Charge HR without all day sync

RunnerDench

Hey,

I was going to buy the Charge HR tonight, but was told to reconsider because the Fitbit recommendation for my phone (Nexus 5) is not to have all day sync because it will drain the batter out of the tracker and the phone. As I haven't used it yet, I am not sure how it will affect the usage. Does that mean I will not have any notifications from the phone? will I have to remember to sync it? Would you buy the tracker if you were in my position?

Thanks,
Eedan

heybales

I don't sync until I get home before dinner.

Really, the earlier meals aren't changing at all based on anything the device could tell me anyway. It's only the final meal or snacks after a workout that will change based on the day - which doesn't have that much variety to it outside of exercise.

Besides which - you can look right at it if curious what current steps or calorie burn is.

You will have to remember to sync it.

NancyN795

I'd absolutely buy it anyway!

Integration with Android isn't perfect. When I was running Android 4.4 on my Moto G, I used all day sync and didn't notice a big problem, but I am home most of the day so charging my phone isn't a problem and I've got a period every morning when it is convenient to charge my Fitbit (I have a Charge HR). Also, I use my phone to play podcasts and do other things a lot (not a lot of phone calls) and have been using a Fitbit for over 1.5 years, so whatever battery usage issues may be there is something I don't notice. Plus, not having all day sync on isn't that big a deal, either. It will still sync when you open the app, it just won't sync if you don't and you can get the basics (steps, calories burned, distance) on the Fitbit's display.

I now have Android 5.0 on my Moto G. The bluetooth works much better for most things (i.e. it now responds to the stop/start/ff/rew buttons on my bluetooth headset that use to I listen to podcasts), but is marginally worse with my Fitbit. It sometimes has trouble syncing to my phone (not a big deal for me, as it can sync using the dongle on my laptop) and won't do the call notification feature. That used to work before the Lollipop upgrade. But, since I don't get a lot of phone calls, it's no big deal. That wasn't the reason I got the Charge HR.

Don't blame Fitbit for the issues. It is probably an Android problem.

RunnerDench

Actually went out last night and bought it. Decided that as I am near my computer all day, I'm okay with not having it sync continuously with the phone and just use the dongle. I'm currently running 5.1.1 on my Nexus 5 and I don't have any notifications on the tracker. I would love to have it, especially for outdoor runs, when my phone is out of the way in an arm strap, but I figured eventually it will get solved. So far so good.

As my battery isn't amazing as is, I wasn't really worried about the battery drain on the phone, rather than the battery drain on the tracker, thinking that if I have to charge it daily rather than weekly, it will become annoying.

editorgrrl

eedanhi wrote: »

I wasn't really worried about the battery drain on the phone, rather than the battery drain on the tracker, thinking that if I have to charge it daily rather than weekly, it will become annoying.

How do I maximize my tracker's battery life? http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/Tracker-battery-information

RunnerDench

Thanks, editorgrrl, I was referring to Fitbit's recommendation not to keep all-day sync on with the phone because it will drain the batter on the bracelet and the phone

NancyN795

You'll probably need to charge your tracker more than weekly, but not daily. I only charge daily because it is convenient to do so. However, to get it to last a week, I'd probably have to turn off not only all-day sync, but also the HR function.

jmarie1025

My HR battery lasts 6-7 days, but I don't have it on all day sync and I have the HR monitor turned off. I turn it to 'auto' when I'm going to exercise. It's made a huge difference in the battery life. From 3-4 days to nearly a week. IMO there's no need to have the HR monitor on if I'm not exercising. The daily steps I get from doing housework, laundry, shopping etc don't raise my heart rate enough to need to track it.