13 Genius Uses for Your Fitbit Tracker’s Silent Alarms

Businessman looking at Fitbit tracker before getting in car.

You backup your computer, so why not your brain? That’s the idea behind silent alarms—aka safety nets for your memory—and why all Fitbit trackers (except Fitbit Zip—sorry!) allow you to set up to eight.

Depending on which tracker you own, your setup screen may look a bit different than the ones below—you may even be able to manage your silent straight from your device (check out this helpful how-to guide)—but all the silent alarms work the same. At the time(s) you specified, your device will gently vibrate and light up several times, repeating again in nine minutes if you don’t dismiss it.

Fitbit app silent alarmsFitbit app recurring silent alarms

Fitbit Charge 2 alarm

 

Healthy Reminders You Need in Your Life

The most obvious use for a silent alarm is, literally, as an alarm clock—stay on that sleep schedule!—but limiting yourself to one alarm is a missed opportunity. Use Fitbit silent alarms to support all your health goals by setting one as a reminder to…

Eat! Especially if you plan on heading straight to the gym from work. Waiting until you’re starving could make you more likely to grab whatever’s available (hello, potato chips in the office vending machine.)

Drink water—and log it in your Fitbit app. In one study, the more water people drank, the fewer calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar they ate.   

Pop vitamins. Here are four supplements that might be worth taking.

Relax. A Fitbit Blaze or Fitbit Charge 2 will walk you through either two or five minutes of guided breathing, but if you own a different tracker, you can get calm in seconds with these breathing tricks. Mindfulness not your thing? Then take a walk, color, or chat with a friend—whatever helps you unwind.

Monitor your pace. Whether you’re walking, running, or cycling, going out too hard can come back to haunt you later. Set an alarm to go off multiple times during a race (or workout) as a reminder to see if you need to back off a bit.

Stay fueled. Athletes need to take in the right balance of carbs and protein, stay hydrated, and replenish any sodium sweated out, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. That means eating and drinking at regular intervals during exercise. Here’s how to nail your in-exercise nutrition.

Get that mole looked at—or whatever other doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. The average wait time for new patients to see a city-based physician is 18.5 days, according to a 2014 survey.

Do a posture check.  “Good posture creates optimal alignment in your body, helping it function as efficiently and effectively as possible,” says Erika Bloom, founder and owner of Erika Bloom Pilates. Starting to slouch? Try these five mat-based moves to strengthen the muscles that support healthier posture.

Smile. No, really. Research shows it makes you happier and may even be contagious.

Preempt your triggers. Do bagels magically appear in the break room every Friday morning? Set an alarm to go off well before you encounter them—or any other temptation—so you have time to grab something healthier. Or, if  you’re going to indulge, just use it as a reminder to bring mindfulness to your mealtimes.

Tally your blessings. Men and women who made an effort to journal positive things felt more optimistic and happier than those who journaled about trials or whatever they wanted, found a University of California, Davis study.

Hit your step goal. What’s the latest you’re willing to walk (without disrupting your sleep schedule)? Set a last-chance alarm for a half hour before that to get your steps in.

Charge your tracker. How many times have you planned to recharge your tracker only to have it run out of juice mid-day? Try setting an alarm based on when you last plugged in. You can find information on your tracker’s average battery life—and how to make a charge last longer—in this Fitbit Help article.

Do you have any other healthy reminders on your list? Share them in the comments section below.

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      • On my Charge 2, I can barely feel the alarms and the notifications to move. I usually notice the alarms to wake me up since they are longer and a series of buzzing and I’m completely still, but the notifications to move are SO faint and brief that even if they go off, I usually don’t feel them. I’m wondering if they can be made stronger or maybe there can be a series of buzzes for the reminders to move? This is a very important feature for me since my job is very inactive.

    • Yes, reminder to take meds. I take meds at 4 different times in day depending on if it’s 2 a day or 3 a day. Now if I could add a note, to indicate which pill for each alarm, that would be awesome.

  • I have a new fitbit and I do a spin class twice per week – this is high intensity cardio but my tracker is unable to register this exercise? is there any way to adjust this?

  • I use mine to remind me to check my blood sugar throughout the day. It is a more effective alarm, because it is on my body. Than setting one on my phone or something…

  • I use my alarms as a backup alarm clock and to let me know when I need to end morning coffee time. I use it at school to tell me when my PE class, needs to stop and at 2 separate times to give meds to students.

  • It would be a great inbuilt feature to have an option that the silent alarm rang *automatically* when you are awake and estimated battery life is less than say 24 hrs

  • It would be a huge improvement if we could name our alarms so you actually know what we set them for. People who need a reminder to do things may also need a reminder to remind them what they are reminded about 🙂

  • The biggest issue is you cannot change the configuration of the silent alarms via the phone app unless you have internet coverage.

    This can mean the great functionality is a hindrance when you need/want to be offline but want to manage the configuration but can’t. There is no reason alarm configuration needs Internet connectivity

  • I rely heavily on my FitBit to remind me to take my morning heart meds. Night time meds have always been easy for me to work into an everyday routine, but for some reason, I do forget the morning ones, and worse sometimes when I do think of them, can’t remember if I’ve taken them! I now have my FitBit buzz me at 10.30am and am finding it a pretty safe and reliable system.

  • I have a sedentary desk job, I used to sit at my desk all day without getting up once. Now I set the timer for 50 minutes and then get up and walk about for ten minutes – works a treat! I have a Surge, so unfortunately don’t have the reminder to move function.

  • I have all of mine set up to go off every 1 1/2 hours, starting at 7 A.M. to remind me to get up. I spend a lot of time on the computer or at the sewing machine.

  • I am hearing impaired and love that my Fitbit can wake me up in the morning and let me know when I get texts or calls. Best tool ever!

  • Just a comment on setting my alarm. I never drank enough water. Now with my alarm on my Charge 2 and phone I do. I am soooo happy. Thanks

  • I developed a thyroid problem about a year ago and need to take my meds in the morning a half hour before I eat. I have one alarm set for 7:30 am every day to take my meds and another at 8am to make sure I’m up in time to go to the pool for my water aerobics class. I set another alarm for Thursday’s at 7 pm to remind me that The Big Bang Theory will be on in an hour.

  • I use my alarm for several reminders. Like when it is time for me to leave my house to go to work and another reminder when it is time to leave work. I also have it set as a reminder for certain classes I take in the evening.

  • I use my tracker alarms to remind me to take my boy to potty trying to potty train. Wake up in morning for work and to stay awake as i have sleep disorty. Wish could set more then 8 but not like watch have to reset each time.

  • To those who wanted some text along with the reminder, I have my charge 2 synced with my phone, which also syncs with the calendar app on my phone, so I’ll set reminder on my calendar for drinking water and taking meds and the text for the reminder comes onto the screen as well so I know what the alarm is for.

  • To those who wanted some text along with the reminder, I have my charge 2 synced with my phone, which also syncs with the calendar app on my phone, so I’ll set reminder on my calendar for drinking water and taking meds and the text for the reminder comes onto the screen as well so I know what the alarm is for.

  • I use them so my parents don’t have to wake me up and for a reminder that i will be changing classes soon in school so I am ready to leave when the bell rings

  • I really like this list of suggestions. I wish that fitbit would allow you to make a “note” on your alarm which would let me distinguish between different tasks, such as a reminder to meditate or a reminder to drink water.

  • the silent alarm feature has been one of my favorites since joining the Fitbit world several years ago- however I have been extremely disappointed since getting my Blaze back in March. The weakness of the vibration strength makes the feature virtually useless, and even after a very active thread in the Fitbit community, the company appears to be doing nothing to correct it. I totally miss notifications when I am awake, and go back to my old Charge HR for sleeping. If you can pass along that and “make something happen” I would be extremely grateful!! and excited to try some of your new ideas! Thanks!

  • My Goal A day is to reach 10,000 steps and I play basketball,but I can’t wear it durning basketball.And some days I don’t get my 10,000 steps,so how can I motivate myself to get 10,000 steps every day?

  • I use it to record my breakfadt, lunch and dinner food points on my weight watchers app and to remind me to take my afternoon meds.

  • I was on an antibiotic which had to be taken every six hours. My fitbit alarm woke me gently at 2am without disturbing my partner.

  • I received my Fitbit 4 months ago. In the beginning it was hard to do it but I was determined to succeed. I’m very happy I did I went done two sizes more than I wanted and feel good. I ‘m 66 years old and minorly disabled so if I can do this so can the younger healthy people. It has made me y look younger to be healthy.

  • Great article thank you for sharing. I use my alarm to wake me up every morning but because of not enough sleep lately I’ve been more forgetful than I care to be lol, so this is great to remind me of my water intake, vitamins, exercise etc.

  • I get so engrossed in work sometimes that the end of day sneaks up on me. I set an alarm for a half hour before the end of my work day so I can start wrapping up my projects and clean off my desk. Works great!!

  • I use it to remind me to get ready for bed. I have a goal to be in bed by 10:00 each night, so have my alarm set for 9:00 so I can shut off devices and start my bedtime routine to ensure I meet my goal.

  • My Fitbit HR is perfect for morning wake up alarm while staying in hostels and Albergue’s as it is silent so as not to bother others who are sleeping near by. Also can be a reminder for when the Albergue’s lock up at night. If you are out late on a tapas run and happen to forget that the doors will be locked at 2300, set the Fitbit alarm an hour before and you will be glad you did. Ultrea!

  • I do love my charge for meeting reminders ( I miss less now ) and the alarm for charging time is a great idea !

    • It is easy, just go to your settings and it is pretty straight forward. Can be set for daily or weekends or what ever day you want. Works great ,and the vibration is strong enough to do the job.

  • I have to take a med either 30 mins before I eat or 2 hours after I eat mid day. I was constantly forgetting to take it because I just get so busy. I set an alarm for 11:45 and it worked for me!

  • I love the silent alarm feature! I would like to suggest an improvement. Being able to “Name” an alarm on the app would be great! Instead of just the bell ringing, the alarm name such as drink water, take medicine, pick up kids could scroll across the screen. It would be a huge help for people that have multiple silent alarms that buzz throughout the day.

  • I love my fitbit. Wear it every day and try to beat my goals set for myself. I wish the new look would come out soon so that I may be able to see what it will look like on my phone.

  • I also use my alarms for work purposes. I regularly have meetings with clients that run much longer than they should. I set the alarm for 10 minutes before I want the meeting to end, as a reminder to begin wrapping up. It has been an amazing help when I am on a tight schedule with back-to-back meetings! It is much less distracting that consistently looking at a regular watch or my phone and the clients do not notice this silent reminder.

  • I love silent alarms and reminders. However, on my Charge 2, I can barely feel the alarms and the notifications to move. I usually notice the alarms to wake me up since they are longer and a series of buzzing, but the notifications to move are SO faint and brief that even if they go off, I usually don’t feel them. I’m wondering if they can be made stronger or maybe there can be a series of buzzes for the reminders to move?

  • I agree with the other commenter by allowing the user to set what the alarm is for so when it does ring it tells you why it’s ringing would be awesome.

  • I can barely sense the alarm on my new Charge 2 when I’m awake, and not at all when I’m semi-asleep and drifting into the morning. The alarm on this new unit really doesn’t help me, and I miss the old one on my Charge HR TREMENDOUSLY!

    I have no idea what to do… it’s like I no longer have an alarm at all, and this really stinks! Had become accustomed to using it on the HR, and really miss it.

  • I use the silent alarm to remind me 10 mins before I’m due to finish work. It means no matter what I’m doing or if I’m in a meeting I can start to wrap up and get home to my family on time. It’s really helping with my work /life balance

  • Very disappointed in the alarm on charge2. I cannot feel the vibration, so the alarms and notices are not useful. Very disappointed.

  • I use my silent alarms to remind me to get out of my chair and walk on my treadmill 5 or 10 minutes several times throughout the day.

  • I use the silent alarm daily to remind me to take my Birth Control Pill and make sure to not silent it until I take it, so if i can’t take it right away, it goes off again a few minutes later. I never miss my pill now!

  • Hello, I am a school bus driver/janitor. I like the tracker, but it counts every bus route for 5 – 10 flights of stairs and not sure how many steps? Is there any calibration for this?

    Floyd

  • I would love if I could have an alarm that lets me know when it is time to change my effort and when I am outside of my heart rate zone during the various efforts.

  • I use the alarm to remind me a half hour before my workday is done so I’ll pack up, put stuff away, and leave on time!

  • Those matt based pilates moves that are to strengthen your muscles to support yourself… ladies with Diastasis Recti should avoid ‘crunch’ moves, they makes the DR worse. Crunch moves mimic the forward slumped, hipflexor heavy posture we assume sitting all day. Use the alarm as a reminder to walk every 45 mins for at least 3, to look away from your computer screen and focus on something about 100 mts away (300ft) Better posture hints and tips – ‘Don’t Just Sit There’ by Katy Bowman.

  • I try to pray a bit 7 times a day. I set 7 silent alarms for 3,6,9 (a.m.),12,3,6,9 (p.m.). And what about alarm #8? I set that for 4 a.m. to reawaken me when I fall asleep saying prayers at 3a.m.!

  • I love the hourly reminders however, since you can set up a number of them, 8 on my Blaze, it would be nice to be able to have a space for one or two words to indicate what the alarm is for; one alarm could be for exercise, another for meds, another for a meeting, and so on.

  • I am a teacher, and I have mine set to go off 2 minutes before the end of each class! This has saved me a TON of all-staff “sorry we’re late” emails!

  • I love the Fitbit Alta reminders. I set it when I need to go to bed and I set it when I need to wake up

  • Is there a way to get the calorie burn aligned with actual weight, rather than a generic rate at which burned? Thank you

  • Thank you. I can't wait to receive my awesome Robert Jackson digi. Good luck on your new enaevdors. I am also looking forward to joining you all at 613 Avenue Create. Loretta

  • I saw some military cosplay there, but I think there are rules against imapnsoreting actual uniformed guards (or military personnel) at cosplay events.I don’t know if the guards pictured here were the standard Big Sight security staff, but they sure did look like they were cosplaying; that’s a pretty silly shade of blue for a uniform if you ask me.

  • One of my teachers said that she knows a teacher who sets an alarm for every class one minute before class was over, so they could wrap up class and be aware of the next step (like handing out homework or give the class a reminder, and whatnot) though I would personally set it about 15 minutes or so before the end of class, I think this is a really good idea!

  • These alarm tips would be so much more helpful if I could name them. When the drink water alarm goes off at 11 it still just says alarm so I have to remember what that alarm means. Please add the ability to name the alarms! Thanks!

  • I have misplaced my Fitbit in the past and used the silent alarm to help find. My cat can hear better than I can. Very helpful. Sometimes have to make it go off several times to find.

  • I need a reminder on a fitness tracker/watch to report to different service desks at work every hour. It’s not convenient to always have a phone on my person, so a vibrating alarm at, say, 8:55, 9:55, 10:55, etc. would help me arrive a little early each hour. Some trackers limit how many reminders can be set per day. What android trackers have this capability?

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