The first five things you should do with your Fitbit Charge 6

Fitbit’s Charge 6 is such a great little minimalist fitness tracker that you barely have to do anything to get started – just strap it in and go. But there are a few things you can do to customize the experience and make everything even better for you. Here are some tips and tricks for those new to the device.

Charge it and set it up (of course)

For each device, you’ll first need to charge it, turn it on, and follow the instructions (onscreen or in a quick guide) to connect it to your phone and make sure your Fitbit account is set up.

A six-month premium membership is included with new Fitbits. So remember now for May whether you want to cancel or continue your premium membership.

Set up your charging station and routine

The battery on a Fitbit Charge 6 lasts almost a week, which means that sometime next week you’ll notice the battery is low and you’ll wonder Where did I put the charger? Now decide where the charging cable should be stored and when you want to charge the device. The two best times and places for most people are:

• Charge the device while you are in the shower (so keep the charging cable in the bathroom; get a USB adapter that plugs into the wall).

• Charge the device while sitting at the computer if you spend hours at the keyboard for work or hobby. (In this case, the cable can remain on your desk. Get an adapter if you only have USB-C ports.)

Pick a cool watch face

Photo credit: Beth Skwarecki/Fitbit

Right out of the box, your Charge 6 looks like all other Charge 6s on the market, with the parallel line font. Cool, but you have other options. In your Fitbit app, tap the device icon in the top left (where the battery level is displayed), then tap Charge 6. Then tap Gallery and select a new watch face.

Note that some of the faces may display a rotating selection of metrics. Tap once to see your steps for the day, tap another time to see your active minutes, and so on. With some faces, such as For example, “Rise Up”, each of these elements changes the color of the face.

If you want to customize the look of your Fitbit even more, the strap is interchangeable. You can get one Multipack of ribbons in colors to match your outfit or moodA Fabric ribbon if you don’t love the silicone, or different chic, stylish bands.

Turn off the notifications you don’t want

Maybe you love receiving notifications on your watch, maybe you don’t. When you first set up your Fitbit, you’ve decided whether you want your phone’s notifications to be mirrored on your Fitbit. (If you have any regrets, tap Charge 6 in the Fitbit app, then tap Notifications to tweak the settings.)

But the Charge 6 has its own Reasons to call you that are not listed there. When you exercise, you may feel a near-constant buzz from your Fitbit, indicating that you have entered or exited a certain heart rate zone. There must be someone on this earth who likes this feature, but it’s definitely not me, and it’s probably not you either. Select an activity (e.g. Run) and swipe up to view settings. Turn off Heart Zone notifications. You can also swipe up from the main watch face and tap Settings to turn off AZM Notifications.

Set up Google features (Music, Wallet, and Maps).

The Charge 6 can control your phone’s music playback, which is handy when you’re working out and want to skip a track without taking your phone out of your pocket or gym bag. However, the music will still play from your phone, so your phone must be within range. On the bright side, you don’t need to pair headphones with your Fitbit; Just let it pair with your phone.

To control music from your Charge 6, you must be a YouTube Music subscriber (or interested in trying out the free trial they offer). A nice feature is that you get some automatic playlists that adapt to your tastes, so you can choose a workout mix and get started straight away.

The Charge 6 also offers navigation if you have Google Maps set up on your phone, and there’s a Wallet feature that lets you pay with a tap from your Fitbit device. Fitbit Pay is the only one of the three features that does this not require you to have your phone within reach.

Go to the Charge 6 icon in the Fitbit app and tap the corresponding tile to set up Music, Wallet, or Cards.

And another troubleshooting tip: The connection process doesn’t always go smoothly. For example, I kept getting the message that YouTube Music couldn’t find my phone. If you’ve tried everything and the Charge 6 still can’t connect the Music app (or any other app) to your phone, Try these instructionswhat worked for me when nothing else worked. Your phone will “forget” the Charge 6 Bluetooth settings, force quit the Fitbit app, restart your phone, restart your Fitbit with the weird little button on the charging cable, and finally “replace” your device in the Fitbit app. This meant I didn’t lose any data, and when it was over I finally got the music app to play me some Chappell Roan.