Add more music options on Sense for United Kingdom

[SignedAdam]

So far there is only one supplier of media / music content in the United Kingdom, which has caused a monopoly, which is causing customers of the United Kingdom to only have one option. 

* Pandora (US Only)

* Spotify (Requires phone & no offline storage)

* Deezer (Works offline)

* Music - App by Fitbit (Not available for Fitbit Sense & Fitbit Versa 3)

This kind of practise isn't allowed in the UK & the Fitbit team should either bring another partner onboard for offline storage for effected models or open up the fitbit music app! which is very much compatible with Fitbit sense and Fitbit Versa 3, after all if a partner like deezer can store music offline on these devices then why can't Fitbits customers? it's like some kind of exclusive has been made for the rights for storing music on these devices.  

even Deezer's own help F&Q says to use the Fitbit mac and pc service to upload customers own music with the only mention of incompatibility being *This feature isn't available on Fitbit Versa Lite Edition.

How do I listen to Deezer playlists on my Fitbit watch?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[SignedAdam]

Edit: The article for deezers F&Q can be found under section where it says fitbit sense and fitbit Versa 3 can use fitbits PC and Mac tool to download personal music :

Why are some Deezer tracks not available for playback on my watch?

So no one is going to respond to my post? Let me add I've commented on you're partners Q&A post (Found Here) and got a reply with in hours. Please view what I commented before replying here, if* you ever do reply that is..

I think it's disgraceful that the ability to leave comments Here has been disabled. You are preventing you're own community from having a voice which is now causing me and others to voice it else where. you are now effecting you're streaming partners images & brand including you're own. Get you're team working on adding the ability to add our own music to our devices, & stop removing you're own communities voice. 

Moderator edit: format and updated post. 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @SignedAdam. Welcome to the Community.

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback, and for the details provided. I understand how you're feeling about not having more options to listen or control your music on your Sense. Even though the option to store your personal music was available on other Fitbit devices, this isn't possible on the Sense and Versa 3. I'm sorry for this inconvenience and the options we currently have for you are Deezer and Pandora. Just take in mind the requirements they have to ensure the connection and functionality of these apps.

In case you'd like to have a different app or service integrated with Fitbit, I’d encourage you to make this suggestion to that service, as well as post it in the Feature Suggestion board so our developers can take it into consideration. But please always do a search first, in case there is already a similar idea posted. That way we can keep the discussion focused and make sure the suggestions don't get confused, or split a popular vote.

In regards to this other idea, while the comments were closed, our team left voting open to keep tracking this request over time. If you've not done so, check our FAQs to learn more about this board and how Fitbit decides what suggestions get developed.

[SignedAdam]

@LizzyFitbit I don't mean to sound rude but you're response sounds generic (copy & paste) I'm in the United Kingdom and if you read my original post and additional comments. You'll find that Pandora isn't available in the United Kingdom, which is why I titled this post, music Monopoly which you have since changed.

The only option for us United Kingdom users is deezer, when it comes to storing music on the device to play. 

You make it sound like this is some kind of technical difficulty, unfortunately or fortunately, I'm a technician and I'm very aware if deezer can do it then so can you, in fact it's harder to develop a service which relies on servers to transfer songs over the Internet, than have them transferred locally from you're computer by a program developed by yourselves, (which can be done with previous devices that have less processing power) so the fact you're trying to spin this as a technical difficulty or a device limitation is a joke, if not please outline the reason why such a limitation or technical difficulty exists on the sense and Versa 3

Idea 8 from the top (amazon music) is something garmin have on their watches, when I had a garmin watch I don't believe it required me to have a subscription, which is why I've backed it. However its currently not planned like most ideas.. 

In regards to this idea its 20 from the top and is basic functionality that shouldn't have been removed, its a basic function that almost all other brands have and from my expertise, has no reason, technical or limitation that would exist to prevent these devices from having the same functionality as your previous devices or other brands. Having the basics missing really does not paint you're brand Well! Something is seriously going wrong somewhere. Again Not planned. 

I'm very dissatisfied that im being forced to pay to listen to music I already own in MP3 format, and I don't even have a choice, cause only deezer is the only one in my country (United Kingdom) to allow storing of the songs on the sense. Spotify doesn't and Pandora isn't available. So deezer currently have no competition on you're brand. When it comes to storing music in my country.. 

[SignedAdam]

I'll add, the sense is currently you're flagship. Product, therefore I believe it should get more attention than any other device. Which means when functionality is missing from a flagship product and its up voted as much as this idea / (missing functionality that is in cheaper devices) I believe it should be top priority, it's you're most expensive product and should reflect that in functionality, it currently ((Doesn't))

Which leave the question : do you put more time and effort into your cheaper products than you do your flagships? 

It's not a good image is it? or am I living in an alternative universe where stuff like this is normal?

I don't mean to scold you @LizzyFitbit but it's important for you're brand to realise the failure here & what ((Needs)) to be corrected 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi there, @SignedAdam.

Thanks for getting back with more details about this situation. I understand where you're coming from about not having more music options on your Sense, and I'm sorry for this inconvenience. While it's not possible to directly store your personal music, my best suggestion is to direct those other services such as Amazon to our open web API and smartwatch SDK so they can integrate with Fitbit.

Our team continues working to include more apps on our devices and make Fitbit more useful for you, and the input we receive from our members is a big part of the process. Every suggestion shared in the Feature Suggestions board is continuously evaluated by our developers and tracked over time, so please keep supporting them even if they appear as not currently planned. See our FAQs to learn more about this board and how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released.

[Giampi71]

Hello @LizzyFitbit, 

unfortunately your proposal to contact the music service to integrate with Fitbit open web api and SDK can not work because they are not so open as you claim. 

In fact there is no possibility to access the storage of the Fitbit OS devices while obviosly it is not a technical reason but just a marketing reason (i.e. to give the privilege to Pandora/Deezer)

[SignedAdam]

My point exactly @Giampi71

Obviously it isn't a technical issue, otherwise Deezer and Pandora wouldn't be able to store music on the device. Which all of us can see they have that, what seems like "exclusive ability" to do. It isn't a technical problem or a device limitation, frankly it's an embarrassment that fitbit are, as of @LizzyFitbit comment, asking its partners to add that functionality in for them, when they made the device! @LizzyFitbit please ask you're Development Team of "Music" app to add support for the sense and Versa 3, or give us a solid reason why this can't happen, did you enter in to some kind of contract agreement with Deezer and Pandora? In the creation of these new devices? 

[SunsetRunner]

I totally agree @SignedAdam I pointed out in the past in few my other posts that they launch brand new devices when they should really improve / fix old ones. E.g. Never had breathing rate on my sense. Few random ones and always the same reply we are working on it. Also when app is updated it's always a generic "*bugs fixed and the performances improved". They really don't listen 

[SunsetRunner]

 

[SignedAdam]

@LizzyFitbit Please could me and @Giampi71 have a response to our questions posted on : 09/09/2021 & 09/11/2021

Please also pass along what your Development Team said about the fitbit (music) app 

[SignedAdam]

@LizzyFitbit I'm still waiting for an update from you're teams, have you even got a development team anymore ? 

[SignedAdam]

I wish to highlight I still have no response and to add more fuel to the fire, we now have the only music streaming service which supplies on board music storage support for fitbit Sense, is experiencing an outage of sorts, that has been going on for almost a month, which is preventing users from storing playlist on there fitbit Sense watches.

Again we need away to store music on these devices with out relying on online services, if users of there devices had a manual way of uploading music this wouldn't be such a big deal, but because fitbit have decided to not allow the media app on fitbit Sense we are left now musicless

Please vote for the following feature people :

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Music-storage-on-Sense-Versa-3/idc-p/4499528#M25...

News / source  of outage :

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Sense/Deezer-isn-t-working-on-my-Sense/m-p/4993513#M35682

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa-3/Deezer-isn-t-syncing-with-my-Versa-3/m-p/4990346#M23424

https://support.deezer.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4408429766929-Deezer-Unable-To-Connect-With-Some-Device...

This is basic functionality missing that every other watch manufacturer has at this price point, its absolute crazy Madness, it wasn't sold as we are subsidising the cost, By only allowing music streaming platforms to store music, at point of sale

[SignedAdam]

Still waiting for a response from you're Development Team, after the deezer outage, I'd hope fitbit as the makers of (fitbit Sense /Versa 3) see the madness of relying on a streaming service for media consumption on these devices, we need a reliable permanent solution that isn't going to go down over night, like the bringing back of the fitbit music app which is available on older devices, where we, the customers who are effected by outages like this aren't, because we will have another way to deal with such a issue if one was to turn up, you've got no excuse, there are no technical hurdles as your third party developers have shown they can do it, so why can't you? 

[SignedAdam]

@LizzyFitbit we are now in 2022 could I have a solid reason why the sense and Versa 3 don't have the ability to use the "Music" watch app by the developer fitbit? 

You're other developers such as deezer and Pandora have managed to store tracks on the the fitbit Sense and Versa 3 so why can't the developer fitbit do the same, if you can't answer these questions then please get one of the developers of the fitbit developer team to answer, I and other customers should be able have questions like this answered, and not wait months on end or have our posts removed, placed on hold, paused or just forgotten about