Feedback about Fitbit Ionic

[MelissaRN]

I've never owned a Fitbit product.  I recently began using the Fitbit app as a way to log water, food and steps and I am enjoying it and finding it motivating.

I'm thinking about making the plunge and purchasing the Fitbit Ionic.  (I also was looking at the Blaze.)

So question, would you buy the Fitbit Ionic again?  Do you regret it?  Love it?  Think it's worth it or not?

Any feedback is appreciated.   Thank you in advance!  

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[lmpres]

No

Purchased my watch 7 months ago.  Had some issues at first which got worked out.  Could never get music loaded.  Now, in the last week, my watch started going from 100% charged to dead in less than 3 hours.  Also it stopped tracking heart rate and steps.  Read that this is a common problem.  Serious issues with this watch.

[Ralendil]

Absolute no

I bought a fitbit ionic at the launch. Since then I switched to a garmin fenix 5 and this is the best thing I have done.

I have just bought a forerunner 645 for my wife and I took one for me (I like the weight and also the standard watch bands you can put on it).

So, let's be honest, the ionic has a better screen and with full colors.

But Garmin devices work like a charm, have screen always displaying the clock, notifications are displayed on the watch immediatly, you can answer call with it (android only), stairs are counted correctly, and device sync without problem. I can add that updates take less than 5 minutes.

Off course, the screen has less color and is not full color like fitbit ionic. But you get the clock always displayed with a week autonomy...

For me, there is no doubt, I stay with garmin and I have put my fitbit in cellar... can't sell this watch. 

I won't buy ever a new fitbit, but if there is people here that like it, that's fine for me...

[dblockdotorg]

Would not. Complete review here.

[Comalito]

As it is now, probably not!

[SantiR]

Hello everyone! Thanks for your continuous participation on this thread regarding Ionic experience so far.

I appreciate all of the feedback you have provided through this thread. I will definitely direct it to the right place. Fitbit is always looking to better their products and user experience, stay tuned for updates!

Keep me posted! 

[Thx1158]

Yeah bury this cause the ionic is junk.

Sent from my iPad

[motoscribble]

Spent most of the day yesterday trying in vain to get this turd to SYNC. All figgin day. Come on Fitbit!!!!
Multiple reboots and then pluggin in power for both my phone and the watch and it finally SYNCed. Lame, Gamin SYNCS via USB and it works everytime. You people force USB charging on us, SYNC this **ahem** thing via USB because that works.

[Comalito]

Hi there, 

I have been two full days dedicated to Fitbit. 

I did, for the 4th time, a factory reset. That was useless. Today, I changed my smartphone (going from Samsung S5 to S9) I also spent all day talking with Swisscom, my local line provider, because I couldn't get Internet connection!!! Nice, pleasant Sunday pastime with conversation!. As to now, I don't know yet if anything is changed.

Is Fitbit Ionic worth all this? It has the fame of being the best sleep tracker. 

As far as I am concerned for that only function, I would dump it.

However, it tracks pulse with a great accuracy. There are various excellent HR apps available in the gallery.

I am really not a sport fan. I had a very serious heart surgery and with HR accuracy, it does part of  the job. I am curious to go see what others do (for much higher prices!)

I wonder why so many people concerned by this issue don't complain over guarantee. 

Well! Mine was exchanged 3 times. No use for sleep readings! That was also useless.

Take care,

Comalito.

[Comalito]

Hi you all, specially to all those that wrote to me today! I thank you for your kind concern

Since, it takes long answering all those messages, I decided  to open this new topic, which is where your messages seem to lead, in face of the various failures, never resolved and reported by all of you, to fix the bad registering sleep issues.

I spent (or wasted) 2 more days, adding up to more than a month trying  to resolve Fitbit technical issues, encouraged by their team, whose role should be to fix things, but strangely enough, they encourage us to do their job!

All your messages left me wondering if so many and various of you are facing this same issue, why didn't you ask for warranty, repairs, exchanges? On my part, I exchanged watches three times, though, going from bad to worse!

Is Fitbit Ionic worth it?

I hate to hurt feelings, so I shall start by what I perceive to be its qualities. We'll leave "inferno" for the end!

Fitbit Ionic is very, but extremely precise on pulse readings. (at least in my case!) I had, on various occasions, I could test it, comparing to diverse medical devices and medical checks (Heart Tension Measuring devices) and also under the supervision of the support team. By the way, there are several (al least 4) applications in the gallery for HR in different situations, involving effort, length of readings, watching how Pulse raises and falls with a graph, through effort or rest; they are excellet!

I am not a sport fan. I underwent a very severe heart surgery and I am interested in having a device, that can tell me on different occasions and situations how my heart is doing. This, at least for me, Fitbit Ionic does very well. I couldn't say about sports, exercises, geo- locations.... But, for me, those HR accurateness are sufficient enough reasons to try to go on with Fitbit Ionic.

Aside of that, but that concerns the different tastes, I find Ionic a "champion in design". This goes not only to the watch, but also to certain face screens; more than beautiful ! (that others don't have!)

The cons: Fitbit Ionic has acquired the fame through articles for its accurateness in measuring sleep!

I won't go back on that! More than awful and encouraging to aim for the trash can. Nevertheless, I understand that Fitbit was the first to track REM sleep. (Well or pitifully?) 

After all their so loved "troubleshootings", after 4 factory resets, after changing smartphones to check if the Internet connection could be better.......It is not!

Now, careful! Again, I am not a sport fan. You can spend more or less 4 times the price of an Ionic to buy a "real precision instrument". You'll have to bear with the weight, the size and a peculiar design, not specifically conceived to go to work with it on your wrist, except if you are a ski teacher. But the worst is that if your read the comments in their Communities, where you will find out that there are people complaining exactly over the same issues!!

I allow myself to think that all these devices, regardless of their looks and prices are not technologically ready and that we have been caught as mice to check on the experiments of what are still only some gadgets.

Good night to all of you.

Comalito.

[Fjohn1]

I have loved the Ionic in concept in the last twelve months since I bought mine. However, while Customer Support tries very hard, the product is basically glitchy and can’t be counted on. I just received my fourth Ionic from Customer Support. Each failed for different, unknown reasons. This was a new one, unlike the last one, a remanufactured one. They fail, they can’t be fixed and the replacement process loses one a week or two of stats. To their credit, this one was replaced quickly. But, today, the change in Daylight Savings has affected us all and they are asking us to be patient, again. 

[Comalito]

Hi.
Everything is told in your answer!
It's similar to what I experienced.I don't even ask for exchanges anymore!

Thanks for this message.

I wish you a good day.

Comalito

[JoeZH]

If the Ionic was working smoothly, then yes.

As of now, 100% NO.

This watch is basically WORTHLESS because it can't even function as a smartwatch!

[Comalito]

Hi there! Thanks for replying.
Have you tried contacting support for a warranty exchange.
This often results useless too! I am on my third tracker.....

Do you think that other watch makers do any better? If I was sure that this
is the case, I would change it. However, when you read reviews or their
forums, they come up with similar complaints.

May be, this technology is not ready yet, but, if that's the case, we are
all being used as "testers" , though we pay !

Have a good day,

Comalito.

[JoeZH]

Having a watch that in a very basic level doesn't work is just unacceptable. When/if the problems are solved then I'll buy the Ionic again. Until then I'll try to forget all the anger and time waste I went through just to get answers like, please check if bluetooth is on, please forget the device in the app. As if EVERYONE havn't spent hours trying all these options...

[Comalito]

I wasted more than hours trying to resolve what they are hired to repair or
to guaranty.
I am not a sports fan, I am on recovery of a heavy heart surgery.
Dedicated to Fitbit, I even lost my energies to go perform my activities.

As I posted, I could still find that they have functions that work top. HR,
pulse measuring, with the various programs, proposed in the gallery. Here
again, I can be a lucky exception. Many people complain that in their
watches, HR is not precise. If that is the case, forget the whole thing.
This feature is central to any other functions and analysis!

To my taste, Ionic is certainly more attractive than a lot of other obvious
gadgets, baby attractive stuff, sold around....

This is also an interesting sign. It would seem that a large portion of the
market are kids!

Ionic has a fair price for what they make you expect. It has excellent
designers, working for them. All this encourages to keep on wasting time
turning on and off Bluetooth, resetting, reinstalling, etc.

The trap is when you get the habit to wait for what it promises to do, the
trash can is further away from you.

Have a nice day,

Comalito.

[ns111]

Definitely NOT!  I have had mine for over a year now (on my second because first died) and I am so disappointed with the device.  I wanted to love it (really like its style and features it promised).

It does not track my step count properly. It is off by as much as 40% at times.   

[Comalito]

Hi. Thanks for tour reply.
Fitbit Ionic is like an object of séduction. Their designs are good !
Is it a problem of insufficient technological advance or simply cheap
investment on its performances? Is it just a gadget?
Other market products, up to three times above the price of Ionic seem to
have as many complaints as Ionic.
What do you think about that?

Have a very good evening.
Take care,

Comalito.

[ns111]

I am on my second because the first died (got it in October and it was dead by the following October); so for $300+ it should last longer than a year.

It doesn't calculate my steps correctly.  It thinks I walked almost 5 miles in under 7000 steps (not physically possible unless I was 8 feet tall).  Step tracking is a basic feature and it is so off it makes it a joke.

If they improve the quality it might be a good smart watch but as of now it is just a terrible waste of money.

[Nick248]

I finally gave up on my ionic and bought a versa and the step count is not consistent, I do the vary same exercises twice a week at the gym and my step count varies as much as 2000 steps. Very disappointing.

[Bill_Dalton]

Each and every day I hate this watch more. It fights me everyday all day. I want the time, it shows me some random screen. It has me walking close to 100,000 steps even when I'm not wearing it. I can't get it to install new firmware. Battery life is a joke.

The software is not ready and should not be in use. I will never buy another "fitbit" product. 

Hinting to family that an Apple watch would be welcomed at Xmas.