Charge 2 not recording peak heart rate

[mcmarcus]

I've had my Charge 2 since November and at first it read my heart rate during exercises really accurately - primarily running but also machines and classes in the gym. 

Since the software update in January I'm finding that the heart rate accuracy has gotten much worse. When I'm working out & when my heart rate reaches peak level it drops the heart rate reading and I get the "--" until my heart rate drops down to Cardio level. I know my heart rate is above peak and the other machines in the gym confirm it, but my fitbit doesn't record it.

It worked absolutely fine until the software update a few weeks ago. Other people who have the Charge 2 I know have found the same. Tried restarting it and that hasn't done anything. Is there something else I can try or is there a way to fix this?

[DerrickS]

Hi @mcmarcus,

There are three factors that directly influence HR accuracy that I would recommend keeping in mind when you are working out:

1. Wear your tracker higher up on your arm, a few fingers' widths from your wrist bone. Blood flow increases the higher up you go on your arm which results in a more accurate HR reading.

2. Wear your tracker snug, but not tight to the point where it restricts blood flow.

3. If you are doing a workout where your wrists are moving vigorously and non-rhythmically (ie P90x, boxing, etc) the movement may be preventing the HR sensor from finding an accurate heart rate. In these instances, I'd recommend relaxing your wrist for about 10 seconds, and then afterwards you should see an accurate reading.

Hope this helps!

[Wizewoman]

I am having th same issue as MCMarcus. It had been working great until just this week. I am doing the same activity (spin class on bike where my arms don't move), with the Fitbit on the correct place on my arm. Nothing I was doing ..or how I am wearing my Fitbit has changed ...but the Fitbit charge 2 HR monitor isn't working the same. Any other ideas?

[Jojothepogo]

I noticed the same problem, but I also noticed there's a 15 second delay in reading your heart rate. Example... I'll feel like I'm dying and my Fitbit will say I'm in fat burning zone or I'll get the bars with nothing, but 15 seconds later while I am working out less intensely, itll read  170 peak. It all comes out the same by the end of the workout though.

[HeydyF]

Hey @Wizewoman, let me give you a warm welcome to the Community! 🙂 I would like to help you out, but first, I would like to ask you, if nothing has changed on your daily routine, can you please be more specific regarding the issue that you are having? I mean, when you say that the heart rate monitor isn't working the same, what exactly has changed? Let me know. 😉 

@Jojothepogo, the delay that you are looking on your heart rate monitor is normal, I mean, sometimes takes a few seconds for the heart rate to recognize the beats per minute and for them to appear as well.For example, when I'm running at my maximum, sometimes it takes a few seconds to record the beats per minute like in real time we can say. So don't worry about it, if it is accurate, then everything is fine. 😉 

Keep me posted! 

[jkurz]

I thought I was going mad - I have the same issue with my charge HR which used to work fine. However, recently I can not pass the cardio zone into Peak even when I am working hard.

If I check the reading anytime during anything intensive I get no reading, only "--". It is only until my HR goes down that I will see a HR being recorded again, either in fat zone or cardio.

I am certain I am wearing the fitbit correctly and it used to work fine. Really annoying! 

Was really keen to upgrade to the new charge HR, not so sure anymore.

[HeydyF]

Hey @jkurz, it is cool to see new faces around!  Remember that if you are using your Charge 2 on intensive workouts, we normally suggest you to use it a little bit tighter, so the heart rate monitor will be able to get your readings accurately. Please take a look at this post which has tips to correctly wear it. In addition, perform a restart of your Charge 2 by following the instructions on this post. Then use it for a few days and let me know if that works. 😉 

Have a nice day! 

[jstar1]

im having the same issue, except im sitting at a desk, when my arm is perfectly still i cannot make this any tighter, its already leaving marks on my arm. majority of the time during a heartrate spike, the fitbit never notices.. if i push the button on the fitbit and count to 5, it wakes up and updates the app with the elivated heart rate, i am also suspecting i might have needed a different realtime hr tracker.. fix your realtime code so it doesnt goto sleep after a while

[HeydyF]

Hi @jstar1, welcome to the Forums! 🙂 Hmmm this sounds indeed odd. So, in other words, what you have done so far is just a restart, right? If so, that should be enough to fix the issue, but if that isn't the case and the issue persists, I suggest setting up your tracker as a new device by following the steps in this post for Windows devices, so this will reset all the settings on the tracker itself and hopefully fix this issue. So please give it a try and let me know! 

Have a nice day! 

[Solez]

Hi, 

Did you resolve this, I got the charge 2 a few days ago and cannot get my HR over 153 even when performing Hill Sprints?

Best regards

[mcmarcus]

Hi. Yeah I think I managed to get the accuracy a little better by wearing it higher up my arm and making sure it's tighter when I'm exercising compared to normal wear. I find though that it still doesn't read my heart rate accurately, it really struggles with interval training and reading your heart rate as it moves up and down quickly, it's more accurate for running and maintaining a steady or slow change in heart rate. It's like it takes a while to register your heart rate if it changes quickly.

Also, I find that what the band says you're doing and what the app says you did once your finish your exercise and sync it aren't always the same.

Not much you can do other than understand the limitations that this has and hope that Fitbit fix this in future software releases.

Cheers

Ian

[HeydyF]

Hey @Solez, it is great to see new faces around! I think that maybe the way you are using your Charge 2 could be affecting your heart rate readings, so let me suggest you something, there are some tips in this post to properly wear your tracker especially when you are exercising so I'm pretty sure that if you give them a try, you'll get more accurate results, as @mcmarcus mentioned and also, let me explain something else to you guys, it is true that the Charge 2 takes a few seconds to recognize different heart rate when you suddenly change the intensity of the exercise you are doing. That is why you won't see the difference immediately. So I hope this information helps you out. 

If you have further questions or comments, let me know! 

[Promise777]

I have the same issue (among others) with the Charge 2.  The heart rate accuracy has declined since I first got the product.  Question: How does one wear the tracker higher on the wrist, tight, but not too tight without it slipping down during intense exercise?  I am getting incredible frustrating with this product in general..  I have had 2 replacements and it still doesn't count my steps accurately (I loose about 1,000 on a 2.5 mile walk) and now if I don't re situate, clear moisture, remove and replace the band every few minutes during hiking or exercising session I don't get a heart rate reading that is useful. Any other suggestions?  (Yes I have 'reset' it several times although I am unsure of what that is suppose to do).

Thanks

[MissAli]

If everything people are recommending fails contact customer support about a replacement. I noticed mine does that too but usually if I move it up my arm (about 2 inches above wrist) it fixes itself. But this is my replacement. My first one was a dud.

[Solez]

Thanks for the help. I TRied the suggestions tonight and it seems to go
down when I run faster or lose the HR all together. I have reset it tonight
so if still the same I will see if I can get a replacement.

[Okbob]

Users are telling you that they have changed nothing in how they use the Fitbit but it no longer properly records peak heart rates. I am having the same problem. Any solutions yet?

[Solez]

I have not found one, I havd attempted a bleep test and a treadmill V02 max protocol and cannot get over 163.

I tried to see if I could use a chest strap and have the fitbit update from strava but the HR and route data did not copy across (also calories are way off and the miles under exercise did not copy to daily miles).

[Lejeune2]

Bought the charge 2 couple weeks ago.

I experienced the same issues you described. To be more specific the tracker fails whenever your pulse is changing rapidly.

For example after I pass  the finish line when  heart rate is dropping the tracker can't catch up with pulse dropping and displays "--"

This is annoying because I followed every recommandations from Fitbit and nothing seems to solve the problem.

[Supman]

My heart rate is always saying jet is at peak on the app even though it is only 70 until it is 160

[Sfssn]

I'm experiencing this as well, and I've also noticed that when I'm at peak HR (according to the gym exercise bike), the HR according to my charge 2 even goes down!

I tested this by doing an interval programme with increasingly intense peaks, and for the last three, I can see in the workout HR trace:

1 - 157 bpm (same as bike reading)

2 - 168 bpm (same as bike reading)

3 - 154 bpm (this was 185 according to the bike!)

Peak 3 also shows a very erratic HR curve when I look at the workout record on the fitbit website, whereas the other two peaks have smooth curves going up and down. This makes me think the sensor can't pick up my HR at a higher bpm, and only sees every other beat, mistaking it for a lower heart rate, perhaps?