A NotiTrac guide for Fitbit Air and iPhone
How do I make my Fitbit Air vibrate when I get a notification?
Short answer: out of the box it won't, Google left notifications out on purpose. On an iPhone you can add them with NotiTrac. You pick the apps, the Shortcuts app watches for their notifications, and NotiTrac sends a short buzz to your Air over Bluetooth.
Why the Air doesn't do this on its own
The Fitbit Air is a screenless tracker, and Google markets the lack of notifications as a feature. Its motor is used for alarms, Smart Wake and the low-battery warning, nothing else. The "share system notifications" switch that works for a Charge or an Inspire does nothing for the Air, because the Air isn't on Google's list of trackers that accept them. There is no hidden setting.
How NotiTrac does it
NotiTrac talks to your Air directly over Bluetooth and makes it vibrate, the same motor the Air uses for its alarm. No account, no server, nothing through Google's cloud; it works while the phone is locked, with the Air's vibration setting on. Keep Google Health installed, it still does your syncing.
Google updates the Air's firmware through Google Health from time to time. If an update ever changes how the Air responds, NotiTrac tells you.
Set it up
- Install NotiTrac and pick your Air. Open the app, let it search, and choose your own tracker. Keep Google Health installed; it still does your syncing.
- Try a test buzz. With the Air nearby and Bluetooth on, tap Test buzz. If your wrist buzzes, the connection is fine.
- Add your apps. The in-app guide walks you into the Shortcuts app and helps you create one automation per app: when that app sends a notification, run Buzz My Air, immediately, without asking. Which notification triggers Shortcuts offers depends on your iOS version. The trigger that watches any app's notifications arrived with iOS 27.
- Test it locked. Send yourself a message from one of your chosen apps with the phone locked. The buzz should arrive within a few seconds.
What it feels like
- A message: one short buzz.
- A burst of messages from the same app: still one buzz. NotiTrac folds them so a busy group chat doesn't rattle your wrist.
- Quiet hours and a minimum gap between buzzes are in the app's Alerts settings.
Calls are different: the Air keeps buzzing while the phone rings and stops when you answer. Calls are free; notifications from other apps are part of NotiTrac Pro, a one-off purchase.
What to expect, honestly
A buzz can arrive a few seconds late, and occasionally not at all: Shortcuts, Bluetooth and the tracker's current session all take their turn. Don't rely on it for anything safety-critical. If buzzes stop, the troubleshooting guide walks through the two things that can go wrong.