Yes, I have contacted Fitbit about the problem and my app is up to date. After multiple contacts the answer that I get from Fitbit is that my phone is not compatible. The most recent Moto G series phone that is compatible is from 2014!
Smartwatch recommendation wanted
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audreyh1
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Love my Apple Watch for so many reasons including extensive fitness and heart rate tracking.
Extremely handy just for day to day stuff.
Extremely handy just for day to day stuff.
steelyman
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Drag. Sounds like you’re in between a rock and a hard place. If the Moto is there to stay for the foreseeable future then it seems that the Versa (Fitbit) has to go.
[ADDED] If it were me, I’d think first about a Garmin but make sure of compatibility and that it could be returned if found otherwise. I’m less concerned about call/text notifications (although they work, I’ve shut them off).
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zinger1457
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Most of the Garmin and Samsung smart watches should be compatible with the Moto G6, they work with my Moto G5 Plus. I believe most of the Samsung watches require a phone with Android 5 or above and minimum 1.5G of RAM, Garmin has similar requirements.
Yep, it is a drag. If I didn’t want the text and call notifications, the Versa would be fine. I think my solution going forward will need to be a Samsung/Samsung or Apple/Apple combo. Both my Moto and my Versa are good products, they just aren’t good together.
I will want my next Smartwatch to include contactless pay. I really think that is the future. When we were in Europe, one city bus that we took would take credit cards but only if it had contactless capability. Fortunately, our Costco Visa worked just fine in that situation.
I will want my next Smartwatch to include contactless pay. I really think that is the future. When we were in Europe, one city bus that we took would take credit cards but only if it had contactless capability. Fortunately, our Costco Visa worked just fine in that situation.
Bestwifeever
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I use its mini flashlight--bright enough to guide me up stairs at night--and find-my-phone almost every day
steelyman
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I hope you find some combination that works for you. Little things can grow more annoying over time. Funny: I've lately been thinking of reverting back to a basic cell phone setup, where the phone's primary function is to place and receive phone calls. Jury's out on that.
Steelyman, you sound like my DH. He has a VERY basic flip phone and is quick to say that it is more phone than he wants. [emoji3]
I looked at Samsung smart watches today. Liked the Samsung Galaxy Active because it is smaller and less bulky than their other smart watches. However, I went home and looked up the compatibility with my G6 and it wasn’t listed as compatible. It may come down to the issue is my phone. Zinger, I see you have had good luck with your G5 and that is listed as compatible. Hey, the G4 is compatible with a Versa.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply. I know this isn’t a tech forum and I asked a tech question, but I am always impressed by the quality of responses to questions on a wide variety of topics.
steelyman
Moderator Emeritus
Ha! Does he play steel guitar too?
Thank you for posting it. It revived my urge to see what alternatives are available and think about what I really want from mobile devices. It’s not as simple as it may seem once you consider different use cases and scenarios. And, as you highlight, compatibility concerns.
There are tons of techies here.
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I have the Versa too but an Apple phone. I also have issues getting text messages, it’s hit or miss except it never delivers my DH texts -lol. I’ve called and they can’t seem to fix it or decided what the issue is. Said it’s a problem they have been working on but the watch has been out since 2018. I’m thinking of getting the Apple Watch but didn’t want to spend the money and have been with FitBit for a while- this is my 3-4 th upgrade.
zinger1457
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Not sure what you're looking at. Did you read somewhere that stated your Moto G6 wouldn't work with the Samsung Galaxy Active? The Samsung compatible list is not meant to be all inclusive, it's not practical for them to test every Android phone out there. If your phone meets the minimum requirements of the Samsung Galaxy Active (Android 5 and above, >1.5G Ram) then your phone should work and I'm sure your Moto G6 meets those requirements. My Moto G5 Plus worked fine with the Samsung Gear S3 but it isn't listed on the compatible list. I decided not to keep the S3 because of other non-phone issues.
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A friend let my try his apple watch and as expected it does not read my heart rate accurately at all. I've given up on them.
zinger1457
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That was one of the main reasons I got rid of my Samsung Gear S3, the heart rate monitor was useless when doing any activity with movement like jogging. Every 30 seconds it would send me a message over my bluetooth headphones to slow down because my heart rate was too high, frequently it would incorrectly show over 200 bpm. My Garmin heart rate monitor is 10X better than the Samsung and also offers the ability to pair it with a chest strap if desired.
audreyh1
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Works great for me. I have used along with a chest heart monitor at times and it tracks very well.
I can see my heart rate graph for every workout, plus my recovery rate. It gives me daily resting rates. Extremely comprehensive and I really like that.
Chuckanut
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I bought a cheap pocket pedometer that counts my steps. It's amazingly accurate.
tomc5179
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I've got a Samsung Gear S3 Frontier paired with my Note 8 phone. Love it. Samsung Pay on watch and phone works with any magnetic stripe CC reader, earn points for using the pay feature, will work on NFC terminals, GPS, steps can be counted on both watch and / or phone. Have had it for a year and a half - no problems. Call / text / email on watch works well. I highly recommend it. You can also find the watches for around $200
tomc5179
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You might do some research to see how the S3 would work compatibility wise with your Moto phone. I think I read that it would work with android other than Samsung, but some features would be missing. Also, check the Google Play store to see if Samsung Gear app and Samsung Health app are able to be installed on your Moto. You'd need both of those apps to work with the watch.
If not, I'd wait till August when Samsung releases the new Note10 phone and see what you could pick up a year or two old Note8 or Note9 phone for. I'm sure they'll be heavily discounted and they are great phones.
Funny thing - The feature I like most is the ability to do 1 on 1 step challenges with other Samsung users in the Health app. It's addictive / motivating to me and keeps my step count up. I've had challenges with people in Japan / China / Poland / Czech / Canada / NZ / Russia and even Iran! You can send each other limited/small text messages back and forth. It's great fun!
There's also a third party app called "Health Sync" that you can use to sync your Samsung Gear steps to your existing FitBit account so you don't have to lose it. I'm pretty frugal as well, but my cell phone and plan is one thing I don't mind paying extra for. They are just so darned useful nowadays.
steelyman
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I ordered a replacement band for my Versa because the original broke late this week after less than a year of use. Darn!
On closer examination with the original quick start guide, I realized that I’d been wearing it incorrectly (too tight) for all-day use and now think it was overly stressed. I’ll adjust how I wear it with the replacement.
I also discovered that changing the band is not very hard to do, contrary to what you might read on some user reviews out there. For the time being I’m using the second band (it ships with two sizes, small and large) until the replacement arrives.
I’ll use this replacement and if the situation arises again will switch to a newer model with GPS. I came across some reviews comparing GPS accuracy across different manufacturers but don’t want to post specific reviews because you never know if/how they are biased.
On closer examination with the original quick start guide, I realized that I’d been wearing it incorrectly (too tight) for all-day use and now think it was overly stressed. I’ll adjust how I wear it with the replacement.
I also discovered that changing the band is not very hard to do, contrary to what you might read on some user reviews out there. For the time being I’m using the second band (it ships with two sizes, small and large) until the replacement arrives.
I’ll use this replacement and if the situation arises again will switch to a newer model with GPS. I came across some reviews comparing GPS accuracy across different manufacturers but don’t want to post specific reviews because you never know if/how they are biased.
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I have had Fitbits for years and while they make a good fitness tracker, they can’t seem to make a good band. I lost a Fitbit Alta due to a bad band. It had a tendency to come undone.
Yes, it is easy to replace the Versa band. I have two replacement bands that I change out as my mood changes...one is colorful, one is blingy and then I have the original.
Yes, it is easy to replace the Versa band. I have two replacement bands that I change out as my mood changes...one is colorful, one is blingy and then I have the original.
Murph
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Apple
I have two iWatches I use with my iPhone. I use one for sleeping and working out, then another with a fancy leather band for the rest of the day. Both synch beautifully with the phone. Although I have other watches, I rarely wear them.
I have two iWatches I use with my iPhone. I use one for sleeping and working out, then another with a fancy leather band for the rest of the day. Both synch beautifully with the phone. Although I have other watches, I rarely wear them.
My DW has the Garmin Vivoactive and it is great. She pairs it with her Google Pixel 2XL. She use to have Fitbit and it broke. She had one other one and it also broke. Garmin makes great smartwatches and the Vivoactive is a reasonable price.
If you want a smartwatch that will swim, bike, and run for you, this is not the correct smartwatch for you.
If you want a smartwatch that will swim, bike, and run for you, this is not the correct smartwatch for you.
Battery life
My biggest reason (besides $$) to go with Versa rather than Apple watch is I can go 4 days without recharging. The way I use them, I suspect I'd need to recharge the Apple more than once a day but even everyday would drive me bonkers.
How are others with battery use?
My biggest reason (besides $$) to go with Versa rather than Apple watch is I can go 4 days without recharging. The way I use them, I suspect I'd need to recharge the Apple more than once a day but even everyday would drive me bonkers.
How are others with battery use?
Garmin Vivoactive not swim worthy?
I have the Garmin Vivoactive HR and I can go swimming with it just fine.
I like the fact it will go a week on a charge as long as the GPS is unused, and 3-4 days with a couple of hours a day of GPS usage.
I have the Garmin Vivoactive HR and I can go swimming with it just fine.
I like the fact it will go a week on a charge as long as the GPS is unused, and 3-4 days with a couple of hours a day of GPS usage.
steelyman
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That’s what I got (4 days) when I tested mine. It’s almost a year old. Normally I put it on the charger daily when showering so it never gets low.
I never considered how long a GPS model (Ionic) might last. I just checked Fitbit’s site which claims 5 days, GPS battery life 10 days (?).
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