Fitbit Zip Charge 2 User manual

User Manual
Version 1.4

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Get started
Welcome to Fitbit Charge 2, the smart fitness band that helps you reach your goals in style. Take a
moment to review our complete safety information at http://www.fitbit.com/safety.
What you’ll find in the box
Your Fitbit Charge 2 box includes:
Tracker
Charging cable
The top and bottom detachable wristbands can be swapped for other colors and materials sold
separately.

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Set up Fitbit Charge 2
Your fully charged Charge 2 has a battery life of up to five days. Battery life and charge cycles vary with
use and other factors; actual results will vary.
Charge your tracker
To charge your tracker:
1. Plug the charging cable into the USB port on your computer or a UL-certified USB wall charger.
2. Clip the other end of the charging cable to the port on the back of the tracker. The pins on the
charging cable must lock securely with the port.
3. Make sure the button on your tracker is aligned with the button opening on the charging cable.
You’ll know the connection is secure when the tracker vibrates and you see a battery icon on
your tracker’s display. The battery icon disappears after three seconds.

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Charging fully takes about one to two hours. While the tracker charges, you can tap it to check the
battery level. A fully charged tracker shows a solid battery icon.
Set up with your phone
Set up Inspire HR with the Fitbit app for iPhones and iPads or Android phones. The Fitbit app is
compatible with most popular phones. See fitbit.com/devices to check if your phone is compatible.
To get started:
1. Download the Fitbit app:
• Apple App Store for iPhones
• Google Play Store for Android phones
2. Install the app, and open it.
• If you already have a Fitbit account, log in to your account tap the Today tab
your profile picture Set Up a Device.
• If you don't have a Fitbit account, tap Join Fitbit to be guided through a series of questions
to create a Fitbit account.
3. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions to connect Inspire HR to your account.
When you're done with setup, read through the guide to learn more about your new tracker and then
explore the Fitbit app.
For more information, see the related help article.
See your data in the Fitbit app
Open the Fitbit app on your phone to view your activity and sleep data; log food and water; participate
in challenges; and more.

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Get to know Fitbit Charge 2
This section tells you how best to wear, navigate, and charge your tracker. If you bought an accessory
wristband, you’ll also find instructions for taking off the original band and putting on a different one.
Wrist placement
Review these tips to make sure you’re wearing your tracker for optimal results.
All-day wear and exercise
For all-day wear when you’re not exercising, your Charge 2 should usually rest a finger’s width below
your wrist bone and lay flat, as you would normally wear a watch.
For optimized heart rate tracking keep these tips in mind:
1. Experiment with wearing the tracker higher on your wrist during exercise. Because blood flow in
your arm increases the farther up you go, moving the tracker up a couple inches can improve
the heart rate signal. Also, many exercises such as bike riding or weight lifting cause you to bend
your wrist frequently, which is more likely to interfere with the heart rate signal if the tracker is
lower on your wrist.

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2. Do not wear your tracker too tight; a tight band restricts blood flow, potentially affecting the
heart rate signal. That being said, the tracker should also be slightly tighter (snug but not
constricting) during exercise than during all-day wear.
3. With high-intensity interval training or other activities where your wrist is moving vigorously and
non-rhythmically, the movement may limit the sensor’s ability to provide a heart rate reading.
Similarly, with exercises such as weight lifting or rowing, your wrist muscles may flex in such a
way that the band tightens and loosens during exercise. If your tracker does not show a heart
rate reading, try relaxing your wrist and staying still briefly (about 10 seconds), after which you
should see a heart rate reading.
Wrist choice and dominant hand
For greater accuracy, your tracker needs to know which wrist you wear it on
(right or left) and which hand you consider dominant (right or left). Your dominant
hand is the one you usually write or throw with.
During setup you’re asked to choose the wrist where you're going to wear your tracker. Should you later
decide to move your tracker to the other wrist, change the Wrist setting. You can also change your
dominant hand at any time with the Handedness setting. Both settings are found in the Account section
of the Fitbit app or in the Personal Info section of your fitbit.com dashboard settings.
Navigation
Charge 2 has an OLED tap display and one button.

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Wake a dimmed screen
When you’re not using Charge 2 the display is off. To wake it up:
• Press the button
• Turn your wrist towards you. This behavior, known as Quick View, can be turned off in your
tracker settings.
• Double-tap your tracker.
Use the clock and menus
The default or “home” screen is a clock, which is available in several styles. On the clock screen you can:
• Tap to see your steps taken, heart rate, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active
minutes, and hourly activity.
• Press the button to move to through the menus.
• Press and hold the button to turn on or turn off notifications, including reminders to move.
You can customize the both the stats and menus shown on your tracker. For more information, see
help.fitbit.com.
After viewing the clock screen, you can cycle through the different menus to see information or use
different functions on your tracker. The following menus are available:
• Heart rate—Shows your current heart rate. Tap to see your resting heart rate.
• Exercise—Tap to move through your exercise choices, then press and hold the button to start
the selected exercise. Press and hold the button again to end the exercise.
• Relax—Tap to choose a guided breathing session. Press and hold the button to start the session.
• Stopwatch—Press and hold the button to start the stopwatch. Press the button to stop and
resume the stopwatch. Press and hold the button again to reset the stopwatch.
• Alarms—Tap to scroll through any alarms you’ve set. Press and hold the button to disable or
enable any alarms. The alarm screen appears only when you have alarms set.

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• Notifications—Press and hold the button to turn on or turn off notifications. If you turn off
notifications, your tracker will not alert you when you receive a phone call, text message, or
calendar alert on your phone, nor will you receive reminders to move.
• Battery—Shows the percentage of battery life remaining on your tracker. The battery screen
appears only if you turn it on in your tracker settings.
Heart rate
Exercise
Relax
Stopwatch
Alarms
Notificatio
ns
Battery
Tap your tracker
For best results, tap your tracker where the screen meets the band as shown. To wake up your tracker,
double-tap it; to flip through your stats or the menus, single-tap it.
Charge 2 doesn’t respond to swipes. You must use the button or firmly and quickly tap the screen.

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Check your battery level
If your battery is low, when you wake up your Charge 2 you’ll see a low battery icon after a few seconds.
If you see a critical battery icon you’ll be unable to navigate to any of the tracker screens until you
charge your tracker. Your tracker continues to track your activity until your battery runs out.
You can check your battery level at any time on the battery screen on your tracker or on your Fitbit
dashboard. To see the battery screen you must turn on the battery menu item in the Fitbit app.
Care
It’s important to clean and dry your Charge 2 regularly. For instructions and more information, see
http://www.fitbit.com/productcare.
Change the wristband
The wristband has two separate bands (top and bottom) that you can swap with accessory bands sold
separately.
Remove a wristband
To remove the wristband:
1. Turn over your Charge 2 and find the band latches—there’s one on each end where the band
meets the frame.
2. To release the latch, press down on the flat metal button on the strap.
3. Slide the band up to release it from the tracker.

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4. Repeat on the other side.
If you’re having trouble removing the band or if it feels stuck, gently move the band back and forth to
release it.
Attach a new wristband
Before you attach a new wristband, first identify the top and bottom bands. The top band has a watch
buckle at the end of it. The bottom band has notches and should be attached on the side closest to the
charging port.
To attach a band, slide it down on the end of the tracker until you feel it snap into place.

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Automatic tracking with Fitbit Charge 2
Your Charge 2 continuously tracks a variety of stats whenever you have it on. The information is
transferred to your dashboard every time you sync your tracker.
See all-day stats
Press the button to wake up your Charge 2 and see the time of day. Tap the screen to see each of these
all-day stats:
• Steps taken
• Current heart rate
• Distance covered
• Calories burned
• Floors climbed
• Active minutes
• Hourly activity
On your Fitbit dashboard you can find other information captured by your tracker, such as:
• Your sleep history, including hours slept and sleep patterns
• The hours of your day that you were stationary vs. active (walked at least 250 steps)
• Your exercise history and progress towards a weekly exercise goal
• Your beats per minute (BPM), average resting heart rate, and time spent in heart-rate zones
Note: Charge 2 resets at midnight to begin a new day.
Check your heart rate
Charge 2 allows you to view your real-time heart rate and your resting heart rate on your tracker. To
view your heart rate, press the button until you get to the Heart rate screen where you’ll see your
current heart rate. Tap to see your resting heart rate.
Use heart-rate zones
Heart-rate zones help you target the training intensity of your choice. Your tracker shows your current
zone above your heart rate, and on your Fitbit dashboard you can see your time spent in zones during a

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particular day or exercise. Three zones based on American Heart Association recommendations are
available by default, or you can create a custom zone if you have a specific heart rate you’re targeting.
Default heart-rate zones
Default heart-rate zones are calculated using your estimated maximum heart rate.
Fitbit calculates your maximum heart rate with the common formula of 220 minus
your age.
The heart icon you see above your current heart rate tells you your zone. Refer to the following table for
an explanation of the different heart rate zones.
Icon
Zone
Calculation
Description
Out of Zone
Below 50% of your
maximum heart rate.
Your heart rate may be
elevated but not enough
to be considered
exercise.
Fat Burn
Between 50% and 69%
of your maximum heart
rate.
Low-to-medium intensity
exercise zone. This zone
may be a good place to
start for those new to
exercise. It’s called the
Fat Burn zone because a
higher percentage of
calories are burned from
fat, but the total calorie
burn rate is lower.
Cardio
Between 70% and 84%
of maximum heart rate.
Medium-to-high
intensity exercise zone.
In this zone you’re
pushing yourself but not
straining. For most
people this is the
exercise zone to target.
Peak
Greater than 85% of
your maximum heart
rate.
High-intensity exercise
zone. This zone is for
short intense sessions
that improve
performance and speed.

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Custom heart-rate zones
Instead of using the default heart-rate zones, you can configure a custom zone or a custom max heart
rate if you have a specific target in mind. For example, elite athletes might have a target that differs
from the American Heart Association’s recommendations for the average person. When you’re in your
custom zone you’ll see a solid heart on your tracker. When you’re not in the zone you’ll see an outline of
a heart.
For more details about heart rate tracking, including links to relevant American Heart Rate Association
information, see help.fitbit.com.
Track a daily activity goal
Your Charge 2 tracks your progress towards a daily activity goal of your choice. When you reach your
goal, the tracker vibrates and shows a celebration.
Choose a goal
By default your goal is 10,000 steps per day. You can change the goal to distance traveled, calories
burned, active minutes, or floors climbed and select the corresponding value you prefer. For example,
you may want to keep steps as your goal but change the target from 10,000 to 20,000 steps.
See goal progress
A goal progress bar helps keep you motivated. The filled in portion of the bar shown below indicates
that you’re more than halfway to your goal.

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Track hourly activity
Charge 2 helps keep you active throughout the day by keeping track of when you’re stationary and
reminding you to move.
If you haven’t walked at least 250 steps in a given hour, at ten minutes before the hour you’ll feel a
vibration reminding you to walk. When you meet the 250-step goal after receiving a reminder, you’ll feel
a second vibration and see a congratulatory message. You’ll also see a daily celebration if you meet your
goal every hour.
Hourly Celebration
Daily Celebration

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Sleep Tracking
Wear your Charge 2 to bed to automatically track both your time spent asleep and your sleep quality. To
see your sleep information, sync your tracker when you wake up and check your dashboard.
For more details about sleep tracking see help.fitbit.com.
Set sleep goals
By default, you have a customizable sleep goal of 8 hours of sleep per night. For more information about
your sleep goal, including how to change it, see help.fitbit.com.
Set up bedtime reminders
Your Fitbit dashboard can recommend consistent bedtimes and wake times to help you improve the
consistency of your sleep cycle. You can even choose to be reminded nightly when it’s time to start
winding down for bed.
For more information about setting up bedtime reminders, see help.fitbit.com.
Learn about your sleep habits
Your Charge 2 tracks several sleep metrics including how long you’re asleep and time spent in each sleep
stage. When used with the Fitbit dashboard, your Charge 2 can help you understand how your sleep
patterns compare to others of the same sex and age range. For more information about what happens
when you’re asleep, see help.fitbit.com.

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Exercise with Fitbit Charge 2
Charge 2 uses SmartTrack to automatically detect and record select exercises. For more precision or to
see real-time stats and a workout summary right on your wrist, you can tell your tracker when exercise
starts and stops. All workouts appear in your exercise history for deeper analysis and comparison.
Use SmartTrack
SmartTrack ensures you get credit for your most active moments of the day. When you sync your
tracker after a SmartTrack-detected exercise, you can find several stats in your exercise history including
duration, calories burned, impact on your day, and more.
By default, SmartTrack detects continuous movement at least 15 minutes in length. You can increase or
decrease the minimum duration or disable SmartTrack for one or more exercise types. For more
information about customizing and using SmartTrack, see help.fitbit.com.
Use the Exercise menu
You can choose from over a dozen exercise types to customize the Exercise menu with your favorites.
Some exercises, like running, biking, and hiking have a GPS option.
For more information about customizing your Exercise menu, see help.fitbit.com.
Note: Charge 2 does not have built-in GPS. Its connected GPS feature works with the GPS sensors on
your nearby phone to give you real-time pace and distance information, as well as recording a
map of your route. Turning on connected GPS enables more precise tracking of your exercise
stats.
GPS requirements
For more information about setting up connected GPS, see help.fitbit.com.
1. If you’re going to use connected GPS, make sure Bluetooth and GPS are both enabled on your
phone and that your tracker is paired to your phone.
2. Make sure the Fitbit app has permission to use GPS or location services.
3. Verify that connected GPS is turned on for the exercise in the Fitbit app.
a. Find the Exercise shortcuts in the Fitbit app. For more information see, help.fitbit.com.

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b. Tap the exercise you want to track and make sure Connected GPS is turned on.
Track exercise
To track an exercise:
1. On your tracker, press the button until you get to the Exercise screen and then tap to find the
exercise of your choice.
2. Press and hold the button to start the exercise. If you see a phone icon at the top, that exercise
offers connected GPS and your device is connected to a GPS signal. If the phone icon is crossed
out, a GPS connection isn’t available. An animated dashed line means your device is trying to
find a GPS signal.
GPS signal connected
GPS signal disconnected
Searching for GPS signal
3. During your workout, tap your tracker to scroll through your real-time stats or check the time of
day.
4. To pause your workout, press the button. Then press the button again to resume the exercise."
5. When you’re done with your workout, press and hold the button to stop recording. You’ll see a
flag icon and a congratulatory message.
6. Press the button to see a summary of your results. With each button press you’ll cycle to a
different set of stats. You can view your exercise summary one time.
Syncing your tracker stores the workout in your exercise history. There you can find additional stats and
see your route if you used connected GPS.

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Practice Guided Breathing with Charge 2
Charge 2 provides personalized guided breathing sessions on your tracker to help you find moments of
calm throughout the day. You can choose between two-minute and five-minute long sessions.
To begin a session:
1. On your tracker, press the button until you get to the Relax screen.
2. The two-minute session is the first option. Tap to choose the five-minute session.
3. Press and hold the button to start.
4. Remain still and breathe deeply during the calibration period, which lasts 30-40 seconds. You’ll
see the phrase “sensing your breathing” on your tracker’s screen.
5. When prompted, inhale and exhale deeply.
Sparkles will appear on your tracker’s screen to indicate how closely you’re following the guide.
If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop the guided breathing session.
6. After you’ve completed the session, press the button to return to the clock.
All notifications are automatically disabled during the session. If you’ve set a silent alarm, your Charge 2
will vibrate at the time specified.
For more information about guided breathing sessions, including the benefits of practicing deep
breathing and safety information, see help.fitbit.com.

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Set Silent Alarms
Charge 2 can gently vibrate to wake or alert you with its silent alarm feature. You can set up to eight
alarms to recur every day or on particular days of the week only.
For more information about customizing and using silent alarms, see help.fitbit.com.
Turns alarms on or off
Once an alarm has been set, you can disable or re-enable it directly on your Charge 2 without opening
the Fitbit app. You can only set an alarm in the Fitbit app.
1. Press the button on your tracker until you find the Alarms screen.
2. Tap your tracker until you find the alarm you’re looking for.
3. Press and hold the button to disable or enable the alarm.
Dismiss alarms
The tracker flashes and vibrates when an alarm goes off. To dismiss the alarm, press the button on your
tracker or walk 50 steps. If you don’t press the button during the alarm, it will automatically repeat
once.

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Receive Call, Text, and Calendar Notifications
Over 200 compatible phones let you receive incoming phone call, text message, and calendar event
notifications on your Charge 2 when your phone is nearby. To determine whether your device supports
this feature, go to http://www.fitbit.com/devices.
Calendar requirements
Your tracker will show calendar events and any information sent from your calendar app to your phone.
Note that if your calendar app does not send notifications to your phone, you won’t receive notifications
on your tracker.
If you have an iPhone, Charge 2 shows notifications from all calendars synced to the default Calendar
app. If you have a third-party calendar that is not synced to the default Calendar app, you won’t see
notifications from that calendar.
If you have an Android phone, Charge 2 shows calendar notifications from the calendar app you choose
during setup. You can choose from the default Calendar app on your phone or several third-party
calendar apps.
Set up notifications
Before you turn on notifications in the Fitbit app, make sure that Bluetooth on your phone is turned on
and that your phone is capable of sending notifications (often under Settings > Notifications).
For more information about making sure your phone permits notifications, see help.fitbit.com.
Call and text notifications are on by default. To turn on calendar notifications:
1. With your tracker nearby, on the Fitbit app dashboard, tap the Account icon ( ).
2. Tap the Charge 2 tile.