Fitbit recently changed Sleep Algorithm

[whollis]

After several weeks of nonsensical results, I got confirmation that they quietly changed the algorithm to add awake along with restless = “New Awake” results dramatically increase and my sleep scores are now in the 60s & 70s.  Jan - May was an average in the low 80s.  A few nights ago it had a solid block of 4 hours awake.  I think I’d know if I were awake that long.

If like me angry over the **ahem**ic change, send feedback and call tech support so they are bombarded with complaints.  Wonder if they consulted with sleep experts and scientists for validation but so far no comment from an escalation supervisor.

Engineering didn’t even communicate the change to tech support & the supervisory teams!  My supervisor agreed with me it makes no sense.  AI will validate being restless is different from awake so it’s now providing a fake awake calculation.

it should be rolled back to mid June before they sneakily made the change to destroy your sleep scores to consistently poor or fair.  

How do others feel?  Did you notice a major different/degradation?  Be vocal if you support me in demanding it return to the original algorithm.

[Ali123456]

Initially it coincided with a poor sleep period so I didn't notice but then once I noticed it has become quite useless to me.

Thinking about changing to another company's product if they don't sort it 

[simplepinoi177]

Sorry I'm coming from a Pixel Watch 2 rather than the Charge 6, but I've been getting fed up with my watch's (and now I'm learning it's Fitbit's fault) sleep analysis and it claiming I am awake on average now 45%-over 50%!!!! I began googl'ing my issue and there wasn't any real widespread reporting on it, and this was the first instance (now that I know it's not specific to the Pixel Watch 2's but Fitbit app as a whole, I'll broaden my search).

At first I thought it was my sensitivity (which I lowered from sensitive back to normal), then I changed the arm I wear my watch, to then making sure I wasn't wearing it too tight (put the peg one level/hole next to my usual to make it looser)! Absolutely nothing is making it less outrageous! I am not restless for half the night! I even employed some phone apps snoring & sleep analysis, just for a rough comparison, just to see if there was any even slight similarities, and the apps' analysis is completely different and doesn't match it at all.
It all clearly started when I updated my watch at the end of June (that was when my watch's latest semi-annual update) -- I had to go back every single day manually deleting sleep thinking to correct my average times and simply removing the buggy sleep (after hoping it had been corrected); and it goes back directly & only to that update.
What's weird is my wife's Pixel Watch 2 seems to be unaffected (or at the very least, that greatly). 

As I planned on resetting my watch completely, I think I will also do as OP suggests and call Fitbit customer support and complain.

[Jrychia]

Yes I kept my sleep time regular and scoring 80s is not an issue until now. These days my score is in the 30s and 40s. Good days are 60s. It kept recording I am awake 3hrs every night which is ridiculous! I admit I tend to toss a lot but to say I am awake creating unnecessary stress to me. So I should just sleep like a log and not move at all is it? I hope they will revert to previous algorithms asap

[whollis]

"Here are last night’s garbage results. Paying for Premium giving me additional insights on sleep?  What meaningful and actionable results am I provided with when your data analysis yields an incorrect awake time from 11:20 -12:45AM to fall asleep?  Are you joking?  I was out cold.  Your analysis tells me on average I fall asleep in 18 minutes.  Stress score & HRV are all average to say my awake time and Fair sleep score are bogus.

What is it going to take Google for you to admit with so many posts here and elsewhere that the new sleep algorithm is garbage?  The more you stay silent the more vocal I will get.  

Woke up feeling well rested but seeing crap results from Google only stresses me out yet again.  FIX IT and stop pretending and lying that you don’t have “enough complaints” to see it as a problem.  Yet Pom Pom @StephanieFitbit, your moderator posts PR bs and says nothing to all the posts challenging her talking points.  Pathetic.

[whollis]

This morning - worst sleep score ever.  Not credible falling asleep time again - 11:47 PM - 1:04AM.  No HRV rating at all!  Fake awake time of 4:16 - almost half the night. Please explain @StephanieFitbit our moderator how this is an improvement?!!! Average dropped from 82 to 75, 75 for August and for 2 nights of September a disastrous 67.  RESTORE THE ALGORITHM & FIRE THOSE THAT LIE AND SAY IT CAN’T BE DONE!

[rod17]

Yep same here, 4h.52 min. Sleep Score id 46, 2hr55min awake time.
on another topic. I get Stress M Score average of one every 10 days in 2025

[kanbro]

Not on a charger 6 but inspire 3 just got it a few weeks ago. And this is bs. I literally just woke up 20 minutes ago and it's telling me that I was awake for the last 20 minutes of my sleep and I was knocked out. This is why I keep reverting back to older versions of Google applications in general, not just Fitbit. En**ahem**tification at its best these days. Everyone is so quick to use AI when it's not necessary. Let AI be its own thing. New gen Devs are ready lazy as it is adding AI is not making things better.

[Pglider]

Strange, after the June 23 sleep algorithm update, I had exactly the opposite: my sleep score improved by roughly 10 points. Reached a score of 93 which I never had before!

also, since June 23rd I have had continuous scores, day after day bar one. Before I would go months on end without a score. See my related posts.

so for me this update was a huge improvement!

[dlreming]

I don't see changes in how brief moments of "restlessness" are handled.  I do see huge increases in extended periods of being awake when I know I was asleep as whollis describes.  I'll admit that before the change I would sometimes fool Fitbit into thinking I was asleep when I was simply very relaxed.  That still happens sometimes.  However, the new algorithm's massive increases in detected wakefulness are clearly less accurate

[naomiselina]

Which device??

[naomiselina]

I could not agree more!! I have the Inspire 3 and it tracks heartbeat, breathing etc, and up until last week it was always quite accureat, but above you'll see the last 2 nights. Both night said I slept approximately 4 hours. Both nights lights off at 12, alarm at 8am. 

Because the new results gave been so bogus I decided to push the "Start Sleep" button last night and "end sleep" this morning to see if there was a difference. Both said I was basically awake 4 of the 8 hours my light were out. Ummmm NO, I'd know if i was awake for 4 flippin hours!!!! Usually of the 8 -9 hours my lights are out i get around 7 hours of sleep. Sometimes 6.5 but 4???

This is extremely annoying and stressful. I use this app to make sure I'm getting enough rest and all this is doing is making me stressed out and angry. WHHYYYY????

[naomiselina]

And I noticed they have the different Stages if you use the Start and End option. Thats when the Restless comes in and REM Deep and Light are eliminated. But why does it count Restless as Awake? It says I was only awake 6 minutes, but a ove it says I was awake 4 hours. Make it make sense!!

 

[simplepinoi177]

Seriously! I know exactly how you mean!

I am seriously & consistently getting "Awake" 48%-53% of my 7 hours of sleep! Apparently I am consistently staying at like 3+ hours of "Awake" a night...every night...for 6-8 days straight (this has been going on since July)! I should seriously be non-functioning, delirious, and hallucinating at this point according to my Fitbit app!

At this point, I've seriously just stopped checking my Sleep Score. It's no use or point. I was considering buying the Premium subscription...but if I was literally paying for these kind of results, I would be seriously pissed!

[RiekoC]

Hello @naomiselina 

When you manually start and end your sleep, you will get the basic sleep graph: Awake, Asleep, and Restless. Your Fitbit device needs to be able to automatically detect & track your sleep in order to get the sleep stages graph. 

[ElJefe32]

I had the same experience!  For years my weekly, monthly, yearly score averaged 82.  Since the update I’m now in the upper to mid-80! This week alone I only have one day NOT in the 90s, which is crazy!! Previously, I had maybe one day a week of sleep in my 90s.  So for me, my average sleep scores have actually increased.  I panicked because I thought something was wrong with me. 
they really should have made a major announcement of some kind. 

[RiekoC]

Hello @ElJefe32 

The announcement for the sleep algorithm change was posted in the app platform forums:

iOS: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/iOS-App/Your-sleep-tracking-just-got-more-accurate/m-p/5783369#M1824... 

Android: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Android-App/Your-sleep-tracking-just-got-more-accurate/m-p/5771560#M... 

[Lorraine_2017]

Same so frustrating.