Update: 2/20/2018

Hello everyone.

Providing an overall status on this thread. Through our collaboration with Microsoft we've managed to introduce Notifications and Connected GPS support to the Fitbit app on Windows 10, based on Windows support for GATT Server.

Throughout the development of Notifications and Connected GPS, we introduced a large number of updates to the Fitbit app to improve the stability and quality of the experience. We also coordinated a significant number of improvements to Windows to improve the stability and performance of their implementation of GATT Server.

On the most recent public and insider builds of Windows 10 we are seeing these features perform on par with our Android app (which shares a similar implementation path to Windows). However, not all of the OS fixes required by the Fitbit app to reach this level of performance have made it into Windows 10 Mobile. Windows 10 Mobile, which is now in maintenance mode and a separate branch of Windows 10, is not performing as we here at Fitbit would like to see. During the course of last year, as Microsoft lowered the priority of Windows 10 Mobile, it became increasing difficult to pull back OS fixes from Windows 10 to Windows 10 Mobile. This particularly affects older devices in the Fitbit porfolio.

At this time, we aren't sure that the remaining fixes in Windows will make it back to Windows 10 Mobile. We're still pushing to see if this can occur, but it seems increasingly unlikely.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us through this process. All of the testing, app logs and written feedback was immensely valuable in identifying fixes and improvements to Windows GATT Server and to the Fitbit app.

Moving forward we should be able to ensure better compatibility with both our more recent and future devices.

Leaving this thread open for a bit longer.

Thank you everyone.

Tristan Rice

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Open Beta is Live!

Notifications support for Windows 10 devices with Fitbit trackers is now available in Open beta. If you are using the latest version of the Fitbit app from the Windows store, and on a compatible version of Windows 10, you will now have access to this feature.

Future updates to Notifications and other GATT server related functionality such as Connected GPS, will be delivered direct to the production app through regular updates.

Fitbit App Build: 2.23.11430.0

Recommended Windows OS Build: 15228.0 or above

It is highly recommended that you test this feature on very latest Windows Insider Fast build!

General Notes

While we expect that most users should be able to get Notifications and Connected GPS working with compatible Fitbit trackers, there may be certain phones and trackers which do not yet work as well as they should.

The Fitbit team continues to investigate improvements to the notifications experience to ensure that Windows 10 Mobile performs similarly to Android or iOS.

There are some known issues (see below) that are actively being worked on.

Please check which features your tracker supports (not all devices support third party app notifications).

Known Issues and Investigations

Phone can disconnect from tracker after several hours.

Notifications can stop working after an undefined period of time. Suspected that this is related to Windows OS killing the Fitbit app background task.

Moving out and into range of the Fitbit tracker and the Windows 10 device can result in notifications failing to resume.

Fitbit does not respect quiet hours. Currently it seems that there is no API for Fitbit to know that Quiet Hours is enabled, nor what times should be respecting this. We are working to confirm this. If so, Fitbit will look at introducing our own quiet hours that you can set in the app.

Call Alert Notification is sometimes not cancelled after answering a phone call.

Various Connected GPS accuracy issues.

Connected GPS reporting weak signal strength on Fitbit device, even if the phone has a good signal.

Some notifications on Fitbit trackers do not successfully trigger vibrations.

Non-default SMS apps do not automatically pass SMS notifications to Fitbit.

Tips for Testing

If notifications are not working, the following steps may help.

Go into your phone/devices Bluetooth settings, find and remove the device. Then open the Fitbit app and start syncing to your tracker. The app will re-pair your phone to your tracker and if Notifications is enabled, attempt to setup the Bluetooth bond required.

Turn Bluetooth off and then on again. (Yes, this can help).

Restart your phone and try again.

Force close the app (Open app switcher view and dismiss the app). Then re-open it.

Restart your tracker (details per tracker are available within the FAQ’s of our Help site.

Uninstall and re-install the Fitbit app from the store.

To collect more detailed logs for some of these Bluetooth issues, you can choose to submit the following to Microsoft:

Search for “Feedback Hub” in Cortana search, then launch the app. Navigate to Feedback in the left menu, then press + Add new feedback. Select the Problem button, share any details you think are relevant, and choose an appropriate category and subcategory . (For proper Bluetooth logs to be captured it must be one of the Bluetooth context paths, e.g. Hardware, Devices, and Drivers -> Bluetooth – Discovery, Pairing, and Connectivity) Important: If possible, reproduce the problem(s) after clicking Begin monitoring (or Start capture) near the end of the form; Stop monitoring when you’re done. Once you’ve completed the form and monitoring, click Click Continue using Feedback Hub. Click My feedback at the top, then find the item you submitted (it may take a while to appear). Open the item you submitted, then click Click Copy link, then paste the link here in your response.

Please keep the questions and feedback coming.

Your feedback and support during this process has been incredibly valuable. This is still an ongoing effort and we’ve still work to do before this works as intended for everyone, but we’ve made some great progress and it’s exciting to hear that some people are seeing working notifications on their devices.

I’ll continue to post updates as new information comes through!

Original Post Below

Fitbit for Windows, Tracker Notifications Testing (Windows Insiders with GATT Server) Welcome

We’re excited to announce that Fitbit will be introducing support for tracker notifications (Call, SMS, Calendar and third party apps) and Connected GPS for all Windows users on the Windows 10 Creators Update coming in April.

Tracker notifications have continually been the most requested feature from Windows users, and now that Windows supports GATT Server we are finally able to deliver this to you.

While GATT Server won’t be available for a few more months on the production version of Windows, Microsoft has now introduced this functionality into Windows Insiders builds of the Creators Update as of the 12th of January (Build 15007).

Fitbit will be running a private beta for people to test tracker notifications prior to general availability in April.







Private Beta Test

The private beta test will become available in the coming weeks. The moment we have a good build to share, we’ll launch. Details of how this will all work are included below.

Our goal is to deliver the best implementation of these features possible (on any platform), and we’re looking for your feedback in making this happen.

FAQs

What will be available to test in this private beta?

Initially we will plan to have support for Call & SMS Notifications.

Future versions will include support for Calendar & Third party app notifications and Connected GPS support.

What can I expect from the beta?

Bugs, lot’s of bugs!

These features are in active development, and are running on an in-development OS build. It’s highly likely that things may be broken, or perform badly and break from updates to the OS or the app.

The idea is for things to steadily improve until we are super solid for launch. You’re helping to make this feature awesome. If you’re expecting to get early access to a fully working feature, you’ll be disappointed.

How can I become a tester?

You will need to meet the following requirements to become a tester:

Own a Windows 10 Mobile device.

Be a participant of the Windows Insider program.

Be willing to provide your Microsoft Account Email.

You are willing to test app features in an alpha or beta state, on alpha/beta quality Windows OS builds.

You are willing to provide feedback and actively engage with devs to help us improve this feature to launch.

You understand the terms “flighting” and “whitelist”, without using Google/Bing.

I would like to strongly stress that you should not participate in this test if you are unsure of the following:

What a alpha or beta test is.

What the Windows Insider program is.

What the “Fast Ring” is.

Whether your mobile device is supported.

We assume that you are taking full responsibility for your participation in this test. All the caveats of participating in the Windows Insider program apply here also. We will not be providing help or support for issues relating to the Windows Insider program. If you’re unsure, wait, seriously.

If you are not comfortable with the risks involved, please wait for this to go to production in April.

Why do you need my Microsoft Account Email?

The test will run through the Windows Store. By providing your Microsoft Account Email (the one with which you are logged into the Windows Store), we can “whitelist” it to receive the special flighted build. This is the only reason we require the email.

How will I get the app to test?

When we enable the test flight of the app you will receive an update to the Fitbit app installed on your phone. The update will be delivered through the Windows Store, the same as any other update is delivered. Nothing else required on your side.

How long will the test run for?

We will be providing new builds up until the official release of the Windows 10 Creator's Update. At which point we will merge this feature to production and close the beta.

Do I have to signup by a certain time?

We will be taking applications until the day we launch the beta. If your application does not make it before that day, we will look to add it in the next wave (or update) of the app. We will continually monitor the size and manageability of the private beta. If things start to become unmanageable then we might close new applications, or think about limiting the size of the test.

How will I be able to switch back to production once the beta is over?

Once the Creators Update becomes available we will stop flighting the app, at which point you will just update to the latest production version through the Windows Store and continue as normal.

Can I leave the Beta?

You shouldn’t need to “leave” the beta. Just disable the Notifications from within the app and you are good to go. You are running a production version of the app. It is just the feature that is in beta.

When will this be available for everyone?

These features will become available to everyone with the launch of the Windows 10 Creators Update. Soon! (™)





**New FAQs**

I use my Microsoft Account on several Windows 10 Mobile devices, will all my devices receive the new update?

No. When we create the test flight of the Fitbit app, it will target a new minimum version of Windows. This will be at least 15007 to ensure that the device supports GATT Server. Only devices running that build, or higher, will receive the new test build. Any other devices using that MSA will continue to receive the regular production Fitbit app.

When is this test going to begin?

We're currently looking at sometime in early February, depending on Windows Insider release schedule and Fitbit's ability to get our build ready. It's a little like trying to build a bridge between two moving trains, so bear with us.

Current builds of Notifications on the Windows Insider builds is not working at a level that makes sense to release for testing. There are a number of known issues that are being worked on at Microsoft and Fitbit. It's likely that the minimum version of the Windows Insider build required will be higher than the current 15007.

How long are signups going to be available?

We've received an amazing number of signups (a lot more than we expected)! I'm going to keep the signups form upon until the end of the week. Then we'll probably need to close it. If the test gets too large it'll become a bit hard for us to parse all of the feedback, and limit our ability to engage with testers. As it is, this already seems like it will be a challenge. If you don't make it in, you won't need to wait much longer for this to become available publically.

Sign me up!

Great! You’ve read all of the above, understand the risks and are excited to test tracker notifications. How do you sign up?

Signups are now closed!

All data we collect will only be used for this test. We will never use this information for any other purposes and it will be deleted once the test is complete.







Providing Feedback

The test builds will contain a link to take you to the Feedback hub to create issues and provide feedback on the build you are testing. We’ll be closely monitoring the feedback here and responding.

We’ll update this post with more detailed screenshots and instructions when we kick things off.







Thank you

I’d like to take a moment and thank everyone here in the Fitbit Community for your incredible patience. This has, by far and away, been the most requested feature that we’ve had to wait to deliver. It’s been a long time coming and I hope we can deliver something that meets your expectations. I want to personally express my appreciate for your continued enthusiasm and support of Fitbit on Windows.

I also want to extend a huge thank you to everyone at Microsoft for their work on bringing this feature to life (and there have been many over the years!). In particular Kiran Pathakota the Program Manager of Microsoft's Bluetooth team for his continued and determined efforts to keep GATT Server as a priority. There are a lot of people who helped make this a reality.

All good things come to those who wait. Thanks for waiting with me!

Best regards,

Tristan Rice

Product Manager - Windows Platform