How long does an Alta HR last?

[Cantankerous]

I’m now on my second Alta HR as my first stopped charging.

My second has just died in a similar manner (battery life dropped off then finally refused to charge).

How long should an Alta HR last before it has to be replaced with a new one?

My first lasted 9 months, this one 13 months. 

I’ve got an original Apple Watch and the battery on that is still going strong after a number of years, so I would have expected my FitBits to last as long, not die after just over a year.

Is this second Alta HR still covered under warranty in the UK?

[Cantankerous]

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/One/Fitbit-One-End-of-product-support/m-p/990000/highlight/true#M503...

I had the same issue with the two FitBit Flexes.

Should I just accept that FitBits only really last a year or have I just been unlucky with my four that have died?

[Rich_Laue]

I can not say,  my sister's Alta HR had its second year anniversary last month and still going strong without any issues. 

[WendyB]

All of mine have lasted 3-4 years.

It depends on how well you take care of it, Charging etc

[Cantankerous]

The Alta HR was only launched two years ago.

What did you have before that and how often do you wear and charge yours?

I wear mine most of the day (I take them off to shower) but I normally only charge mine when I get a battery warning (3-5 days).

They (the Alta HRs and the Flexes before that) seem to only last about a year then fail to charge.

I’d like to know how to make them last longer as I like the app but buying a new one every year gets expensive.

[Rich_Laue]

A lithium battery as found in Fitbit trackers start to degrade when the battery level gets below 30% or when exposed to heat,  like when left in a car. Your Fitbit has a very good charging circuit and leaving on is charger is not really a problem anymore. 

[Cantankerous]

Thanks.

I normally charge them when they go orange (but I have occasionally let them slip into red and charge them when I get the warning red).

They don’t get very hot as I live in the UK and I wear mine almost all of the time other than showering and charging time.

I’ve had five so far (Ultra, 2x Flex, 2x Alta HR) and all but the first have died at just under or just over a year. I have had a warranty replacement for one.

[DramaQueenDiva]

My Alta HR is my oldest Fitbit right now and it's still going strong...2 years later.  It's currently charging on my computer as I type this.

[BestLife4Me]

I am on my 2nd year with my Alta HR and the screen has streaks that block the read out. Has anyone experienced this? Does it mean my Alta is dying?

[Greta-Rochester]

I have had my Alta HR since 2017-04-30 and the battery finally refused to charge on 2020-05-22. I usually charged it every 4-5 days, and sometimes only when the battery was very close to zero. I wore it day and night. The only time I didn't wear it was while showering or swimming. It's been a faithful friend and I'm sad to say goodbye but I'm glad it lasted for 3 years.

[tobyjefferson1]

My Alta HR lasted 10 months before the HR sensor failed and step counting was way off (even after adjusting stride length and pretty much changin every setting under the sun as advised by customer services, who are useless by the way) - I just gave up trying bought myself a Charge 2, which I've only had for 4 months and I'm currently really happy with. I don't think these things are built to last a very long time, though. 

If you liked your Alta, maybe look into the Inspire series. A relative of mine has the Inspire and is very happy with it. Hopefully they're a bit more hard wearing. 

How long ago did you buy the second Alta HR, and where did you buy it from? If you bought it from a retailer like Amazon or Argos, take it back to them, they're much more helpful than Fitbit's own customer services. If not, it should still be under warranty if it was bought brand new less tham a year ago. Fitbit give a 1 year warranty on all new devices. 

[MonicaSathaye]

I have the same time line on my Fitbit Alta HR. I really don't know which one to upgrade to. Alta HR was fabulous and hassle free. Now my display has faded and battery is not that great but still tracks everything accurately. 

[Cantankerous · Accepted solution]

In the end I’ve given up on Fitbits.

I’ve enjoyed using them and the app has been great but other than my very first clip on one, they have only really lasted a year (give or take a couple of months each time). Fitbit support have been good (from memory I’ve had at least two warranty replacements over the years) but after at least six, I drew the line and switched to my Apple Watch full time and I’ve not regretted it. 

I use the watch three rings for general tracking (the visual makes this glanceable) but I used Endomondo for tracking runs but Under Armour acquired and shut them down, so I now use Strava for tracking runs and cycling. I also found that (when using both the Fitbit and Apple Watch at the same time) the Fitbit step count consistently reported about 10-15% more steps per day.

[Rich_Laue]

The last tracker I had that did not last at least 3 years was the original Charge which the band un-glued after a year. That was 6 years ago. 

My ionic failed with a firmware update and I could have gotten it replaced. 

[Tine33]

Bonjour, mon Alta HR a 3 ans et demie et la luminosité s'estompe. Est-ce dû à la batterie qui s'affaiblit, dommage je l'aimais bien et pas les moyens d'en racheter un autre.

[Tine33]

Bonjour, le mien a 3 ans et demie, la luminosité de la montre s'affaiblit. Combien de temps a duré votre montre et avez-vous eu ce problème de luminosité qui s'estompe ?

[Bmkennedy]

I agree… lasting a year is ridiculous!! I’m going to another glbrand as my frustration with this is crazy. 

[rnkrish]

I have been using it since 2017 - and still running with almost 6 days of charge - even after 54 months ..

[Notes]

My Fitbits all have died between the one-year and two-year mark. A few have made it to three years. I think the warranty is one year for a reason; the devices often start to die right after that. I'm not sure why I keep getting new ones; maybe because I'm used to the software. I should probably switch to another brand but I'm not up to the research right now!