Here are three things I love about the Fitbit Ionic but first let’s talk about the Fitbit Versa. Fitbit released the Versa recently, and there is a sense of feeling a bit cheated or relegated amongst the Ionic owners.

Fitbit Ionic vs Fitbit Versa

The Versa has many of the same functions as the Ionic bar the GPS. GPS might look like an insignificant feature but in my opinion, it’s essential for runners using a fitness tracker. I believe that a fitness tracker should be as independent as possible and not have to rely on a smartphone for crucial functions.

In my previous video, I noted that the Fitbit Ionic has a very masculine design and the Versa seems to be Fitbit’s attempt at producing a female-friendly design. Features that Fitbit will include for Versa users support my points, but I’ll leave that for the female YouTubers.

In many ways though, I feel like the Versa is regressive when I first saw it my first thoughts was that this is the Apple-watch light. You also notice another flaw in the Versa that is similar to that which I previously pointed out in other Fitbit trackers – they have what I like to call the LCD effect, as they are reminiscent of many early LCD televisions with thick borders to accentuate the size of the screen.

If the Ionic is apparently better than Versa why would I say I feel cheated? (You want the truth. You can’t handle the truth) Fitbit has restricted the clock faces for the Ionic – even though they share the same OS.

Fitbit Ionic Clock faces

However there is one benefit from this entire situation, it led me to the vast library of Ionic clock faces credit by private developers.

My favourite is eFace created by Eugene Jo, which has taken inspiration from the Versa’s exclusive clock face but Eugene’s design is an improvement. This is why I appreciate the Fitbit community – they won’t even Fitbit ruin things.

Fitbit Ionic Strava App

This is just an additional app, but it is arguably the best feature on the Ionic. To activate the Strava go to the Fitbit app on your phone – click on your ionic – select apps – Strava- settings and select Authorize. Create an account and log in.

You’ll also need to download the Strava app on your phone and login – go to settings

Applications, Services and Devices – connect a new device to Starva select Fitbit and connect both apps.

Strava sync with your Fitbit to track your exercises but it gives you so much more detail than the basic Fitbit app and makes things a little more fun and a lot more competitive.

You can see more details about your run like how your times ranked compared to your previous times. You can see how fast you ran a mile or half-mile compared to your last race. Also, you get to see how well you did running the same route.

You can also compare how well you are doing in particular segments compared to other Strava users.

Fitbit Ionic Music App

I have really come to enjoy the music app. It’s a great way to save your phone battery and make the most of your Fitbit. It makes my runs so much more comfortable. I can create run playlists and really enjoy my runs.