Fitbit app keeps asking for Location access & Bluetooth sharing

[Mingarh]

I have the charge 3 and it has been asking me for as long as I can remember. My husband got the charge 5 for Christmas and it hasn’t asked him once. 🤷🏻‍:female_sign:

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[LazyFellow]

This issue is so frustrating that I feel like throwing fitbit. 

CEO of fitbit, Please take user requests seriously and fix it before it is too late 

[JasonW-1990]

I keep getting pop ups asking me to turn gps on.  This is not a feature I will ever get value from, and never intend to use.

can I turn off the silly pop ups?

[Rich_Laue]

Hi @JasonW-1990 where are you getting these noticed, on the Charge 5?

Or do you get a popup, on the phone, what phone, to turn on Location Services? This is not turning on GPS, 

You may want to look at https://community.fitbit.com/t5/iOS-App/How-to-disable-quot-Location-access-amp-Bluetooth-sharing-qu...

[JasonW-1990]

Sorry, yes this is a pop up on the iphone, but only comes up when the Fitbit app is open.

it seems to be coming from Fitbit app…

[Rich_Laue]

This pop up is not about GPS, which can only be turned on by an app. It is about allowing the app access to location services 

I'll move this to the iOS board

[JasonW-1990]

Maybe some clarification…

I would like the Fitbit app, to stop asking for the gps to be enabled.  

I have no need to track steps, or other activity through the day, and would prefer to extend battery life.

[Rich_Laue]

The fitbit app does not ask for permission to use GPS unless the user requests the app to record a run, walk, or hike with GPS. The app is asking for permission to access Location Services.

My understanding is that it now is, like android, a requirement of iOS, to close a major security whole. 

[JasonW-1990]

whether you call it gps, or location services… doesn’t matter to me…

every time I open the Fitbit app, I get the same pop up…

I should be able to tell the Fitbit app, that I’m not interested in this feature, right?

[RenaeR]

I’m having the same issue. Every time I open app it says to “Allow location access” to allow tracking exercise with GPS. I hit “No Thanks” over and over and over each time I see it. No luck with closing app, restarting or turning off selections in settings. Nothing has worked. Getting very annoying. Have you found anything that works? And just started seeing this yesterday. 

[JasonW-1990]

I haven’t found anything… it does get old, as literally every time I open the app, even if same day, I get that same pop up, lol.

My answer hasn’t changed Fitbit, hehe.

[Rich_Laue]

The difference is that the user can not turn on or turn off GPS. They user can only give permissions to the app, last I looked iOS, now requires this with BTLE and why location services also needs permission for things like smart lights, scales, etc

[JasonW-1990]

Maybe I’m misunderstanding you Rich, because it sounds like you are being nit-picky about the way I phrased my question.

Fitbit app can’t turn off gps on my phone, ok, I get it…. But why does the Fitbit app have to ask me to enable location services (done via gps), every single time I open the app?

can I permanently disable this request?

You telling me the Fitbit app doesn’t turn off gps seems like you are trying to tell me my question is irrelevant, while intentionally ignoring the intent of the question.

Am I misunderstanding what you are saying?

Let me try to rephrase the question…

I would like to permanently disable location services in the Fitbit app, so that the app no longer requests me to allow location services (via gps), every single time I open the app.

Does that make more sense?

Have any suggestions on how I can do this?

[Tlcolorado1979]

I would love an answer to this question too!

[JasonW-1990]

@DavideFitbit 

I know you are a moderator, but is there any way to get Fitbit to actually respond?

Even the old thread Rich linked to never had an official response…

[Rich_Laue]

@JasonW-1990 access to location services is not a request for your location or saying that gos is being turned on. Think of it like the key to your front door. If you give a copy of the key to a friend, does that mean the friend has to unock the door? No in the same way, fitbit asks for access to the location for when it may be needed. If you want to record a run/walk with GPS then location will be needed. If you want to force a sync, iOS requires permission yo access location services, but if it is like android, no request for location is requested. 

BRW your phone does not necessarily need GPS to get your location, cell towers will also work. 

[JasonW-1990]

Rich, please stop.  You are being intentionally dense about my question.

To use your analogy…

I have no need for a friend to ever unlock my front door, so I don’t want to give my friend a key.

I want the stupid pop up to STOP.

I won’t log runs.  Not feature I care about.  Don’t care about tracking steps either.

I don’t use those features, but Fitbit is frustrating me by effectively forcing me into it.

You keep blaming iOS.  I don’t but that at all.

I just setup an app on my phone, interfacing with my own hardware, using BLE, without any need to mess with location services.  This is not some blanket requirement from Apple.  This is a decision by Fitbit.  

Rich, please feel free to stop posting.  Unless you have a solution to the question being asked?  

[Rich_Laue]

I was just giving an example. If you want the popup to enable access to location services to stop, grant the app permission to access location services. This access will not force the app to access your location until you request the app to access your location. 

[JasonW-1990]

@Rich_Laue 

STOP!

None of that is helpful.  
I’ve been very clear about how I expect the app to behave.  If you don’t have a suggestion for changing the apps behavior, then don’t post!

[Rich_Laue]

Sorry I was explaining why you are getting the popup, and explained how to stop the popup. The app never requested to have GPS turned on. 

[JasonW-1990]

LMAO!