Why Fitbit Is Limiting Battery Performance on Some Smartwatch Models
This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Fitbit has agreed to pay a $12.25 million settlement over one of their older smartwatches, which had a battery defect that left some users with serious burns. Meanwhile, Fitbit itself announced that some of its more recent smartwatches—the Sense and the Versa 3—may also have an issue with overheating batteries that could pose a hazard to wearers, and is updating their software to fix the issue.
What is the problem with Sense and Versa 3?
According to a notice posted on the Fitbit Help Center, some (not all) Sense and Versa 3 devices have a defective battery that could overheat and possibly cause burns. Both of those watches were released in 2020. So far, Fitbit has not identified any newer watches as having this problem.
What to do if you have a Sense or a Versa 3
Fitbit says they are rolling out an update to the affected watches (again, not every Sense or Versa 3) that will limit its battery capabilities. Fitbit says: “The update will improve the stability of the device’s battery performance and reduce the risk of the battery overheating. As a result, the battery will last for shorter periods between charges and you may need to charge your device more frequently.”
If you don’t want to update your device, too bad. According to that notice, after several days, your device will factory reset itself. This means it will delete any data that wasn’t synced to your phone, and you’ll have to do the setup process all over again. In the course of the setup process, the new firmware update will be installed. There doesn't seem to be a way to continue using the device without the update.
You’ll know your device is due for an update thanks to notifications that will be sent to your phone, the device, and to your email.
You can get $50 if you have an “impacted” Sense or Versa 3
To soften the blow, Fitbit has a set up a form you can fill out to “determine eligibility” for a $50 “appeasement” if your device was one of the ones forced to update. Fitbit says it could take a week to verify whether you’re eligible, during which time they may ask you for more information, and then another three weeks to process the payment.
Fitbit also agreed to pay a fine over an earlier dangerous battery issue
While it shouldn't affect any current Fitbit users, the company has also agreed to pay a $12.25 million settlement to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission over an earlier battery issue. The Ionic, a smartwatch launched in 2017, started burning people’s wrists as early as 2018, according to reports the company received.
In 2020, the same year the Ionic was discontinued, Fitbit rolled out a battery update to reduce the risk of overheating (hmm, sounds familiar) but continued to receive reports of burns. They worked with the CPSC to do a full recall in 2022. You can find more information about that recall here.
The settlement Fitbit is paying now is not directed at consumers who had the affected watches (that compensation was intended to be addressed with the recall), but to the CPSC itself, for failing to notify the government agency about such a seriously hazardous product. There were 78 reports of burn injuries, including two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns, the CPSC says. The company is also required to “maintain internal controls and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).”
A battery update isn’t necessarily an ideal fix for consumers. For example, Fitbit parent company Google recently rolled out a battery update to its old Pixel 4a phones (released in 2020) that some users are saying makes the devices unusable. I’ve reached out to Fitbit to ask if the Sense and Versa 3 update is related to the CPSC settlement and will update this article if I hear back.