, and Pebble Watches are smart watches, not fitness watches.  It's a very different kind of thing, and the current OS can't really do what a Fitbit does.

But you guys are SO CLOSE.  You've already got the beautiful art and notifications - you just need to implement a real time system so that people can see their stats instantly and in real time (at least every second.)

The reason for the 45 day request is that's my return window.  But if you guys can do nothing else but expose either the hourly callback (guaranteed) OR provide access to user's steps that hour + hours they met their reminders, then I KNOW the Versa can get the minimal functionality of the other fitbits.

It's worth it.  'Cause while I do understand this is a Pebble watch, I did just pay a lot of money for it expecting it to be a FitBit.  And it's an ecosystem moment - I'm willing to go back to a Charge 2 (or hopefully a Charge 3) for awhile, but ultimately I'll get an Apple Watch.  OTOH, if the Versa can really do what a Charge 2 can do, then the sky's the limit...

[jdiamond]

I completely agree with you.  That did come across as a bit aggressive and rude, and your response was the kind of professional comment I should have made from the beginning.  

Jon, you have my sincere apologies.  You guys all deserve a little more professionalism.  

[jdiamond]

You're absolutely right, AmbientPower.  It's completely true.  And I again apologize, both to Jon and to all of you forum readers.

I don't normally comment on forums in this way - I guess what pushed me into bad behavior wasn't just frustration, but a deep underlying fear:  A fear that if Fitbit released the Versa without being able to do these basic fitness functions, then maybe it's just going to stay like this, and fitbit's smart watches won't be fitness watches.

In any case, it's a real privilege to even have forums that are read by people like Jon, and you're absolutely right - he doesn't need any negativity here.  I know it's tough because I'm sure he has a ton of features he needs to add. Here's keeping fingers crossed.

And thanks to you guys for setting me straight in such an awesome manner.  We need more of that stuff on line.

[jdiamond]

BTW, my comment about sleep tracking / stats was to have a sleep stat display on the watch.  To date, all the Fitbits I've used show sleep tracking info on the Phone App, but not on the watch.  It could just be a simple screen showing something like time slept, and as sub info, minutes awake, minutes in REM, minutes in Deep sleep (if supported by that tracker).  Very similar to the other stat screens.  Could be one of the selectable main menu options.  In general I think that all the metrics tracked by the fitbit should at least optionally be displayable on the watch.  (Well, one that has a display at least.)

[CoulterJames]

@SunsetRunnerif you want to get started on developing your own clock face, there are plenty of examples here: https://github.com/Fitbit/ossapps

[IgorRamone]

I'm sure this is a very simple issue, but I can't get Fitbit Studio to connect to my simulator. I can start-up the simulator no problem, it logs in and I can change between versa and ionic. When I change the watch on the simulator, studio recognizes it that and updates the drop-down accordingly, so they are communicating. The issue is I only ever get 'disconnected' for a status, regardless of my selection. I have tried turning off my firewall and that doesn't change anything. I am not using a proxy and get no errors.