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12 Fitbit Tips and Tricks Every Owner Should Know About

Make the most of your Fitbit watch or tracker by customizing workout goals and more.

This story is part of 12 Days of Tips, helping you make the most of your tech, home and health during the holiday season.

Just got a new Fitbit for the holidays? It’s time to learn how to use it. Fitbit’s watches and trackers can do a lot more than just track your steps and tell the time. The Google-owned digital fitness company has packed its recent wearables with new updates and features, including a readiness score, sleep profiles that provide deeper analysis of your sleeping patterns and the ability to measure stress levels on the Fitbit Sense, Sense 2 and Charge 5. Google Maps and Google Wallet are also coming to Fitbit devices, which should make them even more useful for everyday tasks.

Fitbit sells a range of different trackers and smartwatches. The $350 Google Pixel Watch is the newest of the bunch and is the first Fitbit smartwatch to provide access to Google Play Store apps and offer the option for LTE connectivity. The $100 Inspire 3 is among the cheapest, while the $300 Sense 2 smartwatch is near the high end along with the Pixel Watch.

Because the software and features differ between devices, some of these tips might not work on all models. The steps listed below could also vary depending on whether you’re using an iPhone or Android device.

See the time even when the screen is off

Fitbit devices are designed for fitness and activity tracking, but they double as a watch. You can make it easier to see the time at a glance without having to raise your wrist or tap the screen by enabling always-on mode. As the name implies, this makes it possible for the screen to show the time even when the display is asleep. Just remember you’ll have to sacrifice a little battery life to get this benefit.

The instructions for enabling this feature vary depending on which Fitbit you own.

  • On the Charge 5 and Luxe, swipe down from the clock face, tap the Settings option, choose Display Settings and then select Always-on display.
  • On the Sense and Versa 3, swipe right from the clock face and tap the always-on display symbol, which looks like a clock.
  • On the Versa 2, swipe down from the top of the screen to see your notifications. Then, swipe down again to access the control center. Tap the quick settings icon and press the always-on display icon.
  • On the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the always-on display icon in the quick settings menu.

Change your main daily exercise goal

Goals are different for everyone, which is why you might want to consider changing the default goal on your Fitbit. This is the main metric that Fitbit celebrates upon completion each day. Choices include steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed or active zone minutes. To choose which goal you’d like to accomplish each day, open the Fitbit app on your phone and tap your profile picture. Then, tap your Fitbit device and scroll down to Main Goal. From there, you’ll be able to select your preferred goal.

Read more: The Best Fitbits

Choose which stats you want to see first during a workout

In addition to changing your daily goal, you can change which statistics you’d like to prioritize during workouts. Some people may care more about calorie burn, for example, while others prioritize heart rate. That’s why you can choose which stats you want to see during a workout on the Fitbit Sense, Versa and Ionic series.

Get started by opening the watch’s Exercise app and choosing the workout you’d like to customize. From there, tap the gear icon in the top left if you own an Ionic, Versa, Versa Lite Edition or Versa 2, and select the Customize stats option. Then, choose which stats you want to see in the top, middle and bottom slots on your device.

The directions are a little different for Fitbit Sense, Sense 2, Versa 3 and Versa 4 owners. From the Exercise app, select the workout you’d like to customize and then swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the device’s exercise settings. Under the Show stats section, you can select the top, middle and bottom options to edit the stats you’d like to see in each slot.

Pair your Fitbit with Android just by holding it near your phone

Fitbit and Google want to make setting up your new device almost effortless. Taking a page from Apple’s book, Google’s Fast Pair feature speeds up the pairing process by connecting your new Fitbit to your Android phone when the two devices are near one another. You just need to turn on your Fitbit device and make sure your phone’s Bluetooth is enabled to get started, and then you should see a prompt to download Fitbit’s app. It works on models such as the Luxe, Charge 5 and Inspire 2.

Read more: The Best Workout Subscription Apps

Customize your exercise options

We all prefer certain workouts over others, whether it’s running, spinning, yoga or just walking. Luckily, Fitbit lets you tailor the list of available workouts to your liking on certain devices. Just open the Fitbit app, tap on your profile picture and select your device. Then, tap Exercise Shortcuts to modify your Fitbit’s workout options. You can select the + Exercise Shortcut button to add a new activity type, swipe left on a workout to delete it or use the Edit button to reorder your workouts. Just note that the Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 do not have a shortcuts list, but Fitbit says all workout modes are available in the exercise app for the Sense, Versa and Ionic series watches.

More from 12 Days of Tips:

Start an exercise with a single press on the Fitbit Sense

The Fitbit Sense’s exercise app is easy to access, but there are times when you may want to start a workout instantly. Customizing the Fitbit Sense’s wake button can help you do just that.

Press and hold the side button, and your watch will pull up several different apps and features that can be launched by long pressing this same button. Options include the alarms app, weather, Spotify and your voice assistant of choice. Scroll down until you see Exercise, and select the workout mode you’d like to launch when long pressing the side button. If you don’t want to choose a specific workout, you can also choose to have the exercise app open when the side button is long pressed.

Additionally, you can customize the side button’s long press actions through the Fitbit Sense’s settings menu. Swipe over to the Sense’s app screen and tap the Settings icon. Choose Shortcuts, and then select the Press & Hold option. From there, tap Exercise and choose the activity you’d like to launch when long pressing the wake button.

Find your lost Fitbit Inspire 2 with the Tile app

Smaller fitness trackers such as the Inspire 2 can be easy to lose or misplace. That’s why Fitbit has partnered with Tile to build its Bluetooth location-tracking service directly into the Inspire 2. You’ll have to download Tile’s app and make sure your fitness band’s software is up to date before using it. But once it’s set up and registered in the Tile app, you’ll be able to ring your Inspire 2 if it’s within Bluetooth range or see its last location on a map.

Use your Fitbit to find your phone

We’ve all been there; maybe you left your phone in your jacket, or perhaps it slipped in between the couch cushions. That’s where Fitbit’s Find My Phone app comes in handy. Just open the app on your watch and your Fitbit will prompt your phone to ring and vibrate until it’s found. The Fitbit app must be running on your phone for this feature to work, and it’s available on the Fitbit Sense, Versa 2 and Versa 3.

Have Fitbit tell you if you should hit the gym or take it easy

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether it’s time to push yourself or take a rest day. Fitbit is trying to help with its Daily Readiness Score feature, which rolled out in November and is similar to the Oura ring’s Readiness Score. Fitbit issues a score based on factors like your recent sleeping habits, heart-rate variability and activity that indicates whether you should exercise or prioritize recovery.

It works on the Fitbit Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Charge 5, Luxe and Inspire 2, but it’s only available for Premium subscribers and must be enabled in the Fitbit app. You also have to wear your device for at least four days, including overnight.

Adjust your stride length to make step counting more accurate

Fitbit automatically calculates your stride length after you track a run with GPS. But you can also measure your own stride length and add it to the app manually. To do so, Fitbit suggests counting your steps as you walk or run at a location where you can easily tell the distance, such as a track. You should also travel at least 20 steps when measuring your stride, according to Fitbit. Then, divide the distance traveled in yards or meters by the number of steps.

Once you’ve measured your stride length, open the Fitbit app and tap on your profile picture in the top right corner. Under Settings, choose Activity & Wellness and tap Exercise. Tap Stride Length and enter your measurements.

Listen to your exercise stats during a workout

Fitness trackers make it easier to see exercise statistics at a glance, but it’s not always feasible or comfortable to look down at your wrist during a workout. That’s why Fitbit’s app can dictate certain metrics audibly, such as distance, time, average pace, split pace and calories burned. You can choose which of these stats you’d want to hear during your workout, and also customize the frequency of alerts by distance or time.

Open the Fitbit iPhone app, tap your profile picture and scroll down to the Activity & Wellness category under Settings. Tap Exercise and scroll down to see the Play During Exercise option, which can be found underneath the list of auto recognized exercises. If you’re using the Android app, tap the exercise tile in the Today feed and press the stopwatch icon in the top right corner. Then, toggle the switch next to Use voice cues to enable or disable this option.

Turn off those reminders to move

We can all probably use a reminder to get up and move around for a bit, especially when working from home. But those little nudges may not be helpful for everyone, and some might find them annoying. To turn move reminders on or off, open the Fitbit app on your phone and tap your photo in the top left corner. Choose your Fitbit device from the list, and scroll down to the Reminders to Move option. From here, you can turn reminders on or off completely, or set them for certain time windows or days of the week.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Jan. 16

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 16.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was exceptionally tough today, and was convinced 1-Across was «MAD» Max. (Spoiler, it’s not.) I also figured 1-Down was BOOZE, which did not work with 1-Across, and was wrong either way. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: ___ Max
Answer: HBO

4A clue: Where Marco Polo is played
Answer: POOL

5A clue: Overwhelming amount, metaphorically
Answer: FLOOD

6A clue: Reason for success in games like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
Answer: LUCK

7A clue: «That’s just the worst»
Answer: UGH

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Liquor, informally
Answer: HOOCH

2D clue: Winner of a Booker prize, fittingly
Answer: BOOK

3D clue: Antiquated
Answer: OLD

4D clue: Give a short promotion for
Answer: PLUG

5D clue: Winter malady
Answer: FLU


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Technologies

If the Verizon Outage Left Your iPhone Stuck in SOS Mode, Here’s How to Fix It

Even when you’re in an area with good cellular coverage, your iPhone status might read SOS. Here’s what to know.

Did you get caught up in Verizon’s massive outage this week? Millions of customers saw «SOS» at the top of their phone screen instead of the usual graph of connection bars. Verizon has since restored service, but some people are still seeing those three letters or getting spotty reception.

Unfortunately, when the network is down, there’s not a lot you can do to get reconnected — you have to wait for service to resume. But you could also see the same thing with any mobile provider when you venture out of cellular range or even when riding the subway. Still, seeing «SOS» on your iPhone can still make you anxious. 

Let’s take a look at what Apple’s Emergency SOS modes are and see what you can do when your iPhone gets stuck in them, even after service is back online.

What exactly are Apple’s Emergency SOS modes?

When you see «SOS» as the status, it refers to a feature on the Apple iPhone (14 and newer) called Emergency SOS via Satellite, which lets you contact emergency services and share your location with them, even if you don’t have cellular network service. It’s a way to stay connected even when you’re out of coverage areas. For example, if you’re hiking in a remote wilderness and get injured, you can still contact emergency services.

Emergency SOS via Satellite is a separate feature from another feature on every iPhone, called simply Emergency SOS. That one requires an active service connection and calls your local emergency number, and shares your location information with emergency services.

So what’s the problem with SOS mode?

Once your iPhone loses service and enters its SOS mode, your device may struggle to reconnect to your network, even if you’re back in an area with service. You might notice that someone else in the area has service while you don’t, or vice versa. Fortunately, there are several ways to address this issue.

Read more: Best iPhone in 2026

What to do if you’re stuck in SOS mode

According to Apple, if you see «SOS» or «SOS only» in the status bar, you can do the following to help your device find a cellular network:

  • Make sure that you’re in an area with cellular network coverage. You can check in with people around you who appear to have service or verify with your service provider.
  • Turn your cellular data off and on. Go to Settings > Cellular and toggle Cellular Data on and off.
  • Restart your iPhone. On the iPhone X and later models, hold either of the volume buttons and the side button until the power off slider appears, and then drag the slider. Wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the side button to turn your iPhone back on. If you have an older iPhone model, here’s how to restart it.
  • Check for a carrier settings update. Your carrier may send out a carrier settings update to improve your cellular network connectivity and performance. As long as you’re connected to the internet, go to Settings > General > About and check to see if an update is available.
  • Turn your cellular line off and on. Go to Settings > Cellular > your phone number and toggle your cellular line on and off. If you’re not using an eSIM, remove the SIM card from your phone and reinsert it.
  • Update your iPhone. If the software has a bug, it may be causing issues with your cellular service. To check for a software update, go to Settings > General > Software Update. You’ll need internet for this to work, so Wi-Fi would be your only option if you can’t connect to cellular.
  • Reset your network settings. WARNING: This will reset all your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN settings. Only do this if you’ve tried all of the above first. If you’re fine with that, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Lastly, if network connection issues persist, Apple suggests contacting your phone carrier to determine if there are any issues with your carrier or account that could be affecting your service, such as another outage in your area or an unpaid account.

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Technologies

The Sequel to Subway Surfers Is Launching in February, and You Can Preregister Now

Subway Surfers was the most downloaded game of the 2010s, so the sequel has some big shoes to fill.

Of all the mobile games ever released, none of them is as popular as Subway Surfers. The iconic endless runner has put up 4.5 billion downloads since its initial release in 2012. After 14 years of unprecedented success, developer SYBO Games is ready to turn the page with the release of a sequel, Subway Surfers City. 

SYBO says the game is set to launch on Feb. 26, and it’s available for preregistration on Google Play and iOS right now. SYBO also released a cinematic trailer showing off some new characters and environments. 

The sequel features a new metropolis location with four districts to play through at launch, including The Docks, Southline, Sunrise Blvd and Delorean Park, along with four new characters. SYBO says that fresh content will be released every season, including new parts of the city to explore and a variety of cosmetic goodies to unlock. 


Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


Based on the game’s screenshots, SYBO isn’t deviating too much from the core ideas of the original game, showing characters getting spotted, adding graffiti to a subway tunnel and mercilessly chased by The Guard and his dog until they’re caught. 

Subway Surfers City will have several new mechanics that aren’t recycled from the old game, including a stomp mechanic that’ll unlock secrets and alternate paths. 

The game also adds some new modes, including a finite runner mode where you can tour through the various environments to achieve specific goals, and an Events mode that will challenge you to a rotating gauntlet of missions. The Classic Endless mode makes its return to the new game, as does the ability to play the game offline, two things players loved about the original Subway Surfers.

Subway Surfers City will be free to play with in-app purchases, just like its predecessor.

Some big shoes to fill

Releasing a sequel that’s as beloved as the original will be tough, and SYBO has its work cut out for it. The original Subway Surfers was released in 2012, and while it’s not necessarily known for popularizing the genre of endless runner (that title goes to Temple Run), it quietly took over as the de facto leader in the genre. 

Angry Birds was the first mobile franchise to surpass 1 billion downloads, a feat it accomplished in 2012 across its various games. Subway Surfers was the first to do it in a single game, accomplishing the feat in 2015. It later became the first game to hit 1 billion on the Google Play Store in 2018. It was likely the first game to hit 2 billion downloads, and was definitely the first to hit 3 billion and 4 billion. No other mobile game has ever reached 4 billion downloads.

According to SYBO, Subway Surfers has amassed 4.5 billion downloads as of Jan. 2026 and still boasts millions of monthly active players, despite being nearly a decade and a half old.

Its popularity has remained steady in modern times after many creators started using Subway Surfers gameplay as b-roll in their TikTok videos, a tactic that has been repeated by a professor at the University of California, San Diego during his lectures, which caused his registration rates to skyrocket. Starbucks got in on it with a game that had players collect Starbucks coffee cups for prizes.

Over two dozen companies and celebrities have done events for the game, including Demi Lovato, Walmart, the NFL Players Association and, arguably most famously, Burger King, which helped the game celebrate its 10th birthday with the Burger King Challenge. The prize for that challenge was unlocking the Burger King himself.

There aren’t many niches in gaming where Subway Surfers isn’t present. On top of its massive amount of downloads and use in social media videos, Subway Surfers is also one of the most popular games of all time for speedrunners, and by far the most popular such game for mobile.

The shoes the sequel needs to fill couldn’t be larger, but SYBO believes it’s up to the challenge. 

«At its core, Subway Surfers City is the next chapter of Subway Surfers’nearly 15-year-long legacy,» said Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO.»Subway Surfers City stars reimagined fan-favorite characters, whilesimultaneously introducing never-before-seen content and mechanics. It’sa balance of the classic game our players know and love, with a freshvibrancy that brings the crew’s universe to life in a whole new way.» 

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