Condensation Buildup in Sensors

[Dsolo91563]

Has anyone had issues with the waterproofing on the Ionic?  Someone commented on Facebook that they "heard" this was a problem from a reviewer friend.  But, I've seen nothing on it. 

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity 

[AndrewPf]

Haven't heard or seen anything like that (yet).  Most reviews noted that it was usable for swimming, but I have tried that.  A sweaty run seems to have no impact on it at all - wipes right off. 

[kristin_fardy]

I've taken two swims with no issues so far!

[robertreinink]

Got it yesterday, went for a swim today!!!

After that it drowned 😩😩😩

See the moist in the sensors

[Dsolo91563]

That can't be good.  Does it still work?  Have you talked to support to see if they are aware of this?

[WavyDavey]

Definitely contact Fitbit Support on this, so they can assist.

[robertreinink]

After the swim I spotted it was switching between the dayli activity screen and the music screen and received  a low battery e-mail. Tryed to charge it and noticed it was getting very hot while charging. It then died at the spot. Did send it back to the seller awaiting for there reactions. Bummer....

[Dsolo91563]

Please keep us informed.

[robertreinink]

Will do...

[N8teGee]

Not good at all. Did you notice any sort of gap between the screen and metal body? 

[datalore]

Looks you definitely got a bad seal. Was there a gap between the screen and the watch body that you noticed? I've seen that problem reported here and elsewhere and was wondering if that could be the issue. 

[N8teGee]

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@datalore wrote:

Looks you definitely got a bad seal. Was there a gap between the screen and the watch body that you noticed? I've seen that problem reported here and elsewhere and was wondering if that could be the issue. 

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If that is the issue then there's going to be a hell of a lot of reports and upset people. All three of the Ionics I've used have had a gap somewhere around the screen, so it's a safe bet the majority have the same.

I've finally got a device I'm happy with, yes it's got a slight gap at the top of the screen but it's at least straight. Not sure I will risk getting this one wet, seeing as I'm not a fan of swimming it shouldn't be hard for me. Obviously lots of people bought it for that very reason though. 

[robertreinink]

Nope, all smooth between the screen and the watch body. I recon it’s some sort of a bad seal. Or a Monday morning thingy......

[wizll]

yikes, you'd think they'd dunk every one of these into water during manufacturing and do some quality control. 

perhaps I should dunk mine in water to deal with any exchanges now before going for a swim months later and have to deal with it then. 😄

[Kwono1]

My friend has had the same thing happen. He wore it swimming and it died right after. I think it has something to do with the gap between the screen and the bezel. 

[datalore]

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If that is the issue then there's going to be a hell of a lot of reports and upset people. All three of the Ionics I've used have had a gap somewhere around the screen, so it's a safe bet the majority have the same.

I've finally got a device I'm happy with, yes it's got a slight gap at the top of the screen but it's at least straight. Not sure I will risk getting this one wet, seeing as I'm not a fan of swimming it shouldn't be hard for me. Obviously lots of people bought it for that very reason though. 

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That gap at the top is starting to worry me. My local target has one on display with a slight gap at the top. When I get mine I'm going swimming first thing to test the seal. 

[N8teGee]

This doesn't sound good at all. There must be some serious QC issues here, as like I mentioned all the ones I've seen have a gap above the screen. Obviously this doesn't mean the seals are compromised but it certainly doesn't make one feel confident.

As a test, go into a pitch black room and turn the back light to maximum. I'm willing to bet most will see some sort of back light leakage from between the screen and body. If light is leaking it makes you wonder how easy it is for water to get in. 

[WavyDavey]

@N8teGee,

Interesting experiment. Of course I had to try.

If I run a fingernail along the edge of the screen, I can feel the seam between the screen and the tracker body, but I don't see any separation. When I did your experiment, I couldn't see any light leaks.

The waterproofing feature, which many have been asking for for a while now, isn't critical to me. So that's the extent of my testing here.

[N8teGee]

@WavyDavey It would seem you are one of the lucky ones. Under normal usage it's not noticeable, I only noticed it with brightness set to maximum but it was present on all three of the ones I've had.

There seems to be issues within quality control. Some seem ok, but there also seems to be a high number with some sort of issue. I'm with you on this one as saying water proofing isn't important to me, the only time I swim is if I have to and that means I've fallen into a body of water. Though if something is advertised as being swim proof it should be expected to be up to the job.

Does anyone know what fitbits stance on warranty claims and water damage are?

[WavyDavey]

@N8teGee,

You come up with some good questions.

I don't see where Fitbit has separate warranties for each of its products. Here's the meat of it:

"Fitbit warrants to the original purchaser that your Fitbit-branded device and Fitbit-branded device accessories (collectively, the "Product") shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase..."

So, the Ionic is waterproof, which in my book means, swimming with it is "normal use". If it was a Charge 2, well then swimming with it wouldn't be normal use.