Why Only 8 Alarms

[abitkin]

Is there any good reason there are only 8 alarm slots?

So let's start with some math. To specify a minute in the day takes 11 bits (60*24=1,440, 2^11=2048) and the combination of days of the week is another 7. Add in repeating for another bit and you get 19 bits. 19 bits * 8 alarms / 8 bits a byte = 19 bytes.

Of 4 GB. (https://www.androidauthority.com/fitbit-sense-review-1155778)

While using dynamic storage would be preferred, supporting 1024 alarms would only be 19 kilobytes of 4 gigabytes. That's less then 0.5% of the total storage space.

Seriously, devs, whiskey tango foxtrot? This limitation makes no sense.

[Rich_Laue]

In your calculation, did you add the bytes needed for time. I see dates. As your fellow fitbit users, my guess would be, because this is the way it was designed. 

How many will be able to manage 1000 alarms with non having labels. 

Add an option for labels and through your math out of the window. 

But seriously, asking this type of question on the community of fitbit users, may not get a true answer. We are not the developers 

[Guitarplayer]

Right, developers don't even listen the users asking for label. And actually, why labels are missing in first place? it seems developers don't use their Fitbit devices to understand the real needs 

[Rich_Laue]

14 years ago, when fitbit was formed, no alarm clock has labels. 

I still do not have this option on my android phone. And have to set a calendar event. This event, with label, gets forwarded to my wrist. 

[Guitarplayer]

You know, things change in 14 years...

[Guy_]

@abitkin- Good question, at a guess 8 bits in a byte! lol

@Rich_Laue- It's called Alarm Name in Android, at least on Android 10.

As @Guitarplayer has correctly pointed out the label for an alarm has been requested by quite a few users in the forum - I also raised it and it has been passed for consideration by developers, but that doesn't mean they will do it.

If you use Google Assistant on the watch you can set alarms for specific days of the year and give a label, however the label gets dropped but the date is still supported, even though you can't input a specific date using the Alarms app, at least that's something!

Though the trick is to remember what it was for when it goes off - Suppose you could always put a knot in a handkerchief !!.

[Guitarplayer]

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Naming-Labeling-Alarms/idi-p/649861

Not currently planned

[Guy_]

And it has 2,392 votes!

And as @Guitarplayer has highlighted very aptly a status of "Not ------- planned"  which would seem more accurate after 6 years, than the one listed.

[Rich_Laue]

True, but they haven't in the android phone. 

Even with labels, (will use more memory) not sure how one would manage a thousand alarms. 

@Guy_ I'm still on 9

[abitkin]

@Rich_Laue I picked 1024 for math reasons, not for management. Yes labels are an extra that would be nice, but my point was why are we limited to only 8? I shouldn't see a no more alarms allowed message. The space usage is trivial.

And I'm asking here because that's a way to get feedback to devs, even if they don't post here.

[Guy_]

@abitkin  - the issue might be the size of the scroll window for the alarms list.

But more than 8 is definitely desirable, 32 or 64 would seem more reasonable. It's not really a shortage of space issue, and it would be nicer to have more, especially if they add labels.

The problem with using a calendar or phone app is that the alarm won't trigger on the watch if there is ANY issue with the phone connecting to the watch. So it cannot be relied upon, plus it will trigger only under certain conditions.

This alarms area needs a rethink.

@Rich_Laue  - long live Android 9! Lol

[Rich_Laue]

@abitkin your posting in the User forum. We do have a Feature Suggestion board which sounds more like what you are looking for. 

Yes @Guy_ unless the two units can be integrated, with the ability to sign into the same account. 

Or have the fitbit app read the phones alarm settings and pass them into the tracker. 

[Guy_]

@Rich_Laue - or just allow the tracker to accept alarms with labels directly without doing anything on the phone! So you can rely on the alarm triggering on the watch when it is time.

It would be easy to do it via watch voice Assistant, or even to do it in the Settings of Alarms App in the Gallery tile of the Fitbit App.

Eg. In the Weather App you can add cities, why not allow add alarms in the Alarms App, along with labels. 

[t.parker]

@Rich_Laue you must have very old Android phone. My Galaxy S8+ isn't newest yet it has feature of setting alarm name:

 

[Guitarplayer]

Not only that. AOSP Clock has label function since Android Oreo (8.1) released in 2017. 

But fear not. You can download an open source version from F-Droid (link)