How to remove the recent ad showing in the app.

[SunsetRunner]

Anyone else suddenly started having adverts on the Fitbit app? It’s really annoying and only started today since the app updated. Annoyed that I paid a lot for the fitbit Surge only to have loads of adverts on the app...can it be disabled?

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[KateFitbit]

@janel sorry to hear this, it's certainly not the normal customer experience. What ad are you seeing? I'm not aware of any ads currently running. If you are able to provide a screenshot I can pass this on to the team. 

@amyhughes thanks for the feedback, this will be passed along to our team. 

[janel]

@KateFitbit  It was an ad for the Versa, to the effect of Learn More about the Newest Fitbit. Full screen. Completely obliterating everything else in the app. If I get it again I will try to get a screenshot. Since I saw the last ad about a sale 4-5 times, I'm sure I"ll have the chance.

[SirBigDave]

Advert for product I will never buy-

It’s weird that these adverts are the reason I would not buy a Fitbit again. The complete inverse of their intention. I would like a more smart watch with the bigger screen but would like something cheaper than the Apple Watch. Garmin and others will be at the top of my list. 

moderator edit: screenshot for clarity

[KateFitbit]

@SirBigDave - thanks for the screenshot. I'm not sure if I haven't received this yet or I tapped it away and forgot it. 

@janel I'll let our team know that you are unable to tap the ad and have seen it 4-5 times, that should not be happening. 

[Crono1973]

It really makes no sense why a company would want to annoy existing customers.

[roozill]

This is absolutely the normal customer experience.. outrageous that Fitbit
should suggest otherwise.

[KateFitbit]

@roozill an occasional ad to let customers know about new products, features, or promotions that can be tapped away is normal. If you are repeatedly getting the same ad and/or it's causing your phone to crash, please let me know, I'll pass that information on to our team. 

[Crono1973]

Kate,

             Using a product we already bought to advertise to us shouldn't be normal.

[SirBigDave]

It’s not.

Sent from my iPhone

[SunsetRunner]

@KateFitbit

No, it's not.  And you saying so doesn't make us tow the party line.  You folks (@Fitbit) just added this annoying functionality, and clearly we, the paying customer is unhappy.  We already are in your ecosystem.  Hear us.  You are not pleasing us by saying "HEY, YOU GAVE US MONIES, GIVE US MORE MONIES" - yes, that IS exactly how we see and interpret this.

Hear us.

[SunsetRunner]

Correction, are NOT pleasing us.  Clearly mis-typing.

[roozill]

I've stopped using my fitbit because of the ads, Kate.

There are a thousand other places for fitbit to advertise their new
products. Putting irritating ads in the middle of the device we're trying
to use was a very poor strategy.

I absolutely resent being spammed like this by a device i paid for. This is
the point and I hope it's clearly made.

[sleepyky]

To be fair to Fitbit I agree with them advertising new products in the app, as a lot of people who would be in the market for a new Fitbit and don’t receive newsletter emails or live on social media would miss something like this for quite a while. While some ads can be annoying, seeing this ad on my app this week didn’t bother me I dismissed it and carried on using the app it really isn’t a big deal.

[roozill]

Yes, I take your point.
I can imagine if you didn't use any social media, or browse the internet,
or read newspapers, or watch tv, or see billboards in the street, you might
never find out about the latest product from fitbit.
Maybe you do need that spam in your app. e_e

[restlessdan]

Roozill, that’s a little aggressive as I haven’t seen one ad for the Versa on a billboard, tv or internet yet. The point that was made was while the Versa was on pre-order the only way you would really find out is on the Fitbit website, social media or through the ad in the app, we all have to Remember that just because some people don’t like ads some others will appreciate them.

[roozill]

There was nothing aggressive about my post.
I acknowledged your point.
But maybe my efforts to understand your reasoning did push the sarcasm
button.

The rest of us are expressing our disappointment at being pushed spam after
paying for a product.
We're hoping that fitbit might recognise what an unethical approach that is
and how irritating we find it.

Feel free to start an "i love adverts please fill my phone with more
adverts" thread if you like that sort of thing.
Lazy, **ahem**ic marketing consultants will be delighted to see their tacky
efforts appreciated.

As for me.. I'm done here.
And done with fitbit.

[amyhughes]

Independent of the annoyance of advertising to people who have already purchased the product, I and others have said that the close icon doesn't work. The suggested solution is to tap the ad to view the promotion in safari, which in addition to being unacceptable (and violating the Apple App Store guidelines), only makes it go away (supposedly) until the next campaign.

I know that nothing that is said here is going to dissuade shareholders from treating customers with contempt, so I'm not even going to hope that the ads will stop. I have simply stopped using the thing. I'll probably sell it, and unlike Fitbit, I'll have the decency to warn the potential buyer that advertising is the additional, constant extra cost of using a Fitbit.

[Crono1973]

sleepyky,

You know what I do when I am in the market for something? I seek out the information myself. I look at the different options and the reviews. I avoid ads as much as possible. I won't pay for cable TV but I do pay for ad-free streaming services. That we should all tolerate ads because you don't want to do research when the time comes to replace your activity trackers is insane.

[rumj]

@Kate, @marco

I quite disagree with your sentiment there, Kate. It is not ok.  Specially when so many have pointed out that it is not a matter of just tapping the 'x' which doesn't always work. We have to double tap the home button, close down the app by force and then sometimes the ad doesn't pop up. Even otherwise it is NOT OK. 

We've paid for the product, and the app is an indispensable part of the product as the watch itself isn't fully capable without the app or a computer.

Why doesn't fitbit offer the ability to opt out of ads? The honest answer is that every user will opt out, isn't it? So their taking the 'opt out' option off the table at the outset shows us that they are aware that users will not like this, but they CHOOSE to go ahead with annoying us anyway.

If you've been tracking my tracker (hmm), you'll notice that I've not been wearing it as frequently as I did religiously for the first 2 years.... it's because, despite what you say, full screen pop-up ads by fitbit are really annoying.

I realize that fitbit will do nothing about it. Just like you did nothing about sedentary alerts which we've been requesting for over three years. It's a pity really, because you have a good reputation. The core product is solid. Shame to destroy it with poor marketing decisions.

[SunsetRunner]

@KateFitbit

So, I've chosen to take my money and my service elsewhere.  Since this is negligible, and dismissible, as is apparently what the company believes is my commitment, I've taken it elsewhere.  No, you cannot force me to stay in your advertising circle.  Yes, that is how strongly I feel about this.  Check my stats, you can see it's not BS.

-A former customer.