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

[samsunite00]

ABSOLUTELY NOT and will continue to let everyone know because I deceived after being loyal for years.

I've been with Fitbit since the charge HR. Even with hardware dependability issues, I stuck with fitbit through the Charge HR, Charge 2, and eventually the Ionic. I no longer have a Fitbit for 2 reasons:

1. Fitbit doesn't care about runners. As a runner, we want to set and know our lap intervals. I could never get the Ionic to stay at 1 mile intervals. The device would constantly reset to .5 and then 3 miles after the latest firmware update. Something so simple can't be fixed by Fitbit.

2. Running distance isn't accurate. After the firmware update I wanted to see if one of the many settings for lap intervals would work. I thought the quickest way to test would be to turn on the running app and start drive. I noticed the pace remained at 0'00" even when driving at 60 mph. I moved the watch around hoping to get better GPS signal and noticed the distance going up. I started shaking the Ionic and noticed the distance going up. Yup, even though the Ionic has GPS the distance is calculated by the number of steps. I checked my Strava account and see the map distance of 3 miles, but the data is reported at 1 mile.

Since the vivoactive 3 were on sale, I decided to give Garmin a try. Best decision I've ever made. The lap interval stays at 1mile. The GPS is actually used to calculate the distance. And I don't have to deal with constantly trying to figure out why the smartwatch isn't connecting to my phone like the Ionic.

I've struggled with the Ionic for 9 months and I want to save others from the struggle.

[Vickytom9]

I won’t be replacing my ionic. I absolutely loved it, but there are too many issues around losing pairing and sync and customer service is poor. I am looking at another device now. I wouldn’t recommend Fitbit. This is 2020: these are scientific devices. They need to work-properly! 

[Nick248]

Since having every fitbit made, the ionic was by far the worst, customer svc would not honor the warranty because I bought it thru ebay, So like a fool I purchased a versa 2, it lasted from dec 3rd to jan 1, stopped syncing, they would not replace it either and when I bought it from amazon they said they would honor the watch, however it stopped working and  they would not replace it.  they said a new one would not work either. I suggest you NOT buy a fitbit the company is a shister !

[Janash]

NO.  I bought my first Ionic 2years ago.  I am on my FOURTH!!  I wanted my money back because they are not cheap but Fitbit refused and sent a replacement again.  It arrived, face only, in a plastic bag rattling around in a box, it will be a miracle if it works.  Look at Garmin.

[Hebrews12-1]

Absolutely not.  Fitibit has done nothing to fix the many issues that have persisted since day 1.  It is winter now so I'm not running outside very often so it is hard to say if the latest version 27.70.7.14 fixed any of them but I have already noticed two that aren't fixed.

1.  Device still defaults Auto lap setting to .5 miles.  I have to set it to 1 mile every time I go for a run.

2.  Device still loses GPS and doesn't regain it. (typically only happens on runs > 6 miles)  Even with a clear sky, no obstructions.  Stopping and starting the run will make it regain the GPS immediately.

After over 2 years, I have zero confidence they will ever fix any of these issues. 

They keep introducing new features but never fix the issues they have.  Which reminds me, they changed the screen that is used to start a run and now you can't use bottom right button to start the run any longer.  Instead you have to press a tiny icon on the screen which doesn't work well when sweaty or otherwise wet.  So not only are things not getting better they are getting worse.

Despite having GPS this watch is only good as an expensive fitness tracker (counting steps).  It is NOT sufficient for a runner.

There are many other issues I'm not going to take the space to mention here but just read through the forums.  None of the issues have been fixed so even if you see it in the forums from 1+  years ago, I can guarantee the current version still has the issue.  Do NOT buy!!!!!!!

[Bronzbabe]

Absolutely no. Mine is unusable after most recent update (Jan 2020). Fitbit says they won't replace and just wait for next update with no promised date for the update. (tomorrow's March 1, no update in sight) 

So NO, I wouldn't buy the Ionic again am looking for something better, I need reliably - not received from Fitbit. 

[Nick248]

Sent from Mail for Windows 10
No, mine never would sync first excuse was my phone, then it way wait for update (never came) one excuse after another, fitbit isn’t the same company it was when they started up, the replaced my chatge immediately no question, I don’t know if they have new owner’s but they aren’t the same.

[tonupkid]

No never again, all of the faults and issues in using the ionic come from very poor software updates from fitbit. The most succesful software was the one that came loaded when i bought the watch new 2 and a bit years ago, later updates saw the messing around of screens and simple updates voted for by thousands here such as heart rate zone alarm have been ignored. The last update broke my ionic and many more here, the stupid thing is, the hardware was ok, just the software has caused all the problems and fitbit just bury their head in the sand.

[Weezaliban]

No. I've had mine less than two months and I've had nothing but issues with it: constant restarts, boot loops, freezing until restarts near daily. I'll never get another Fitbit, let alone another Ionic.

[Bigfrank1]

I’m not sure there are a number of watches now that do everything the
e Fitbit Ionic does that cost less and work great. My son bought one and is
happy with it. I might try the Versa 2 if I can find one at a good price.

[MS_2017_12]

Or Garmin.

I moved to Garmin 6 months ago when my Ionic died.
So far zero hassles; and no software update issues.....is seamless!

Ionic did have a better UI, but I have zero regrets on the move.

[NinaP]

That's a hard NO! I bought a Garmin Venu 3 weeks ago! Best decision ever! I will never recommend a Fitbit to anyone now. Garmin all the way. I just came here to see if people were still having problems. Looks like they are. 

[tonupkid]

@bmw54 I like how my garmin tells me its done an update, i wouldnt have known otherwise as the watch continues to function as normal during the update. I never realised how much of a pain my ionic was at syncing, but having it work first time,every time with my garmin, opened my eyes to how bad fitbits are.  Also when the battery dies, garmin will replace it, so theres a good chance it will last a good few years.

[totallyforgiven]

Most definitely would buy it again!

[Metalguru]

I definitely would not purchase anything from Fitbit again.

really annoyed with their support.

firstly, they updated the app so that it wouldn’t work on early iPads. Now they have updated the firmware so the ionic will not sync and loses time.

[totallyforgiven]

Do you use a fitbit approved watch face?  If not, they can work just fine, then all of a sudden you will start having problems.  I know, this happened just in the last few days, mine quit registering my sleep stats, I tried everything to no avail, once I changed the watchface, it started registering my sleep stats again.  If you like a generic simple watchface, use the fitbit approved ones, if you like the fancier ones, go with the free ones from other people, just remember what I said, they work fine for a while, but then start acting up, all you have to do is try another watchface and things will start working again!

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

[cernoiu.theo]

Like samsunit00 said, if you're even a tad serious about your running you should consider switching.

I've burnt through a few fitbits in these past years but I've never been as happy as I am with my Garmin. (So far I've owned a Charge HR (broke twice before switching), Blaze (once before switching), Ionic (broke twice), Aria (broke once), Aria 2)

A couple of reasons that pushed me to swtich:

• Every fitbit I ever owned never got past its warranty time fully functional. Yes, the support always helped me out but you do spent a big chunk of your time with them, prove your point and then wait for your replacement.
• slow and low quality firmware. In the beginning, I was really excited to receive firmware upgrades but after a few failed attempts it would always leave me wondering what's still working.
• No integration with external sensors
• Really felt like the voice of the community was never heard. Why even bother contributing? Even tho the spotify feature request has over 10K upvotes, it took a really long time to implement. Same goes for the o2 sensor, that was promised since the launch 🙂

[Johnkey]

I completely agree, but I blame Apple for forcing updates that deliberatly make older iPads obsolete. I have a gen3 iPad and I won't buy another Apple product again because of the planned obsolescence.

[Metalguru]

How do you change a watch face if the ionic is not recognised by the iPhone?

Sent from my iPhone

[Nick248]

The answer is you don't, the ionic is junk, I got stung with mine.