Fitbit Articles

Article / Updated 07-29-2022

The folks at Fitbit are well aware of the significant benefits that accrue when you make your self-tracking public, so they’ve built tons of social features, like making friends, into the Fitbit app. You might be leery of letting Fitbit rummage around in your contacts, but the company promises not to send anything to a contact without your permission. If that seems reasonable, you need to give the Fitbit app permission to access your contacts and then send your request: 1. In the Fitbit app, select Community. 2. Select the Friends tab. The Friends tab is where the Fitbit app will eventually list all your friends, ranked in descending order of total steps taken over the past week. For now, it’s either empty or you see just yourself, as shown in the Android version in the following figure. 3. Select the Add Friend icon (labeled in the figure). 4. Select the Contacts tab. 5. Give Fitbit permission to access your contacts: Android: Tap Enable, and when your Android asks you to confirm, tap Allow. iOS: Tap Connect Contacts, and when iOS asks you to confirm, tap OK. Windows 10: Select Open Settings to run the Settings app, which automatically displays the Contacts tab of the Privacy page. Select Change, turn on the Contacts Access for This Device switch, and then turn on the Fitbit switch. Restart the Fitbit app, repeat Steps 1 through 4, and then skip to Step 6. (Note that the switch is green when it’s on.) The Fitbit app’s Contacts tab now displays two lists. At the top you see X Contacts with Fitbit, where X is the number of people the Fitbit app found in your contacts who have a Fitbit account. Below that list you see the Contacts without Fitbit list. 6. Select the Add Friend icon beside the contact you want to add. The Add Friend icon turns into a clock icon, indicating that the app is waiting for the other person to accept (or — horrors! — reject) your friend request. How to send a friend request to your Facebook friends If you know some people on Facebook who have a Fitbit, it might be easier to add them as Fitbit friends by letting the Fitbit app scour your Facebook connections. Fitbit claims that they won’t reach out to any Facebook friend without asking you first, so why not? Before this can happen, you have to give the Fitbit app permission to access your Facebook account. In the sections that follow, you give Fitbit permission to access your Facebook account. If, down the road, you want to revoke that permission, you have to do it on the Facebook site. Log in to your Facebook account, select Settings→Apps and Websites, select the Fitbit check box, and then select Remove. Using the Fitbit app to send a Facebook friend request Here are the steps to follow to ship out a request to a Facebook friend by using the Fitbit app: 1. Select Community. 2. Select the Friends tab. 3. Select the Add Friend icon (labeled in the figure). 4. Select the Facebook tab. 5. Select Connect Facebook. The app prompts you to log in to your Facebook account. 6. Enter your Facebook login credentials, and then select Log In. A screen shows you what Facebook permissions you’re giving to the Fitbit app. 7. Select Continue as Name, where Name is your first name. The Fitbit app connects to your Facebook account and examines your friends to see which of them have Fitbit accounts. The Fitbit app’s Facebook tab now displays a list of your Facebook friends who have a Fitbit account. 8. Select the Add Friend icon beside the Facebook friend you want to add. The Add Friend icon turns into a clock icon, indicating that the app is waiting for the other person to accept (or summarily reject) your friend request. Using Fitbit.com to send a Facebook friend request Here are the steps to follow to send a request to a Facebook friend by using Fitbit.com: 1. Go to Fitbit app and log in to your account. 2. In the Friends tile, select Connect Facebook. Fitbit prompts you to log in to your Facebook account. 3. Enter your Facebook login credentials, and then select Log In. A screen shows you what Facebook permissions you’re giving to the Fitbit app. 4. Select Continue as Name, where Name is your first name. Fitbit connects to your Facebook account. After a few moments, the Friends tile displays a list of your Facebook friends who have a Fitbit account. 5. Select the Add Friend button beside the person you want to add. By default, Fitbit displays only a few Facebook friends in the Friends tile. To see the rest of your Fitbit-connected Facebook friends, hover the mouse pointer over the Friends tile, select See More and then select the Show All link that appears above your Facebook friends list (which Fitbit labels May We Suggest). The Add Friend icon turns into a clock icon, indicating that Fitbit is waiting for the other person to accept (or — say it isn’t so — reject) your friend request. How to send a friend request by email If you know the email address of a person’s Fitbit account, you can send a friend request to that email address. Using the Fitbit app to send an email friend request Here are the steps to follow to send an email friend request by using the Fitbit app: 1. In the Fitbit app, select Community. 2. Select the Friends tab. 3. Select the Add Friend icon (labeled in the figure). 4. Select the Email tab. 5. Enter the person’s email address. When the address is complete, the Fitbit app displays a friend request for that person. 6. Select the Add Friend icon beside the friend request. The Add Friend icon turns into a clock icon, indicating that the app is waiting for the other person to accept (or — boo! — reject) your friend request. Using Fitbit.com to send an email friend request Here are the steps to follow to send one or more email friend requests using Fitbit.com: 1. Go to Fitbit and log in to your account. 2. In the Friends tile, select Invite Friends. If you’ve already connected your Facebook account to Fitbit, you won’t see the Invite Friends link. Instead, hover your mouse pointer over the Friends tile, select Find Friends and then select Invite by Email. Fitbit displays the Invite Friends by Email window. 3. In the Email Addresses text box, enter an email address for each person you want to invite. When you complete an address, type a space or a comma or press tab to complete the address and move to the next one. Fitbit displays a sneak peek of your friend request in the Message Preview pane. 4. When you’ve entered all your addresses, select Send Invitation. Fitbit ships out your friend requests. How to send a friend request by using a Fitbit username If you know a person’s Fitbit username, follow these steps to send a friend request to that person: 1. In the Fitbit app, select Community. 2. Select the Friends tab. 3. Select the Add Friend icon (labeled in the figure). 4. Select the Username tab. 5. Enter the person’s username. When the username is complete, the Fitbit app displays a friend request for that person. 6. Select the Add Friend icon beside the friend request. The Add Friend icon turns into a clock icon, indicating that the app is waiting for the other person to accept (or ungratefully reject) your friend request.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-15-2022

Having a Fitbit is all about getting fit and living a healthier lifestyle by tracking what you do and what you eat each day. Sure, you can try keeping all your activities and meals in your head, but believe me that doesn’t work. It’s always better just to let your Fitbit handle the hard part, which leaves you free to focus on the bigger picture. This Cheat Sheet helps you with that broader view by telling you everything — yes, everything — you need to know to get and maintain health and fitness. You also learn the most useful Fitbit account settings.

Article / Updated 02-20-2020

When you monitor your personal stats throughout the day by using your Fitbit device, the Fitbit app, and the Fitbit.com online Dashboard, it’s easy to fall into a Fitbit-only mindset. It’s a big world out there, and Fitbit isn’t the only fitness and health game in town. Other fitness and health apps include as Strava and Weight Watchers; other fitness devices include Alexa and Cortana; and other types of content for your Fitbit include music and podcasts. Fortunately, because Fitbit is by far the most popular activity tracking company, many third parties have been eager to set up ways to connect their products to the Fitbit ecosystem. Here, you explore the myriad ways that you can connect your Fitbit to these third-party apps, devices, and content. Share Fitbit data on Strava It’s easy to connect with friends and groups to share your latest and greatest achievements. But if you’re a dedicated exerciser or athlete, chances are you already have an account on Strava, which means it probably makes more sense to share data between your Fitbit account and your Strava account. After you connect Fitbit and Strava, two things happen: All GPS-related activities that you track with your Fitbit are synced to your Strava account. All the activities that you track via Strava are added to your daily and weekly Fitbit stats. Note that none of the preceding includes activities prior to making the connection between your two accounts. If you want to get your historical Fitbit data into Strava, you need to export the data. If you have a Fitbit watch, open the Strava app to see your ten most recent runs or rides. Connecting Fitbit and Strava by using the Strava app To connect your Fitbit and Strava accounts by using the Strava app, follow these steps: 1. Get started in the Strava app: Android: Tap Menu→Settings→Link Other Services. Then tap Connect a Device to Strava. iOS: Tap More→Settings→Applications, Services, and Devices. Then tap Connect a New Device to Strava. 2. Tap Fitbit. 3. Tap Connect Fitbit. Strava prompts you to log in to your Fitbit account. 4. Type your Fitbit email address and password, and then tap Log In. Strava prompts you to log in to your Strava account. 5. Type your Strava email address and password, and then tap Log In. 6. Tap Authorize. Fitbit asks you to choose which data you want to allow Strava to access, as shown. 7. Tap the Allow All check box. Note that you don’t have to share everything with Strava. For example, there’s probably not much point sharing your weight or your Fitbit profile with Strava. 8. Tap to deselect the check box beside each item you don’t want to share. 9. Tap the Allow button. Strava displays an overview of the sharing process. 10. Tap OK, Got It. 11. Tap Done. Fitbit and Strava share any GPS-based activities that you track with one or the other. Connecting Fitbit and Strava on the web To connect Fitbit and Strava online by using a web browser, follow these steps: 1. Surf to Strava online. 2. Click Connect. Strava prompts you to authorize Fitbit to connect to Strava. 3. Click Authorize. Fitbit prompts you to log in to your Fitbit account. 4. Type your Fitbit email address and password, and then tap Log In. Fitbit asks you to choose which data you want to allow Strava to access. 5. Click the Allow All check box (or select the check box beside only those items you want to share), and then tap the Allow button. Strava displays an overview of the sharing process. 6. Click OK, Got It. Fitbit and Strava share any GPS-based activities that you track with one or the other. Share Fitbit data on Weight Watchers If you’re a member of Weight Watchers, wouldn’t it be great if you could convert your Fitbit activities into Weight Watchers activity points, or FitPoints in Weight Watchers lingo? Why, yes, it would — and you can. Just connect your Fitbit account with your Weight Watchers account and your Fitbit activities will be automatically synced to your Weight Watchers profile. Sweet! Connecting Fitbit and Weight Watchers by using the Weight Watchers app To connect your Fitbit and Weight Watchers accounts by using the Weight Watchers app, follow these steps: 1. Get started in the Weight Watchers app: Android: Tap Profile→Settings. Then tap Activity Settings→Activity Sync. iOS: Tap Profile→Settings. Then tap Activity Settings→Device. 2. To connect a Fitbit activity tracker, tap Device. To connect a Fitbit Aria 2 smart scale, tap Wireless Scale. 3. Tap Fitbit. Weight Watchers prompts you to log in to your Fitbit account. 4. Type your Fitbit email address and password, and then tap Log In. Fitbit asks you to choose which data you want to allow Weight Watchers to access. 5. Tap the Allow All check box. Note that you don’t have to share everything with Weight Watchers. For example, there’s probably not much point sharing your sleep, your friends, or your Fitbit profile with Weight Watchers. 6. Tap to deselect the check box beside each item you don’t want to share. 7. Tap the Allow button. Fitbit shares the data you selected with your Weight Watchers account. Connecting Fitbit and Weight Watchers on the web To connect your Fitbit and Weight Watchers accounts online by using a web browser, follow these steps: 1. Surf to Weight Watchers website. (in Canada; in the UK) 2. Log in to your account. 3. Click Account→Settings. 4. Click Device. If you’ve previously connected a device with your Weight Watchers account, you need to remove it because Weight Watchers allows only one connected device at a time. To remove the device, click the Device logo or click Disconnect. Fitbit prompts you to log in to your Fitbit account. 5. Type your Fitbit email address and password, and then tap Log In. Fitbit asks you to choose which data you want to allow Weight Watchers to access. 6. Click the Allow All check box (or select the check box beside only those items you want to share), and then tap Allow. Fitbit shares the data you selected in Step 6 with your Weight Watchers account. To get your Fitbit data synced to your Weight Watchers profile right away (and any time you feel like it), click Menu→My Day. Next, click the Activity tab, and then click the Sync with Your Fitbit App link, which appears at the bottom of the Activity tab. Share Fitbit data with MyFitnessPal MyFitnessPal is a calorie-counting app that enables you to track food (calories in) and exercises (calories out) to achieve a goal weight. It’s one of the most popular health and fitness apps, and you can connect it to your Fitbit for easier tracking. Connecting Fitbit and MyFitnessPal by using the MyFitnessPal app Follow these steps to connect your Fitbit and MyFitnessPal accounts by using the MyFitnessPal app: 1. Get started in the MyFitnessPal app: Android: Tap Menu→Apps and Devices. iOS: Tap More→Apps and Devices. 2. Tap Fitbit Tracker. 3. Tap Connect. MyFitnessPal prompts you to log in to your MyFitnessPal account. 4. Type your MyFitnessPal email address and password, and then tap Log In. MyFitnessPal prompts you to log in to your Fitbit account. 5. Type your Fitbit email address and password, and then tap Log In. Fitbit asks you to choose which data you want to allow MyFitnessPal to access. 6. Tap Allow All. Unfortunately, MyFitnessPal insists that you share all your Fitbit data. If you try to share only some data, the connection with fail. Boo, MyFitnessPal! 7. Tap Allow. Fitbit will now share your data with your MyFitnessPal account. Connecting Fitbit and MyFitnessPal on the web To connect your Fitbit and MyFitnessPal accounts online using a web browser, follow these steps: 1. Surf to https://myfitnesspal.com/ and then log in to your account. 2. Click Apps. 3. Click Fitbit Tracker. 4. Click Connect. 5. If prompted, type your Fitbit email address and password, and then tap Log In. Fitbit asks you to choose which data you want to allow MyFitnessPal to access 6. Click the Allow All check box and then click the Allow button. Fitbit now shares your data with your MyFitnessPal account. Share Fitbit data with other apps In the previous three sections I talk about the specific steps to take to connect your Fitbit device and account with three apps: Strava, Weight Watchers, and MyFitnessPal. However, Fitbit trackers are so popular that just about every fitness, health, diet, and weight loss app offers a way to connect to a Fitbit device. To give you an idea, the table offers a list of the apps that have official ties to Fitbit (current as of this writing). Apps That Work with Fitbit App Category Dick's Sporting Goods Health Endomondo Fitness Fitabase Health Fitline Fitness FitTap Health Fitwatchr Diet and weight loss Habit Diet and weight loss LFconnect Fitness Lose It! Diet and weight loss MapMyRun Fitness MINDBODY Health MyNetDiary Diet and weight loss Nudge Health Tracking Fitness Peloton Fitness RunKeeper Fitness Running for Weight Loss* Diet and weight loss SparkPeople Fitness Stridekick Fitness Tactio Health Health Thermos Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid Diet and weight loss Trainerize Fitness TrainingPeaks Fitness Trendweight Diet and weight loss VirZOOM Fitness Walgreens Balance Rewards Health Walkadoo Fitness Waterlogged Diet and weight loss Wokamon Fitness *Search your device app store Yep: that’s a lot of apps! Unfortunately, I can’t offer a one-size-fits-all method that enables you to connect any one of these apps to your Fitbit device and account. However, I can do the next best thing and offer a general procedure to try for any app: Using the third-party’s app: Open the app’s Settings or main menu, and then look for a command named something like Apps, Devices, or Connect. Click Fitbit, log in to your Fitbit account if asked, and then choose which data you want to share with the app by using the screen shown previously. Using the third party’s website: Log in to your app account. Open the site’s main menu, and then look for a command named something like Apps, Devices, or Connect. Click Fitbit, log in to your Fitbit account if asked, and then choose which data you want to share with the app by using the screen shown previously. Export your Fitbit data Fitbits are so popular that almost all major fitness- and health-related apps and services have an option to connect to your Fitbit account. However, you might be using an app or service that doesn’t offer such a connection. Are you out of luck? Perhaps not. Fitbit offers a couple of ways to export your data to a file. If your app or service has a method for importing files, you might be able to import your Fitbit data. Fitbit offers two types of file exports: Single activity TCX file: This Training Center XML (TCX) file includes the GPS data for a run or other activity, as well as data related to the activity such as average heart rate and calories burned. All activities ZIP file: This archive (ZIP) file contains all your Fitbit data. Most of the data comes as either a JavaScript object notation (JSON) file or a comma separated values (CSV) file. In practice, you’ll almost always want a TCX file to import into a service. However, I also include the instructions for exporting all your data, just in case you want a record of what Fitbit has stored for you. Export an activity as a TCX file To export a GPS-tracked activity as a TCX file, follow these steps: 1. Surf to www.fitbit.com and log in to open your Dashboard. 2. In the navigation bar, click Log. 3. Click Activities. 4. Locate the GPS-tracked activity you want to export, and then click the activity’s View Details button. 5. Click the More icon, labeled in the figure, and then click Export as TCX file. Fitbit gathers the activity’s data into a TCX file and then downloads that file to your PC. As an alternative to Steps 1 through 3, you can head directly to your Activities log by going to Fitbit Activities. Export all your Fitbit activities To export all your Fitbit data, follow these steps: 1. Point your web browser to www.fitbit.com and log in to open your Dashboard. 2. Click View Settings→Settings. 3. Click Data Export. Fitbit opens the Export My Fitbit Data page. As an alternative to Steps 1 through 3, you can head directly to this page by going to Fitbit Settings. 4. Click Request My Data. Fitbit sends an email to your Fitbit address asking you to confirm your data request. 5. In the Fitbit email, click Confirm Export Request. Fitbit begins the process of exporting your data. In the Export My Fitbit Data page, you see a Current Export item with a percentage that tells you how far along things have progressed. Click the Refresh icon to see the latest percentage. 6. When the export preparation is complete (that is, when the percentage in the Current Export item reaches 100), click the Download button. Your web browser downloads the file, which is usually named MyFitBitData.zip. Connect Fitbit to Alexa If you have an Alexa-enabled device at home — such as an Amazon Echo or a third-party speaker that includes Alexa — you can ask Alexa for your current Fitbit stats, including steps taken, flights climbed, and your resting heart rate. To make Alexa Fitbit-aware, you must first enable the Fitbit skill on your Alexa device. To enable the Fitbit skill with your voice, use either of the following commands: “Alexa, enable Fitbit.” “Alexa, open Fitbit.” If Alexa tells you it can’t find the Fitbit skill, it likely means the skill is not available in your country. Fitbit adds new countries every so often, so keep trying to enable the skill once a month or so. You can also enable the Fitbit skill using the Alexa app, as shown in the following steps: 1. In the Alexa app, choose Menu→Skills & Games. 2. Click the Search icon (magnifying glass), and then type fitbit in the Search screen. 3. Tap the Fitbit skill to open its information page. 4. Tap Enable. Alexa enables the skill. With the Fitbit skill enabled, you invoke the skill by saying “Alexa, ask Fitbit something”, where something can be any of the following: How many steps I’ve taken today How many flights I’ve climbed today How many active minutes I have today How many calories I’ve burned today How far I’ve walked today How I’m doing today How I slept last night If I’ve exercised today How much water I’ve had today What my resting heart rate is How much I weigh About my battery Connect Fitbit to Window 10’s Cortana If you a Cortana-enabled Windows 10 device, you can ask Cortana to tell you your current Fitbit stats, including steps taken, flights climbed, and your resting heart rate. To get Cortana connected to Fitbit, you must first enable the Fitbit skill on your Windows 10 device. To enable the Fitbit skill, issue the following command: “Cortana, ask Fitbit.” With the Fitbit skill enabled, you invoke the skill by saying “Cortana, ask Fitbit something”, where something can be any of the following: How many steps I’ve taken today How many flights I’ve climbed today How many active minutes I have today How many calories I’ve burned today How far I’ve walked today How I’m doing today How I slept last night If I’ve exercised today How much water I’ve had today What my resting heart rate is How much I weigh About my battery Get the weather on your Fitbit If your Fitbit supports apps, one of those apps is called Weather, which can put the current conditions right there on your wrist. Nice. First, though, you need to follow these steps to configure your weather settings: 1. Click Dashboard→Account. 2. Click your Fitbit device. 3. Click Apps. If you don’t see the Apps icon, your Fitbit doesn’t support running apps. 4. Click the Settings icon (gear) next to the Weather app. Fitbit displays the Weather app’s Settings screen, shown here. 5. To change the temperature unit, click Unit and then click either Fahrenheit or Celsius. 6. To add a city to the Weather app: Click Add City. Start typing the name of the city. Click the full name of the city when it appears in Fitbit’s list of cities that match what you’ve typed so far. 7. Click the Back icon (<) until you return to the Account screen. Fitbit syncs the new settings to the Weather app. If you add multiple cities to the Weather app, you can switch between cities in the app by swiping left or right.

Article / Updated 10-26-2019

If you want to get your kids doing the Fitbit thing, you probably want to get them a Fitbit Ace, which is a tracker designed for kids. However, to set up the Ace, you first need to create a family account, which is a special subset of your Fitbit friends that has only family members. How to create a family account Run through the following steps to get a family account set up in the Fitbit app: Select Dashboard→Account to open the Account screen. Select Create Family Account. The app displays an overview of the family account. Select Create Family. The app creates a new family for you and sets you up as the main guardian. Wow, “guardian” sure sounds impressive, but what does it mean? A family guardian can add and remove other guardians, invite family members to join, and create accounts for children, which includes setting up a Fitbit Ace. The next few sections describe these tasks. How to add a family guardian Before you can invite a friend to be a guardian, that person must make their birthday info available so that Fitbit can make sure the person is at least 18 years old. So, your first chore is to ask all the people who you want to invite to be guardians to make their birthday available to their Fitbit friends. Here are the steps each person needs to follow: In the Fitbit app, select Dashboard→Account. Select Privacy. Select Birthday. Select the Friends radio button. Fitbit now makes the person’s birthday info visible to friends only. Friends can also make their birthday info visible using Fitbit.com. They should log in and select View Profile→View Account Settings→Privacy (or go directly to Fitbit Privacy). Next, select Birthday and then select Friends Only. With that out of the way, to invite one of your Fitbit friends to be a family guardian (which also adds that person to your family account), follow these steps in the Fitbit app: Select Dashboard→Account. You need to use the Fitbit app here because there’s no way to invite a friend to be a guardian online by using Fitbit.com. Select My Family. The app displays the My Family screen. Select Add Guardians. In the Android app, first tap the Add icon (+) and then tap Add Guardians. Select the Invite icon beside the person you want to invite to be a guardian. The app sends the invitation to the friend. How to invite others to the family account Want to invite an adult family member to join your family account, but you don’t want the person to be a guardian? Follow these steps to invite that person: Select Dashboard→Account. You need to use the Fitbit app because there’s no way to invite people to join your family account online by using Fitbit.com. Select My Family. The app displays the My Family screen. Select Invite Members. In the Android app, first tap the Add icon (+) and then tap Invite Members. Select the Invite icon beside the person you want to invite to join your family account. The app sends the invitation to the friend. How to handle a family invitation When a family invitation request comes in through Fitbit, one of the following occurs: Android or Windows 10: You see a notification onscreen. Select View to open the invitation. iOS: You see a badge on the Fitbit app’s Notifications icon. Tap Notifications, tap Messages if it isn’t already displayed, and then tap the invitation. With the invitation displayed, select Join Family. How to create a child account Creating a child account means both setting up an account on Fitbit and pairing an Ace tracker with the Android, iOS, or Windows 10 device the child will use to run a scaled-down version of the Fitbit app. Here’s how it works: On the device your child will use to run the Fitbit app, install the Fitbit app, and then use the app to log in to your Fitbit account. Select Dashboard→Account. You need to use the Fitbit app because you can’t create a child account online by using Fitbit.com. Select My Family. The app displays the My Family screen. Select Create Child Account. In the Android app, first tap the Add icon (+) and then tap Create Child Account. The app prompts you for your Fitbit account password. Enter your Fitbit password, and then select Confirm. The Fitbit app displays some privacy info. Select Next, and then select I Agree. The Add Child screen appears. The iOS version is shown in the following figure. Fill in the child’s info, and the select Next. If you have an eyebrow raised because Fitbit want to know your child’s gender, birthday, and height, know that this information is visible only to you, to any other guardian in your family account, and to the child. Fitbit prompts you to pair the device with your child’s Ace. Make sure the Ace is nearby (within about 33 feet) before proceeding. Select Pair with This Device. When Fitbit asks you to confirm, select Yes. The Fitbit app switches to Kid View, which is the scaled-down app interface that your child will use. Select Set Up a Kid-Compatible Tracker, and then select Ace. Select Set Up Ace for Name, where Name is your child’s name. Fitbit displays its terms and policies legal stuff. Read (wink, wink) the terms and policies, and then select I Agree. Fitbit displays several introductory screens for the Ace tracker. Select Next on each screen until the Fitbit app locates the Ace tracker. Fitbit displays a four-digit number on the Ace display. In the Fitbit app, enter the four-digit number to pair the device to the Ace. If you see a screen telling you that an update is available for the tracker, select Update Ace. Follow the onscreen introduction to the Ace tracker by selecting Next on each screen that appears. When the introduction is complete, the app displays the Dashboard in Kid View. On your child’s device, if you want full access to all Fitbit app features and settings, you need to switch to Parent View. Select Dashboard→Account→Switch to Parent View. When the app asks you to confirm, select Switch to Parent View, enter your Fitbit password, and then select Confirm. To return to Kid View, select Dashboard→Account→My Family, select the child’s account in the Children section, and then select Switch to Kid View. If you need to delete a child account, select Dashboard→Account→My Family to display your family members. In the Android app, tap and hold down on the child’s name, and then tap Remove; in the iOS app, swipe left on the child’s name, and then tap Remove; in the Windows 10 app, tap the Edit icon (pencil) and then select the Remove icon (X) next to the child’s account. In all versions of the app, you now select Delete Child Account & Data, enter your Fitbit password, and then select Confirm.

Article / Updated 10-26-2019

The number of fad diets clamoring for your attention is downright mind-boggling. From the Atkins diet to the Zone diet, you can find countless weight-loss regimens as well as tens of thousands of books and websites explaining those regimens. How do you choose which one is right for you? Two words: You don’t! Unless you have unique medical needs, a special diet is only going to make things worse in the long run (usually because starving your body of food in general or of certain nutrients in particular just makes your body retain calories and fat). Instead, all you need is your Fitbit and a commitment to the following five tasks: Set a target weight Weigh yourself every day Log all the food and drink you consume Exercise moderately (for example, by walking briskly) for at least 30 minutes every day Run a calorie deficit (that is, make sure that the calories you take in are less than the calories you burn) Yep, that’s it. Study after study has shown that people who follow these simple principles are way more successful than serial dieters at not only losing weight but also keeping that weight off. Best of all, you can do everything with your Fitbit (including, optionally, a Fitbit Aria 2 weighing scale) and your Fitbit account. How to set a weight loss goal by using the Fitbit app You can use your Fitbit to help you keep your weight steady or even to gain weight if you’re looking to pack on a few pounds of muscle. However, this chapter is about losing weight, so the first thing you should know is how to set a goal for the lower weight that you want to target. That way, you can track how you’re doing relative to your goal and shoot for weight-loss achievement badges for extra motivation. Here are the steps to follow to set a goal for your target lower weight by using the Fitbit app: Click Dashboard→Account. The Account screen appears. In the Goals section, click Nutrition & Body. The Nutrition & Body Goals screen appears. Click Goal Weight (Android or iOS). In Windows 10, use the Goal Weight text box to enter your goal weight, and then skip the rest of these steps. Fitbit asks whether you want to lose, gain, or maintain weight. Click Lose. Fitbit prompts you to enter a weight goal. Adjust the weight scale to your goal weight and then click Save. Fitbit asks if you have a body fat percentage goal. Click Skip. Fitbit saves your goal. How to set a weight loss goal with Fitbit.com Follow these steps to set a goal for your target lower weight online by using the Fitbit.com website: Tell your nearest web browser to go to Fitbit online, and then log in to display the Dashboard. Hover your mouse pointer over the Weight tile, and then click the Settings icon (gear) below the Weight tile. Click the Goal Weight tab, and then click Add Weight Goal. Fitbit asks whether you want to lose, gain, or maintain weight. Click Lose Weight. Enter your goal weight. Click Save. Fitbit saves your goal. How to set up a Fitbit food plan A food plan specifies your weekly calorie deficit, which occurs when the number of calories you consume is less than the number of calories you burn. The bigger the calorie deficit, the faster you lose weight but the more difficult the plan (because you’re hungrier, more tired, or both), so Fitbit offers four different plan intensities: Easy: A calorie deficit of 250 calories per day, which translates to 0.5 pounds (0.2 kilograms) of weight loss per week. Medium: A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day, which translates to 1 pound (0.5 kilograms) of weight loss per week. Kinda hard: A calorie deficit of 750 calories per day, which translates to 1.5 pounds (0.7 kilograms) of weight loss per week. Harder: A calorie deficit of 1,000 calories per day, which translates to 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) of weight loss per week. Which plan intensity you choose depends on your tolerance for hunger (reducing calories in) or exercise (increasing calories out), or how close it is to swimsuit season. To help you stick to your food plan, you should set up a calories burned goal in your Fitbit account. Setting up your food plan by using the Fitbit app Here are the steps to follow to set up a food plan by using the Fitbit app: Click Dashboard→Account. The Account screen appears. Click Nutrition & Body. The Nutrition & Body Goals screen appears. Under Nutrition, click Food Plan (Android) or Food (iOS and Windows 10). (iOS only) Tap Help Me Set a Goal. Fitbit displays your current weight and your goal weight. If you didn’t set a goal weight earlier, enter your target weight in the Goal Weight text box and then click Next. Fitbit displays the Plan Intensity screen. Click the intensity of the plan you want to follow. In the Android app, tap Next. Fitbit displays an overview of how it calculates its estimate of your daily calorie intake. Click Next. Fitbit displays an overview of how it calculates your daily calorie deficit. Click Next. Fitbit displays an overview of your food plan. Click Save Plan (Android), Done (iOS), or Save (Windows 10). Fitbit saves your new food plan. Setting up your food plan with Fitbit.com Follow these steps to set up a food plan online by using the Fitbit.com website: Steer your browser to Fitbit online, and then log in to display the Dashboard. In the Food Plan tile, click Start Now. Fitbit displays your current weight and your goal weight. If you didn’t set a goal weight earlier, enter your target weight in the I Want to Weigh text box and then click Next. In the Set Up a Food Plan? section, click Get Started. Fitbit displays the Plan Intensity window. To see the details of each plan, click the Show All 4 link. Click the intensity of the plan you want to follow, and then click Next. Fitbit displays an overview of how it calculates its estimate of your daily calorie intake. Click Next. Fitbit displays an overview of how it calculates your daily calorie deficit. Click Next. Fitbit displays an overview of your food plan. Click Next. Fitbit saves your new food plan.

Article / Updated 10-23-2019

Fitbits look like simple devices from the outside, but even the least complicated Fitbits—such as the Ace and Inspire—have sophisticated innards bristling with sensors, storage, and other electronic trinkets and gewgaws. Even so, chances are good that you’ll go your entire Fitbit career without having any problems, but if you do, try these basic troubleshooting techniques. Many problems can be solved by doing the following three things: Restart your Fitbit. Update your Fitbit’s software. Reset your Fitbit to its factory default settings. Try restarting your Fitbit to see if it solves your problem. If not, move on to updating the software (assuming an update is available) and see if that helps. If there’s still no joy, only then should you try resetting your Fitbit to its factory default settings. How to restart your Fitbit If your Fitbit is having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi, syncing, or doing any of its normal duties, by far the most common solution is to restart the device. By rebooting the device, you reload the system, which is often enough to solve many problems. When you restart your Fitbit, you don’t lose any stored data, your settings are preserved, and you keep connections such as Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices. How you restart depends on which Fitbit you have: Ace, Alta, or Alta HR: Clip your charging cable to your Fitbit and plug the other end of the cable into a USB port. On the USB end of the cable, locate the small button and press it three times within eight seconds, pausing briefly between each press. Aria 2: On the bottom of the Aria, remove the battery cover, remove the batteries, wait ten seconds, reinsert the batteries, and then replace the battery cover. Charge 3: If your device interface still works, open the Settings app and tap Reboot Device. If your device is locked up, attach one end of your charging cable to the Fitbit and the other to a USB port, and then press and hold down the device’s button for eight seconds. Flex 2: Remove the Flex 2 from its wristband, clip your charging cable to your Fitbit, and plug the other end of the cable into a USB port. Find the small button on the USB end of the cable and press the button three times within five seconds, pausing briefly between each press. Ionic or Versa: Press and hold down the Back and Bottom buttons until you see the Fitbit logo. Inspire or Inspire HR: Press and hold down the device button for five seconds. Zip: Use the battery door tool to open the battery door. Then remove the battery, wait impatiently for ten seconds, reinsert the battery (making sure the side with the + icon is facing you), and then close the battery door. How to update your Fitbit Your Fitbit uses internal software — often called firmware — to perform all sorts of tasks, including operating the sensors, storing data, keeping time, and running apps. If your Fitbit is acting wonky and restarting the device doesn’t help, you can often de-wonkify the device by updating the Fitbit system software. Sometimes installing a fresh version of the software is all you need to make your problem go away. In other cases, updating the software may fix a software glitch that was causing your problem. Happily, all Fitbits update their software automatically. When an update is available, the Fitbit app displays a notification similar to the one shown. Tap the Update icon (downward-pointing arrow) to perform the update. Every once in a while, you might find that a firmware update fails to start, fails to finish, or goes south on you in some other way. If updates aren’t happening for you, here, in order, are some troubleshooting steps to try: Restart your tracker, and then try updating again. Restart the phone, tablet, or PC that has the Fitbit app installed, and then try the update once more. Install the Fitbit app on a different phone, tablet, or PC, configure your Fitbit account on that device, set up your Fitbit, and then try updating. If you have an Ionic or Versa watch, here are some extra troubleshooting ideas to consider: Make sure your watch is either charging or has a battery charge of at least 40 percent. If you’re updating over Wi-Fi, here’s a list of a few troubleshooting items that you should check to solve any wireless connectivity problems you’re having with your Fitbit watch or Aria 2 scale: Restart your device(s). Most Wi-Fi devices these days are all-in-one gadgets that combine both a Wi-Fi router and a modem for Internet access. If that’s what you have, turn off the Wi-Fi device, wait a bit, turn the device back on, and then wait for the device to connect to your Internet provider. Restart your Fitbit. Otherwise, if you have a separate router and modem, do the following tasks, in order: 1. Turn off your modem. 2. Turn off your Wi-Fi router. 3. After a few seconds, turn the modem back on and wait until the modem reconnects to the Internet, which may take a few minutes. 4. Turn on your Wi-Fi router. 5. Restart your Fitbit. Look for interference. Devices such as baby monitors and cordless phones that use the 2.4 GHz radio frequency (RF) band can play havoc with wireless signals. Try either moving or turning off such devices if they’re near your Fitbit or Wi-Fi device. Keep your Fitbit and Wi-Fi router well away from microwave ovens, which can jam wireless signals. Check your range. Your Fitbit may be too far away from the Wi-Fi router. You usually can’t get much farther than about 230 feet away from most modern Wi-Fi devices before the signal begins to degrade (the range drops to about 115 feet for older Wi-Fi devices). Either move the Fitbit closer to the Wi-Fi router or turn on the router’s range booster if it has one. You could also install a wireless range extender. Check your password. Make sure you’re using the correct password to access your Wi-Fi network. It’s also possible that your Wi-Fi device requires both Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) for extra security. Fitbit can deal with only one of these security types at a time, so if possible, configure your Wi-Fi device to use only WPA or WPA2. See your Wi-Fi device documentation to find out how to configure the device’s security settings. Update the wireless router firmware. The wireless router firmware is the internal program that the router uses to perform its various chores. Wireless router manufacturers frequently update their firmware to fix bugs, so you should see whether an updated version of the firmware is available. Check your device documentation to find out how firmware updating works. Update and optionally reset your Fitbit. Make sure your Fitbit is up to date and, if you still can’t connect to Wi-Fi, reset your Fitbit. Reset the Wi-Fi device. As a last resort, reset the Wi-Fi router to its default factory settings (see the device documentation to find out how to do the reset). Note that if you reset the router, you need to set up your network again from scratch. If you’re updating over Bluetooth, try the following: Android: Tap Settings→Connections, and then tap the Bluetooth switch to On. iOS: Tap Settings→Bluetooth, and then tap the Bluetooth switch to on (green). Windows 10: Click Start→Settings→Devices, make sure the Bluetooth and Other Devices tab is displayed, and then click the Bluetooth switch to On. Using the appropriate method in the preceding bullet, turn or your phone, tablet, or PC Bluetooth setting, and then turn it back on again. Remove the Fitbit from the list of paired Bluetooth devices on your phone, tablet, or PC, remove the device from the Fitbit app, and then set up the device again in the Fitbit app: Android: Tap Settings→Connections→Bluetooth, tap the Settings icon (gear) to the right of your Fitbit device, and then tap Unpair. iOS: Tap Settings→Bluetooth, tap the Info icon (i), and then tap Forget This Device. Windows 10: Click Start→Settings→Devices, make sure the Bluetooth and Other Devices tab is displayed, click your Fitbit, and then click Remove Device. How to reset your Fitbit If your problem is particularly ornery, restarting or updating the device won’t solve it. In that case, you need to take the drastic step of a factory reset, which means resetting your Fitbit to its original factory settings. I describe the factory reset as drastic because it means you lose your data and settings and you have to go through the Fitbit setup process again. Ouch. Therefore, only head down reset road if restarting and updating your device don’t solve the problem. However, not all Fitbits come with a factory reset option. Specifically, there’s no reset for you if you own any of the following models: Ace Alta Alta HR Flex 2 Inspire Inspire HR Zip For all the rest, how you perform the reset depends on your device: Aria 2: On the bottom of the Aria, remove the battery cover, remove the batteries, and then press and hold down the button just above the battery slots. While holding down the button for at least ten seconds, reinsert the batteries. When you’re finished, replace the battery cover. Charge 3: Open the Settings app and then tap About→Clear User Data. Ionic or Versa: Open the Settings app and then tap About→Factory Reset.

Article / Updated 10-22-2019

The Fitbit app offers lots of ways to customize your Fitbit experience to help you get the most out of your tracker and your account. You can configure the Dashboard, customize your profile, change app settings, and more. How to configure the Fitbit app dashboard When you’re using the Fitbit app, you’ll spend the bulk of your time obsessing over — er, I mean, studying — the metrics to track your progress today and to compare your recent data with past achievements. However, right out of the box, the Dashboard is set up with a generic collection of tiles, some of which might not interest you. If that’s the case, it makes sense to simplify your life by customizing your Dashboard to show only the tiles you want to see and to rearrange the tiles to put the most important ones at the top for easy viewing. Just follow these steps: 1. Select the Dashboard. 2. Open the Dashboard for editing: Android: Scroll down to the bottom of the Dashboard screen and tap Edit. The Fitbit app displays a Remove (–) icon in the upper-left corner of each displayed tile and an Add (+) icon in the upper-left corner of each hidden tile. iOS: Scroll down to the bottom of the Dashboard screen and tap Edit. The Fitbit app displays a Remove icon (X) icon in the upper-left corner of each displayed tile and an Add (+) icon in the upper-left corner of each hidden tile. Windows 10: Select the Edit icon (pencil. The Fitbit app displays a Remove (X) icon in the upper-left corner of each displayed tile and an Add (+) icon in the upper-left corner of each hidden tile. 3. Select the Remove icon for each displayed tile you want to hide. 4. Select the Add icon for each hidden tile you want to display. 5. To move a tile, drag it to the position you prefer. 6. When you’re finished, turn off Dashboard editing: Android or iOS: Tap Done at the bottom of the screen. Windows 10: Select the Edit icon to turn it off. How to configure your online Fitbit Dashboard The Fitbit app’s Dashboard is the handiest way to monitor your health and fitness metrics, but what’s a numbers nerd to do if she doesn’t have the app handy? First, don’t panic! Second, calmly check to see if you have a web browser nearby. You do? Good. Now you can get your Fitbit fix by using the online version of the Dashboard. Surf to www.fitbit.com and then log in to your Fitbit account. You see your Dashboard, which will look similar to the one shown. Here are the techniques you can use to configure this Dashboard to suit your style: To rearrange the tiles, drag any part of a tile to the position you prefer. To hide a tile, hover the mouse cursor over the tile, select the Settings icon (gear) that appears just below the tile, select the Remove Tile button (or the trash can icon, if you don’t see the button), and then select Remove when Fitbit asks you to confirm. To display a hidden tile, first make sure that you’re displaying today’s metrics. Select the Menu icon (labeled in the figure), select the check box beside the tile you want to add, and then select Done. How to customize your Fitbit profile When you first signed up for a Fitbit account, the setup program asked you for some personal info, such as your birthday, weight, and height. Together, these and a few other stats and settings make up your Fitbit profile. To make changes to your existing profile data and to add personal info such as a flattering picture, your home country, and a short description of yourself, follow these steps: 1. In the Fitbit app, select Dashboard→Account. 2. Select View Your Profile. In the Android app, you don’t see the View Your Profile command, so instead tap your name near the top of the Account screen. 3. Select the camera icon that appears beside the default profile picture, give the app permission to use your device’s photos and camera, and then either take a new picture or select an existing picture. You can also choose an image that appears in the header at the top of your profile page by selecting the camera icon that appears beside the default header image. 4. Select Personal. The app displays the Personal screen, which contains your profile data. 5. For each piece of info you want to edit, select the info and then make your changes. If you see a Save button, be sure to select it to save your changes. To customize your profile online instead of in the app, point your trusty web browser to www.fitbit.com and log in to your account to display the Dashboard. Select View Settings, and then select Settings. You should now see the Personal Info page; if you don’t, select Personal Info. How to adjust Fitbit app settings As a final configuration chore before getting to the good stuff, you should adjust a few settings for the Fitbit app itself. These settings include the measurement units you prefer (such as miles or kilometers), your time zone, and on what day your week begins. 1. In the Fitbit app, select Dashboard→Account. 2. Select Advanced Settings. The Advanced Settings screen appears. The figure shows the Android version. 3. To set the time zone: Don’t adjust the time zone unless you really have to, especially if the new time zone would roll back the time because you’ll lose all generated data between now and the new earlier time. A new time zone that rolls the time forward is problematic as well because it creates a gap in your data between now and the new later time. Android: Tap the Automatic Time Zone switch to Off, tap Select Time Zone, and then tap the time zone you want to use. iOS: Tap the Set Automatically switch to Off, tap Time Zone, and then tap the time zone you want to use. Windows 10: Select Time Zone, select the Auto switch to Off, tap Time Zone, and then tap the time zone you want to use. 4. To set your location (that is, your country): Android: Tap the Automatic Location switch to Off, tap Select Location, and then tap your country. iOS: Tap Location, tap the Automatic switch to Off, and then tap your country. Windows 10: Select Country, select the Auto switch to Off, and then tap your country. 5. To set the measurement units, select Units, and then select your preferred units for length, weight, and water consumption. In the Android and iOS version of the Fitbit app, you can also select a measurement unit for swimming. 6. To set the start of the week, select Start Week On and then select either Sunday or Monday. The Advanced Settings screen has quite a few other app settings.

Article / Updated 10-22-2019

The Fitbit setup process has two main stages: getting you signed up for a Fitbit account and configuring your device. This article walks you through both stages. How to sign up for a Fitbit account When you first open the Fitbit app (or Fitbit Connect), you’re prompted to sign up for a Fitbit account (or to log in with your Fitbit credentials, if you already have an account). The following figure shows the initial screen that appears for the Fitbit app on an iPhone. Follow these steps to join Fitbit: 1. Select Join Fitbit. If you already have a Fitbit account, select Log In instead, enter your account email and password, and then select Log In again. You’re done here, so feel free to merrily skip over the rest of these steps. The app displays a list of Fitbit devices. 2. Select the type of Fitbit device you’re setting up. In some cases, you see a second screen that displays a list of device subtypes. If you see such a screen, select the subtype of the device you’re setting up. 3. Select a button to continue: Android: Select Set Up Your Fitbit Device, where Device is the name of the device you selected in Step 2. The Fitbit app displays the Let’s Get Started screen, which is similar to the screen shown in Figure 3-2 except that it doesn’t include the First Name and Last Name fields. iOS: Select Set Up. The Fitbit app displays the Enter Your Account Details screen, as shown in Figure 3-2. Windows 10: Select Set Up Your Device, where Device is the name of the device you selected in Step 2. The Let’s Get Started screen appears, which is similar to the screen shown here, without the First Name and Last Name fields. 4. Enter the email address and password you want to use for your Fitbit account. If you’re running the Fitbit app on an iOS device, enter your first and last names, as well. 5. Select the I Agree to the Fitbit Terms of Service check box. 6. (Optional) If you want to receive the latest Fitbit announcements and special offers, select the Keep Me Updated about Fitbit Products, News and Promotions check box. 7. Select Next. If you’re using the Windows 10 version of the Fitbit app, select Create Account, instead. If you’re using the iOS version of the app, on the next screen tap Let’s Go. The Fitbit app prompts you to enter some info about yourself, such as your birthday, height, weight, and sex. How you enter this data depends on the version of the app. In the iOS version, you run through a series of screens. In the Android and Windows 10 version, you see the About You screen. The following figure shows the About You screen that appears in the Windows 10 version of the Fitbit app. Why does Fitbit want to know such intimate details about your life? It’s all in the service of enabling you to better track your health and fitness. Knowing your age, height, weight, and sex means Fitbit can generate more accurate statistics such as how far you walk or run each day and the number calories you burn during this activity. You might be tempted to fudge the data a bit, but you’ll get more out of your Fitbit investment if you enter accurate data. 8. Enter your personal data, then select Create Account (iOS), Create an Account (Android), or Save (Windows 10). If you see an alert asking you to turn on Bluetooth, go ahead and select OK. The app displays the Fitbit terms and policies. 9. Pretend to read the legalese and then tap I Agree. The Fitbit app now starts the process of configuring the device you selected way back in Step 2. How to configure (connect) tour Fitbit device Now it’s time to look at configuring your device. If you’re setting up a Fitbit Ace for a child, you don’t set up the device directly as described. Instead, you need to create a family account and then add your child’s Ace from there. First, you need to check the following: Make sure your Fitbit device is charging. For most Fitbit devices, make sure the device that’s running the Fitbit app has Bluetooth enabled. For some Fitbit devices — particularly the Ionic and Versa watches and the Aria 2 smart scale — make sure the device that’s running the Fitbit app is connected to Wi-Fi. Wait, what if the device that’s running the Fitbit app doesn’t have Bluetooth? That’s a drag, but you’re not out of luck. You need to purchase Fitbit’s wireless sync dongle. There are two ways to get started: If you’re setting up your first Fitbit device, you should have completed the first part of the setup process. If you’re configuring another Fitbit device, note that you can connect to only one Bluetooth-based device at a time, so connecting to a second device will replace the original device in your account. If that’s cool with you, use the Fitbit app to launch the setup process by selecting the Dashboard tab, selecting the Account icon in the top-right corner of the app window, and then selecting Set Up a Device. In the device list displayed by the Fitbit app, select the device you’re setting up and then select a device subtype, if asked. Select Set Up (or Set Up Your Device) or, if you’re setting up a second device that will replace the original, select Switch to Device. Select I Agree when the terms and policies show up. Now follow these steps: 1. For most Fitbit devices, you first see one or more screens that explain the basic device components and charging instructions. Select Next on each screen. After the introductory formalities, the Fitbit app uses Bluetooth to look for your Fitbit device. Make sure your Fitbit device and your app device are within 33 feet of each other. When the app locates your Fitbit device, the app displays a four-digit number of the device screen. 2. In the Fitbit app, enter the four-digit code that you see on the Fitbit device display. The Fitbit app device asks whether you want to allow the device to connect to — that is, pair with — the Fitbit app. 3. Select Pair (iOS) or Allow (Windows 10). 4. For Fitbit devices that use Wi-Fi, select Next to display a list of nearby Wi-Fi networks. Select your Wi-Fi network, enter the network password, and then select Connect (iOS) or OK (Android). At this point, the Fitbit app checks to see if your Fitbit device is using the latest software. If not, the app will prompt you to update the device: For devices connected to Wi-Fi, the update occurs over the Wi-Fi network’s internet connection. For all other devices, the update occurs over the Internet connection of the device running the Fitbit app. This process requires a Bluetooth connection between the devices, so make sure the devices are close to each other. 5. Select Update Device (iOS; where Device is the type of Fitbit device you’re configuring) or Next (Android or Windows 10) to perform the update. After the update is complete, the rest of the setup process consists of one or more screens that introduce you to your new Fitbit. 6. Select Next on each screen to run through introduction.

Article / Updated 10-22-2019

If you have an Ionic or Versa Fitbit watch, you can upload music and podcast playlists to your watch. Then, after you’ve connected a pair of Bluetooth headphones or speakers to the watch, you can use your Fitbit to control the playback of your tunes or podcasts. Before getting started, make sure you’ve installed Fitbit on the computer that contains the music and podcast playlists you want to transfer to your watch: Windows 10: You can use the Windows 10 version of the Fitbit app. Mac (or an older version of Windows 10 that can’t run the Fitbit app): You need to install Fitbit Connect. Connect your Fitbit watch to Wi-Fi The only way to upload audio playlists from your computer to your watch is through Wi-Fi, so your first chore is to connect your watch to the same Wi-Fi network that your PC or Mac is connected to. Follow these steps in the Fitbit app: Click Dashboard→Account. Click your Fitbit watch. Click the Media tile. Click Manage Wi-Fi Networks. (iOS only) Click Next. The Wi-Fi Setup screen appears with a list of nearby networks. Click the Wi-Fi network you want to use. Type the network password, and then click Connect. Fitbit connects your watch to the Wi-Fi network. Upload playlists to your watch With your computer and your Fitbit watch eyeballing each other across your Wi-Fi network, you’re ready to transfer a playlist or three to your watch. How you proceed depends on whether you’re using Windows 10 or a Mac. You can transfer only playlists, not individual music tracks or podcast episodes. You can create on-the-fly playlists by using the Fitbit app or Fitbit Connect. However, you get more control if you create the playlists you want on your watch in advance by using Groove Music (Windows 10) or iTunes (Mac). Uploading playlists from your Windows 10 PC To transfer audio from your Windows 10 computer to your Fitbit watch, you use the Fitbit app. Follow these steps: In the main navigation bar at the top of the Fitbit app, click the Media icon (musical note). Click Personal Music. Fitbit sets up a connection with your watch, and then displays a list of your Groove Music playlists. Wake your Fitbit watch. Swipe left until you see the Music app, and tap Music to open the screen shown. Tap Transfer Music. Later, after you’ve added one or more playlists, you’ll need to scroll to the bottom of the Music app to see the Transfer Music button. To create a new playlist by using the Fitbit app, click Create New Playlist, click the added playlist to open it, then drag music from Groove Music and drop it inside the playlist. Select the check box for each playlist you want to transfer to your watch. When you select a playlist, Fitbit immediately begins the process of uploading the audio! Therefore, don’t select a playlist unless you’re sure you want to upload it. Depending on the number of music tracks and podcast episodes that you’re uploading to your watch, it can take an hour or more to complete the transfer. Keep your eye on the watch storage meter at the top of the Fitbit app window. When that meter is full, you can’t add any more audio to your watch. The storage meter also doubles as a progress bar, displaying the progress of the transfer. When Fitbit completes the audio transfer, return to your Fitbit watch, open the Music app, and then tap End Now. You can now control audio playback on the Fitbit watch using the Music app. Uploading playlists from your Mac To get one or more iTunes playlists from your Mac to your Fitbit watch, you use the Fitbit Connect app. Here are the steps to follow: Launch Fitbit Connect on your Mac. Click Manage My Music. Fitbit Connect prompts you to log in to your Fitbit account. Note that you don’t see this prompt if you’ve previously logged in, so in that case you can skip to Step 4. Enter your Fitbit credentials, and then click Log In. Fitbit Connect tells you to initiate Transfer Mode on your watch. Wake your Fitbit watch. Swipe left until you see the Music app, and then tap Music. Tap Transfer Music (refer to the preceding figure). After you’ve added one or more playlists, you’ll need to scroll to the bottom of the Music app to access the Transfer Music button. Fitbit Connect sets up a connection with your watch, and then displays a list of your iTunes playlists. To create a new playlist from Fitbit Connect, click Create New Playlist, click the added playlist to open it, then drag music from iTunes and drop it inside the playlist. Select the check box for each playlist you want to transfer to your watch. When you select a playlist, Fitbit Connect immediately starts uploading the audio! Therefore, don’t select a playlist unless you’re sure you want to upload it. Depending on the number of music tracks and podcast episodes you’re uploading to your watch, the transfer can take an hour or more to complete. Keep your eye on the watch storage meter at the top of the Fitbit Connect window. When that meter is full, you can’t add any more audio to your watch. The storage meter also doubles as a progress bar, displaying the progress of the transfer. When Fitbit Connect completes the music transfer, return to your Fitbit watch, open the Music app, and then tap End Now. You can now control audio playback on your watch using the Music app. Control audio on your watch After you have your Fitbit watch loaded with your favorite audio and you’ve paired Bluetooth headphones or speakers with the watch, you’re ready to feel the noise. To get started, wake your Fitbit watch, swipe left from the clock until you see the Music icon, and then tap Music. To start some audio, use either of these techniques: Tap Shuffle All to play all your audio in random order. Tap a playlist to display its audio, then tap a track or episode. To display the audio playback controls, you again have two choices: Open the Music app, tap the current playlist, and then tap the current track. Press and hold down the watch’s Back button. If you don’t see the audio playback controls, swipe right. With the playback controls onscreen, you can pause and play the audio, skip to the next track (tap >>), return to the beginning of the current track (tap <<), skip to the previous track (tap << twice), increase the volume (tap +), or decrease the volume (tap –). Pair Bluetooth headphones or speakers Your Fitbit watch can play, pause, and stop audio, but if you want to hear what’s being played (and I think you do), you need to connect your watch to headphones or speakers via Bluetooth. Here’s how to do it: Put your Bluetooth headphones or speakers into pairing mode. See the manual that came with your headphones or speakers to learn how to put the device into pairing mode. Wake your Fitbit watch. Swipe left from the clock until you see the Settings app, and then tap Settings. Tap Bluetooth. Tap + Audio Device. Your watch begins looking for nearby devices that are in pairing mode. When your watch locates your headphones or speakers, it displays the name of the device. Tap the device name. Your Fitbit watch pairs with the headphones and speakers.

Article / Updated 10-21-2019

Fitbit offers a surprisingly large collection of activity tracking devices, including simple clip-on trackers, full-featured watches, and even a scale. To give you a sense of the entire lineup, here are summaries of what each Fitbit can do. Fitbit Ace The Ace (and the updated Fitbit Ace 2, which was announced but not yet released when this article was written) is a wristband activity tracker (see the following figure) designed for kids aged eight years old and up. The Ace tracks a few useful health and fitness metrics, including steps, active minutes, and sleep duration, and it enables kids to track their progress, challenge their friends, set activity goals, and win rewards and badges for achieving those goals. What sets the Ace apart from the other Fitbit offerings is its kid-centric focus, which includes a collection of fun clock faces, child-size wristbands (it comes with two: one larger and one smaller), and a Kid view for the Fitbit app, which presents a scaled-down version of standard app features (as well as a Parent view that enables parents to monitor their children’s activity and ensures that only parents control each child’s Fitbit account). Although Fitbit describes the Ace as “showerproof,” it is not waterproof. It is, instead, merely water-resistant, meaning that it should survive most spills and splashes, sweaty workouts, and even short exposures to light rain (that’s what the shower in showerproof is referring to), but it’s not meant to be used when swimming, bathing, or lingering under a hot shower. Fitbit Aria 2 The Aria 2 is a departure for Fitbit because it isn’t something you wear. Instead, it’s a weighing scale — Fitbit calls it a smart scale — that you step on. The Aria 2 shows not only your weight (in pounds, kilograms, or stone) but also your body fat percentage and your body mass index. The Aria 2 supports up to eight different users and uses Wi-Fi to sync your weigh-ins with your Fitbit account, which enables you to monitor the effect your activity has on your weight and body fat. Fitbit Charge 3 The Charge 3 is a wristband tracker (see the following figure) crammed with features for enhancing not only your health and fitness tracking but the rest of your life as well. The just-the-right-size display shows the time and the usual tracking suspects, including steps, distance, floors climbed, calories burned, sleep, and total active minutes. The Charge 3 has a built-in wrist-based heart rate monitor, so you also see your real-time heart rate and get heart-rate-related features such as heart rate zones, cardio fitness level, and sleep stages. The Charge 3 tracker also supports SmartTrack for automatic exercise recognition and can track real-time pace and distance by connecting to the GPS on your smartphone. The Charge 3 comes with several apps that enable you to set more than a dozen exercise modes, perform guided breathing sessions, and set alarms, countdown timers, and use a stopwatch. The device is waterproof to 50 meters, so you can use it to track your swims and leave it on while you take a shower. Fitbit Flex 2 The Flex 2 is the successor to Fitbit’s original Flex wristband-type tracker and is the simplest — and the least expensive — of the Fitbit devices. Like the Flex, the Flex 2 doesn’t have a screen. Instead, it offers a progress display consisting of five LED lights that illuminate as you get closer to your daily step goal. When you reach your goal, one of the lights flashes green to celebrate. That same LED flashes blue when you receive a call or text notification, magenta when you get a reminder to move, and red when the device’s battery is low. The Flex 2 supports sleep tracking, SmartTrack, and silent alarms. If you’re a swimmer, you’ll be glad to hear that the device is waterproof down to 50 meters. Fitbit Inspire If you want a slim, wristband-style tracker with a screen, the Inspire is worth checking out (as well as its close cousin, the Inspire HR, described in the next section). With a thin wristband and an equally thin display (identical to the one shown in the following figure), the Inspire doesn’t take up much wrist room, but its tappable screen offers the date and time; activity stats such as steps, calories burned, active minutes, distance, and hourly activity (that is, taking at least 250 steps each hour); and health metrics such as time asleep, water consumption, and weight. The Inspire also supports Fitbit’s SmartTrack feature, which automatically recognizes certain activities, such as walks and runs of at least 15 minutes, and adds them to your exercise list for the day. The Inspire also has silent alarms, a countdown timer, and a stopwatch, and can display smartphone notifications. Fitbit Inspire HR The Inspire HR, shown in the following figure, is a wristband-type activity tracker that looks similar to the Inspire. The main difference between the Inspire and the Inspire HR is that the latter comes with a built-in heart rate monitor that shows your ticker’s beats per minute in real time. The Inspire HR monitors your heart rate at the wrist, so no bulky and inconvenient chest strap is required. Nice. The Inspire HR also includes a number of features that you won’t find in the Inspire, including sleep stages, swim tracking, exercise modes, cardio fitness level tracking, and support for using the GPS on a connected smartphone. That heart rate data also gives the Inspire HR three other features that aren’t in the Inspire: Heart rate zones: Heart rate ranges that you can target during exercise. Cardio fitness level: A cardio fitness score that you can track over time to see how your cardiovascular fitness is improving. Sleep stages: The amount of time you spend each night in light, deep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Fitbit Ionic The Ionic is a watch-style tracker (see the following image) and Fitbit’s flagship device. This baby is loaded with just about every feature offered by Fitbit: clock, activity tracking, sleep tracking, SmartTrack, exercise modes, and smartphone notifications. The Ionic has a built-in heart rate monitor and global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a large and sharp display, a five-day battery life, and storage for more than 300 songs. In addition, it’s waterproof to 50 meters. The Ionic comes with a number of apps for guided breathing, alarms and timers, the weather, and personalized coaching, but it also supports all third-party Fitbit apps. It’s the most expensive of the Fitbit devices, but there’s not much that the Ionic can’t do. Fitbit Versa Similar to the Ionic, the Versa is a watch-type tracker. However, the Versa lacks a built-in GPS (you can still get real-time pace and distance by connecting the Versa to a smartphone), has a shorter battery life of four days, and is (at least in my opinion) less stylish. However, the Versa does support a long list of features and is $70 cheaper than the Ionic. Fitbit also offers the Versa Lite Edition, which is a scaled-down version of the regular Versa that’s $40 cheaper but doesn’t tracks floors climbed or swims, doesn’t offer onscreen workouts, and doesn’t support Fitbit Pay. Fitbit Zip The Zip is Fitbit’s only clip-on tracker and its simplest device. The teensy display shows only the time, plus your steps, activity minutes, and calories burned. Yep, that’s the end of the list of features! The biggest plus that the Zip has going for it is battery life, which Fitbit says can be as long as six months. If you want a set-it-and-forget-it tracker, the Zip might be for you.