App keeps asking choice for location services

[JBDow]

I recently updated my iPhone to ios13.  Since then  I get asked to change my choice for location services “only when app is open” to “always on”.  I select “no thanks”, the next time I open or switch to the Fitbit app, it asks me the same thing again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again...(You get the picture).  How do I get the app to remember my choice like it used to?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[JBDow]

I have not seen a response to my 11/06/2019 questions....if it is required to set the Location Services to "Always"  whenever you're using the Fitbit app on your iPhone, Why are we presented with a choice? Other than the annoying message every time I use the App, What is the consequence of not selecting Always to the location services question?

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @jwalder, @JBDow and @SunsetRunner, it's great to see you here.

@jwalder, that's fantastic news. I'm glad that this issue is now resolved and I appreciate your patience through this situation!

@JBDow, thanks for getting back and let me help you with your inquiry. If your Fitbit uses connected GPS to track your details, it's necessary to have the location services set to "Always" so your phone and Fitbit can remain connected during your activity. While the Fitbit app will continue working correctly if you choose the "Never" option, your GPS data won't be tracked for your activities. To learn more about the GPS function on your Fitbit, please check this help article.

I'll be around if you have another question.

[BigZG]

It is not gone On mine.  I keep getting this message and it is very annoying!!

[piper_ga]

unless i allow my location to "always" be tracked. i have always been able to track "while using the app" in the past.  i open the app. i start my exercise. the fitbit would connect. that was it.  no longer.

there is no good reason fitbit (ahem, google) needs to track my location all the time. 

please fix this. 

[kalamityb]

Hello,

I really enjoy and respect apps that allow me to set Location Services tracking to 'while using'.  This allows me to control when location services are in use by running the app on my phone.  It also helps manage battery life.

This was an option of the Fitbit until recently.  Is there a plan to return the 'while using' functionality?

[SunsetRunner]

Hello and welcome @piper_ga 

I understand you don’t wish to have location services set to “always”. This is an issue being discussed in this thread here: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/iOS-App/App-keeps-asking-choice-for-location-services/td-p/3863744 
I’m moving your post there so that you can participate in the current discussion and possibly find a solution to your issue.
 

[dmardell]

In my case, I’m not convinced it’s a FitBit issue.  I’m experiencing the same issue with other apps and Apple has not (will not?) respond on how to disable the constant prompts.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone. Thanks for sharing that you continue having issues with the notification about the location services. I'm sorry for the delayed response.

Let me share with you that currently it's required to set the Location Services to "Always" whenever you're using the Fitbit app on your iPhone. I understand how you're feeling about this change and if you continue getting the same notification even after changing that setting, I'll need you to provide me with your phone's model and OS version. Make sure the Fitbit app is updated to the latest version.

@dmardell, thanks for the input. Also, thanks to you @SunsetRunner, for your great help!

Keep me posted.

[stbail]

I am having the same problem, and none of this works.

I just spent half an hour with your chat service, and they had the gall to tell me that the only way to use the fitbit was to put location services to always on.   

First: no: I don't want location services always on, and would not have bought a fitbit if "the only way to use it is put location services on"

Secondly: Why does the prompt allow for no thanks, but then repeats the question over and over and over.  Which is it: the only way to use fitbit is to have location services alway on (quoting fitbit here), or do you mean the no thanks as an option?  Can't be both.

[stbail]

Actually I changed it to never, and still get the prompt to turn it on.  That is even creepier.

You guys are lying.   This is new: never happened before for 3 years now.   You are clearly trying to force us to choose between always being tracked (no thank you) or not getting any functionality from the watch.

I would really like my money back and am happy to switch over to apple watch based on the way you guys are trying to lie to us and say it is normal.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @stbail. It's good to see you in this thread and I'm sorry for the delay.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about the location services. I understand how you're feeling about this change and let me clarify it's required to set the Location Services to "Always" just when you're tracking GPS data during your activities with the Fitbit app via MobileRun or connected GPS.  Since you mentioned that the prompt keeps appearing even after selecting never, may I know if the "never" setting keeps being chosen within your phone's settings? Is the Fitbit app updated to the latest version? Also, please provide me with your phone's model and iOS version so I can look into this matter.

About your other inquiry, we provide refunds to any order purchased from our Fitbit store that is within 45 days as described here. If your Fitbit was purchased from another retailer, I'd recommend to get in touch with them so they can provide you with more details about the refund policy.

I'll look forward to your response.

[thenameless1]

@123EW I have mine set to while using the app and i don't get prompted for my location.

I recently opted to stop updating my app until fitbit is a little more transparent about these bug fixes and performance improvements.  I'm currently on version 3.12.1

By any chance are you on the newest version of the app? 3.13 or 3.14?

It would be interesting to see if fitbit is increasing the frequency of the popups with the newer version of the apps.

Also something that fitbit hasn't been forthcoming about is the high background app usage.  If you go into the battery section of your phone and check the fitbit app you'll see an obscene amount of background use.  This is probably why you are getting the popup even when you aren't using the app.  Fitbit is tracking your location or at least trying to in the background

[thenameless1]

If we follow the timestamps of this thread and compare then against the fitbit app update history available here: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2025

Users were complaining of the popups and it seemingly stopped after the moderator commented on 12/8/19.  Then 2 days later on 12/10/19 there is an app update 3.12 where the popups stop. 

I wonder if fitbit removed the popups because people were complaining  and now that things calmed down they are bringing them back.

@KateFitbit and @LizzyFitbit  you guys both commented on this thread and it was an issue that your team was looking into.  Is there any insight as to why a problem that seems like it was fixed was reintroduced into the app again?

How stable is version 3.13/3.14 of the app?  

[thenameless1]

@JBDow I think i might have been in that thread about location being "required." Initially they were saying it was "recommended" and I kept asking if they could explain the difference between recommended and required.

I'm pretty sure the app remembers your setting. I just think it doesn't like it.  The setting changed occured around the time Fitbit was in talks with Google. I used to have mine set to while using the app and everything worked fine. Then the announcement was made about fitbit and google i had an update  and it all started.

So by now "requiring" it to be set to always Google will have access to your location 24/7 and it could be used for things like Google maps and all that  show the updated traffic and all that or whatever else they have in store.

I'm still on 3.12.1 and have't received a popup and my location is set to while using the app. 

[noirdesir]

I highly doubt that it has anything to do with Google, none of Google's own apps show a similar behaviour. 

[thenameless1]

@noirdesir  you can thank Apple and ios 13 for trying to curb that behavior in Google's apps. I've attached this link which shows that not only Google's apps, but Facebook's as well were trying to track you. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2019/09/22/apple-ios-13-is-facebook-and-googles-worst-n...

You would have had to be on the ios13 beta to see the prompts in Facebook or Google apps.  They quickly removed them way before ios13 was officially released.

Now there were two companies bidding for Fitbit (facebook and google), which just happens to be the same 2 companies that wanted to use bluetooth to track your location in the article above. I can't think of a reason to allow facebook or google to use bluetooth (thankfully Apple pointed it out), but by buying Fitbit it seems like they would get access to the users bluetooth settings. This article shows Facebook as a bidder for Fitbit https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-bid-against-google-for-fitbit-2019-11

It shouldn't come as a shock, but both Facebook and Google were hit with privacy violation fines.  Facebook's can be seen here https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2019/07/24/facebook-pay-record-5-billion-fine-u-s-privacy-v.... Google's can be seen here https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/technology/google-youtube-fine-ftc.html The interesting thing about google's is that it was for violating children's privacy. Correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe fitbit is the only company that makes trackers designed for children. So it seems by acquiring fitbit google can now collect data on children without paying any future fines. Although i'm sure the fines are just a slap on the wrist for these companies.

Now this is where things get really interesting. We have this article published by fitbit about changes google made to android 6.0 and going forward https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2134  Google had users suppress the location warnings in android. Since right around rumors of Google taking over Fitbit started and the official announcement fitbit changed the location setting for the fitbit app. It used to be "while using app" but fitbit now requires "always" for location. Why would that setting change immediately when news broke that google was taking over fitbit? Seems like a Google thing to do to try and track someone's location.

Lastly if there is any doubt's to what Google/fitbit is doing there is this thread  https://community.fitbit.com/t5/iOS-App/Location-services-on-iOS-devices/m-p/3979921#M127125  I'm the one that started that thread and i can't think of a valid reason for fitbit to want to track my location in the background. I can think of a few reasons why Google might want to track me though. @LizzyFitbit or @KateFitbit it's been quite some time since that thread was started I know fitbit doesn't provide you or the community with actual updates, but has this been confirmed as a bug or is this expected behavior. I don't believe it was an isolated incident either as @LZeeW reported the same issue.

@Walker_73 I hope you don't mind me pulling you into this thread, but it seems as though we are both looking for the same answers. I'm hoping the two prominent ios thread moderators ( @LizzyFitbit and @KateFitbit ) will follow up Google/Fitbit and provide some clarification as to why the app has been tracking its users in the background

@LizzyFitbit  i came across this issue where the users post was escalated https://community.fitbit.com/t5/iOS-App/Water-Total-not-Including-Last-Entry/m-p/4078001  would it be possible for you to escalate the issue with location services?

[noirdesir]

Of course Google is trying to track people. But there is a difference between trying to do so and throwing up a dialogue that requires dismissal Every. Single. Time. One is accessing the app even after one has set location access to never. Fitbit is the only app that does it (that I know of).

Google Maps doesn’t even ask for more access despite me having set it to only getting location access while using it. I can even set its location access to never and it doesn’t bother me with a dialogue (and mapping applications have a **ahem** good reason to at least have location access while using the app).

[thenameless1]

@noirdesir I agree that some apps have a legitimate reason for using location services.

The issue at hand is the Fitbit app. Either version 3.xx was poorly designed (7.5 months of bug fixes and stability improvements) or the Fitbit app is doing something more than what was explained. Again, i'm hoping that this is something either @LizzyFitbit or @KateFitbit can shed some light on.

I'm not sure of your current fitbit app settings and i'm assuming you are using an iphone. If you go into settings->battery-> scroll to the bottom. You have the option to see battery usage by app and activity by app. You will see some obscene numbers for the Fitbit app and begs the question what is the Fitbit app doing in the background.

An observation made is that "All day sync" has no bearing on the high background app usage. Turn it on and off it doesn't matter.

What i think is happening is that the fitbit app is trying to access the users location in the background (which does happen as seen in one of the links i provided), but since the users in this thread have the location set to "never" they are bombarded with the requests to turn on location services when they open the app

Now if the user turns off the background app refresh from the settings screen the prompts for location stop.

I can't really explain why that setting stops the prompts, but it does. It draws the conclusion that fitbit is tracking users location in the background (as it has already been documented). 

If i'm going for a 30 minute run i don't understand why i have to set location to always and give Fitbit access to my location to the other 23.5 hours in the day.

My location is set to never and background app usage is turned off. I don't receive the prompts

[noirdesir]

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I wonder if fitbit removed the popups because people were complaining  and now that things calmed down they are bringing them back.

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I think you vastly underestimate how complex and riddled with minor problems most software is. I can have the issue for two hours straight and then it stops, only to start again an hour later. If the issue exists because Fitbit wanted it to exist, the fact that it sometimes disappears is in all likelihood simply some minor malfunctions that prevent the issue from 'working as designed'. 

[jwalder]

Almost as irritating as these prompts are the **ahem**ic “tips” that pop up.  I’ve asked many people, and NOT ONE likes or wants them, but FitBit’s coding team refuses to give an opt-out option.  I’ve rarely seen a company less responsive to customer input, although now that Google is the owner, I suspect it will get worse.  As an example, Chrome has had a bug for YEARS where if you try to go into cookies without waiting five minutes, the program crashed.  Their forum is filled with complaints, and no one cares.