Aria 2 inaccurate body fat readings

[Emilyinyyc]

I recently completed an in-depth bio metrics analysis using a BodPod, the most accurate commercial analysis on the market, and learned I had 17% body fat. The Aria 2 tells me I have 29.5% body fat. I am a fitness instructor and muscular body type and believe the first number is more accurate. Is anyone else having this same issue? Or does my Aria 2 need to be returned?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Pmdaguet]

you should know that this procedure has worked for none of us and that no amount of smiley 🙂 will ever help Aria work because it's unfortunately flawed. I am very happy with my Fitbit Charge 2 but I can't understand why the "support" team keeps treating its unhappy customers like children. After all this scale is actually manufactured in China and sold online for around $25 only. We expect Fitbit to act responsibly. Thank you 

[proteus007]

I tried, it doesn't work. Though I am not sure how that is supposed to help with anything since measuring body fat percentage involves passing current through the body and the weight is the same on both Arias.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@Pmdaguet Thank you for your feedback.

@proteus007 Thank you for getting back and trying the workaround shared above. If the issue continues, I'll send your case to our Customer Support department and they'll be happy to assist you via email. Please keep an eye on your email account.

See you later!

[tonymul]

As I said in an earlier response the solutions offered do not work. The only good solution is the course I took - return for a full refund. If you get offered anything else you are being swindled.

[Newfitkitty]

This is what worked for me. On the app where you click the little square looking thing at the top right and it shows you all you devices you have. I clicked on the aria 2 scale and where you can view the weigh ins at I deleted all the ones that I know was not the correct BMI and when I weighed myself today it got it right. I also for good measure deleted the weights that showed the incurrect BMI in the logs on the main page thing of the app.

[USAF-Larry]

@Newfitkitty- I am surprised that you saw different BMI reading for different weigh-ins, since the BMI is just a calculation based on your height (entered in your profile) and weight. It is not a measured number, like the BFI, but a calculated one:  Weight (lbs)/height(inches)/height(inches) x 703 = BMI

So, as long as your weight is consistent, your BMI should be as well.

The BFI, on the other hand, is a measurement based on the body resistance to a small current transmitted through the body. This can be affected by such things as the moisture level on the feet when weighing, etc.  My Aria 2 has been very accurate with the BFI compared to a DEXA scan that I had done about a year ago - the Aria 2 BFI has consistently been within 2-tenths of a percent of what the DEXA scan measured.  But, about 1 out every 10 weigh-ins, my Aria 2 does not display a BFI percentage, but dashed lines.

[Newfitkitty]

@USAF-Larrysorry I am so used to hearing about bmi that I just say it even in text. I meant the body fat thing.

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[proteus007]

Your support contacted me, gave me random things to try (change profile to other gender and then change back) and when that didn’t work, started responding with random statement with something about callipers.

For selling a $130 scale, you surely lack any concern if your product even works.

[Banjomanaz]

I have been following this thread for a long time. I have owned both versions of the scale and it is my belief that they are both possessed of some weird anomalous electrical pulse that keeps them in a constant state of flux. I am continually amused by the support folks and the instructions they give people to try to make the scale work. At one point I spent hours on the phone trying to get mine to work and finally gave up. Now I pretty much accept whatever it says and do some mental averaging and deviation analysis. Actually I found that if you take the batteries out of the scale and put them in your pocket and the spin around twice and put them back in while singing “Mary had a Little Lamb”, followed by hopping twice on your left foot and then your right, you can weigh yourself (three times) and take the average of the three and divide that by 8 and get both a reasonably close weight and BFI. Anyhow, try it and see if it works for you. If not, let me know and I will give you something else to try. BTW Aria 3 is right around the corner. You are really going to like it!


Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[svuo]

It seems there are differencies in accuracy and measurement consistency among users.

My bf% reading is, if not accurate, at least very consistent. Or I think it’s consistent, attached is screencap of my results for past 6 months (whole time I’ve had my scale). Of course there are fluctuations due to reasons already gone through on this thread.

Accuracy however, I don’t think I’m about 8% bf as scale tells me right now, mirror tells that it’s maybe 10-12% (calipers put me around 9-10%) but consistency is pretty good for me so I believe trend is very readable from results. Also for accuracy, that 2-4% is not quite off considering method used and inaccuracy of that method generally speaking. I measure my reading once a day, first in the morning after bathroom.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@tonymul I'm sorry to hear that you decided to return the Aria 2. I really understand how you feel about this and appreciate your feedback.

@Newfitkitty Thank you so much for sharing the steps that helped you to get your scale to show your body fat accurately.

@proteus007 Thank you for getting back! I was able to get in touch with our Support team and told me that they'll contact you via email soon. I appreciate your feedback and time with this.

@Banjomanaz I truly appreciate your comments and feedback. Thank you for providing the tips and made your scale to provide more accurate readings.

@svuo Thank you for joining us in this thread! Thank you for providing a screenshot and sharing your feedback about the readings you have gotten from your Aria 2. I'd like to share this help article, which explains more information about the Aria scale accuracy, under the subject "How can I get the most accurate reading from the scale?".

See you all later guys!

[Ginnaki]

Hi I’m 52 years old , female and  174 cm (5ft 8inches) tall, a bit overweight at the moment at 11stone 3lbs , but even at 10stone 7 my aria 2 has always had me at about 38% to 40% body fat.  I don’t work out , but I’m not idle. I’m a UK 10/12 dress size. My partner also uses the scale and he has very little fat , his reading is 22,6% which I would say is fairly accurate. 

I just followed advice on here to switch to lean mode and the difference was instant in the reading but not consistent .... I’m sure I can’t be made up of so much fat ??! , I eat healthy fresh food , little to no red meat , very little bad fats or sugars.  All very frustrating.  Range in the space of half hour went from 23 to now 31 .... ?!?   Better than 38 I suppose , but who knows how acrate that is , BMI is consistently 23.  🤔

[JuanJoFitbit]

@Ginnaki Welcome to our Fitbit Community! I'm sorry to hear that your Aria 2 is not providing consistent body fat readings, even though you have changed to the "Lean" setting. Please restart and re-calibrate your scale by taking out the batteries for 15 seconds and put them back in. Once you've done this, weigh yourself 5 consecutive times and see if the body fat readings is more accurate.

On an aside note, make sure that your scale is placed on an even or flat surface and you are stepping on it barefoot.

Let me know if this corrects the issue! 

[Chrisos]

I've been using Aria 2 since it came out, and while the body fat percentage was always off, it didn't seem that ridiculous at first. However, lately the percentage has been down to 11%, which I'm absolutely sure is not accurate as I'm more so around 20%.

I tried the tip @JuanJoFitbit posted, reset my scale, put it on a hard and even surface, and stepped on it five consecutive times. The scale is now reading 9% body fat. I tried the solution that @Newfitkitty posted as well, and even deleted most of my weight history, sacrificing all that data, but nothing. 

I bought this scale because of how it was presented as accurate. That's definitely not the case. I don't want a refund or an apology, all I want is someone to look into this, find out what the issue is, and work on solving it. 

[JuanJoFitbit]

@Chrisos Thank you for participating in the Fitbit forums! I'm sorry to hear that your Aria 2 is not providing accurate body fat readings even though you have tried all the troubleshooting steps. Since the issue persists, I'll forward your case to our Support team so they can review it and follow up accordingly. You'll be contacted by them via email.

I'll be around if you have any questions! 

[RobbyC]

Same issue here... My body fat jumped from 5% to 13% in a one-month period, which did NOT happen.  Has been giving me higher readings ever since.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@RobbyC Welcome to the Fitbit forums! Let me help you with the inaccurate body fat percentage that your Aria scale has experienced. I would like to know if you have followed the workaround that was mentioned in this post of mine. Please let me know if the issue persists after trying this and I'll be happy to follow up.

Looking forward to your response! 

[Marcus1975]

I am in a similar situation. 

200lb male. 

Picked up the scale and it reported around 30% body fat. Dieted and exercised for six months give or take. Weight never really moved more than a few pounds but bodyfat went down consistently till I got to around 18%. 

Then, overnight, it jumped to 30%. Where it has stuck for another six months. Now, I have managed to get weight down around 12lbs overall. But, bodyfat has not really moved. It actually went to 29% this week for the first time in ages. 

So, just no idea with this product. Is it just totally broken? 

[RobbyC]

Fixed it!

>From my fitbit dashboard, logged in via a web browser...

1) Click on the 'gear' / settings icon in the upper, right-hand corner.
2) Select your scale from the menu.
3) "Measurements" is the tab highlighted by default. Switch this to
"People."
4) Click on 'you' in the list of people who have access to the scale.
5) Under the Body Type section, click the "Lean" radio button. (NOTE:
This is for athletes and 'lean' people who "work out vigorously for several
hours a week.")





*Sent with Shift
*

[Ginnaki]

Hi

Yes I have changed to the Lean setting , again it varied between 28 and 34 %
And I’m not an athlete , at all by the way.

Maybe it’s all true ? I’m just going to watch the amount of fats and sugars I eat and get my weight down to 62 kilos. Bigger things to worry about right now.
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me.
Gin.

Moderator edit: personal info removed