Is Fitbit Ionic Waterproof?

[malakai]

Have to say I have had an Ionic for precisely 3 weeks - waterproof....went for a swim in the sea for a couple of hours and then it stopped working - not waterproof then.

I spoke to support and went through all the reset options, even sending them a video to show what I was doing......no good - please return and we will send you a new one.

They received it last Friday, they have confirmed they have received it and yet they cannot send me another until their warehouse confirms receipt.....up to 5 days.....but they confirmed they have received it!

So in short 2nd new fitbit returned to them.....100% failure rate then and awful customer services - which I had stayed with Garmin

Moderator Edit: Updated Subject for Clarity

[balute]

that’s a great response..make sure no buttons are pressed.
let’s be honest..the fitbit ionic is not a watch you should swim with. Even
though the advertisement
says it is. The watch should be replaced if it leaks while swimming..

[Rich_Laue]

Do a quick research and you will find that no water resistant watch should have the buttons pressed while under water.  The seals on the burton are not up to the task. 

As for swimming as long as it is shallow the earth should be fine, since the 5 ATM rating is for swimming not snorkeling or diving. 

[balute]

Hi ,i did not push any of the 3 buttons on my Ionic watch...yet when i put
it on the charge later that day.
i realized that there was a problem..the watch only showed the logo.
I have read on the Fitbit community..that the water resistant is a big
issue.
I feel Fitbit has turned their back on their once loyal customer.

[malakai]

Unfortunately you are wrong, Casio gshock watches are also waterproof to 200m and can have the buttons pressed, als the ionic is advertised as swimming in open water, this Includes snorkeling.  However, due to very poor customer service and hardware that quite obviously is not fit for the purpose it is advertised, I no longer use it in the water, I stick to my g shock

[SunsetRunner]

With my Suunto watch there also is no problem with pressing buttons under water. One thing that shows the Ionic isn't fit for purpose of swimming is that the display receives random touches while in the water. One result of this for me was pausing the activity for 17 minutes before I realized. When I noticed, the watch was showing screen that asks whether I want to end the activity. No screen/button lock feature shows that swimming with Ionic wasn't designed properly.

[Rich_Laue]

200 meters deep is a lot deeper than what fitbit's 50 meter rating, 600 feet versus 150 feet. and yes this is it into the classification of snorkeling. 

I'm only going by the universal standards. 

I'll copy paste I'd you do not want to follow the link. 

Water Resistant 50 Meters / 5 Atmospheres / 5 Bar
So you've got a watch with 50 meters of water resistance. Congratulations, you are hereby allowed to swim with it. However, you should minimize exposure to the water and probably still take it off. And by no means whatsoever should you dive with your watch. 50 meters of depth will not do it any favors.

No I'm not wrong @malakai 

And a chart from https://www.jswatch.com/water-resistance-guide

[SunsetRunner]

@Rich_Laue looking at this chart Fitbit shoot own foot claiming that you can swim with Ionic ( and shower, too ). You can't blame users for doing what manufacturer actually encourages them to do. If I buy Fitbit product I rely on what Fitbit claims is correct usage. I am not going to look for the charts to see what 50m means. I will believe what manufacturer says - I can shower and swim with Ionic. That's all I care as a user and by claiming one or another the manufacturer takes responsibility for the product not standing up to the level of being advertised.

[balute]

thanks for getting back with your experiences. here’s my point with the
Fitbit as you made reference
However, due to very poor customer service and hardware that quite
obviously is not fit for the purpose it is advertised, That is exactly the
Fitbit motto..Then Fitbit turns its back in the customer. Buy just to
reiterate..i didn’t push the buttons on my Fitbit while i was in the pool.

[SunsetRunner]

Yesterday and today I went to the swimming pool with Ionic ( I don't trust its waterproofness but if it dies it dies, more reason to replace it for proper smartwatch ). It has been a while since I swam with it and it is disappointing that there is no screen lock feature yet. Yesterday it paused activity for about 15 min, today another 10. Just because it wakes up in the water and randomly delivers touch presses to the screen. How is that being fit for purpose? Is there a screen lock option I am missing? In Suunto I just hold right-bottom button and lock the screen and buttons if there is such need.

[balute]

good question. the apple watch also has a screen lock when you go swimming

[sharenslz]

The Samsung Galaxy automatically locks the screen when swimming is chosen. When in any other mode, including the watch face ,you can lock the screen at will - for showering etc.

[CalebM15]

I have a Fitbit Ionic and I went swimming (in a chlorine pool) and it had no glitches or breaks, however the touchscreen did not work under water which was strange, but if I pulled it out it was totally fine. So far I have only swam with it that one time for about 3 hours.

[Rich_Laue]

Yes I would not expect the touch screen to not work under water. The water touching the screen will not let the unit detect an additional touch of the finget. finger. 

[JP_Mul]

My ionic came back for a while and then totally gave up, all I had was a back light and a black screen. With nothing to lose I decided to open it. I thought it would be too difficult and the screen would crack during the process. Actually it was very easy to remove the screen which is the problem with these devices. The seal on the screen is very weak. I cleaned up the liquid damage on the the screen connector and put a new waterproof seal on the screen. Device is now working properly again :smiley very-happy: I would recommend anyone with an issue to bring it into an electronic repair shop and they should be able to sort it out. 

[JP_Mul]

[Champ1975]

My fitbit Ionic just died after swimming in a pool yesterday, all night was fine and now just died. 

[Rich_Laue]

@Champ1975 what has customer service respond with? 

[BruceUK]

The third replacement unit fitbit sent me was a new one and not a reconditioned unit. This one is working perfectly. I swim with it every day with no problems. Though I do avoid pressing the buttons when in the pool. 

[lars-atx]

Mine did same thing JP.  worked for a couple weeks after freaking out after a short swim.  Now it is dead on my desktop.  Also out of warranty (one of first batch of Ionics), and disappointed.  Cust service was little to no help.

[Champ1975]

Not happy with fit bit support, they gave me 25% discount to buy new one.