Heart rate not accurate Charge 5

[MichaelT1]

Always... always... about 18-20 min into high intensity exercise and about when my heart rate gets to 140-145 bpm, it all of a sudden starts to drop to around 90 (even though I continue high intensity).  Went round and round with customer service, they said it's known issue, did not offer any solution or timing of a solution so I returned my Charge 5 to Costco.  Very disappointed.

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, thank you for sharing all this information about the inconvenience you experienced with your Charge 5, @MichaelT1. 

I'm sorry to see that you had to return your device due to this problem with the heart rate information and that it wasn't possible to find a solution with Customer Support.

The team continues to work to improve the quality and the Fitbit experience; your feedback is definitely a big part of that process. 

[MichaelT1]

Another problem is that you can't re-order the screens... I have to go
through notifications to get to exercise? Really? I also
have notifications turned off!!!

------------

Here is what I see and this happens during every exercise session... the dip happens when my heart rate usually exceeds 145 bpm and doesn't recover until my heart rate comes back down on the cool down.

[AnthonyAlbc28]

I noticed that this happens when my wrist sweats around the band.   My heart rate drops well below the area that I know it's at.   Recently I started wiping my wrists around the sensors during a workout you can see the heart rate jump back up.  Of course, this isn't always possible and shouldn't be necessary during a workout especially for an item that is supposed to be waterproof and used when you are going to sweat.   I actually came on here to see if there was some sort of update to correct this or plan to fix this in the future.

[MichaelT1]

Bought another Charge 5 and still seeing the same thing... seems to be a systemic issue.

[DavideFitbit]

@MichaelT1 @AnthonyAlbc28 Thank you for confirming that you're still experiencing the same inconvenience. 

If you haven't done so already and before considering other options, I recommend that you try restarting the device again using the three pulse restart method mentioned here below, instead of the restart option found on the Charge 5 itself: 

1. Connect your device to the charging cable. For instructions, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
2. Press the button located on the flat end of the charger 3 times (end of the USB cable), pausing for 1 second between presses. Then wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears.

In addition, please follow the instructions in this article to improve the accuracy of heart rate information and check the information mentioned here about other factors that could affect your heart rate reading, this has been useful to other users who have experienced something similar. 

[MichaelT1]

The 3 pulse restart method does seem to help/work - can anyone tell me why and how often I should expect to have to do this?

[DavideFitbit]

@MichaelT1 You shouldn't have to restart your Charge 5 often for the heart rate feature to work properly. 

Let me know if you continue to experience the same problem after all the steps suggested earlier. 

[PintsizeIain]

Same problem.  During exercise Fitbit charge 5 records my heartrate ramping up from 60 to 120.  When I get to 120 it only records half the actual heartrate until I get below 120. 

So basically the heartrate tracking is useless during exercise.

All the exercise zone metrics are useless too. 

I have reset the device. I have tried various locations on wrist.  No joy.

[HelenBl]

I have the same problem with my Heart Rate not showing when it gets higher than 140ish. The screen either has --- or goes back to 96. 

This is really frustrating as I purchased this tracker to be able to keep an eye on my heart rate during exercise. I have looked at the suggested 3 pulse reset but can't see how to do this on the recharger. 

Is there anything else I can do to have this problem fixed, otherwise it means I can't use this product. 

Thanks

[RiekoC]

Hello & welcome @HelenBl 

Sorry to see that you're having problems with your Charge 5 properly tracking your heartrate. 

To restart your Charge 5 using the 3 pulse method, you need to use the charging cable that came with your tracker. There's a small inset button on the USB end of the charging cable. See picture below: 

You can also restart your Charge 5 from the Settings menu on your device. 

• Swipe down from the clock face to get to the Settings menu
• Tap on Settings to open and swipe up until you see RESTART DEVICE
• Tap on Restart Device, scroll up, and tap on RESTART tile

Hopefully, this will get your tracker back to properly recording your heartrate. 

[HelenBl]

Thank you I'll try this.

[PintsizeIain]

UPDATE-  I tried my wife's Charge 5 and the HR measurement was far more accurate (same wrist - same position) - I guess some of the Charge 5 devices are just bad.  I explained this to customer service and they were completely useless. I am returning my Charge 5 - disappointed.

Same problem.  During exercise Fitbit charge 5 records my heartrate ramping up from 60 to 120.  When I get to 120 it only records half the actual heartrate until I get below 120. 

So basically the heartrate tracking is useless during exercise.

All the exercise zone metrics are useless too. 

I have reset the device. I have tried various locations on wrist.  No joy.