When will the Spo2 sensor will be available?

[Coachalan]

Has there been any update when the spo2 sensor will be available for use. It was the only reason I chose this watch over the others I was looking to buy.

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity 

[Rich_Laue]

Maybe, and that would be a good reason to get FDA certification and thevpresentthe pof the data correct .

[SunsetRunner]

@Rich_Laue you keep repeating FDA as if it was something meaningful for everyone. It isn't. Nobody outside USA cares or even heard of FDA. Fitbit is a big brand in many other countries. I can speak only for the UK but the Fitbit marketing grew here to enormous size. It is everywhere, gyms, TV, mobile phone carriers etc. They try to sell the products any possible way. I believe it isn't the UK only. Yet, I keep reading about some mythical dragon called FDA which until this thread I didn't even know it existed. If for Fitbit it matters only to please US customers then fine but why do they sell so aggresively half-baked products outside the US? In the UK no SpO2, no barcode scanning, no FitbitPay. I am happy Fitbit cares so much for US users  but unfortunately I am not one of them.

[Rich_Laue]

Unfortunately Fitbit happens to be an American company and therefore has some USA regulations to follow.

Being a company that is sold in other countries, they also need to follow those regulations. In some Nations, by law the warranty is 2 years. The user now has the ability to download all their fitbit data. Canada and many other countries also have their own regulatory agencies that Fitbit may also have to go through.

[Starlette]

Rich,
That gives us some added insight behind the scenes. However, that doesn't do much for us end users that purchased this particular watch for that purpose. FitBit should never put out a product that is not fully functional as advertised. To us that is false advertisement. And you know what Rich? This has left a very bad taste with your customer base. Therefore, many of your loyal customers are selling/returning their Charge 3's. Poof! They are gone. Secondly, people talk and they won't be talking kindly about Charge 3. Two reasons I made the purchase is due to sleep apnea, and that it is waterproof so I can still wear it at the gym.

Moderator Edit: Format

[SunsetRunner]

Maybe it should stay this way and Fitbit shouldn't leave American borders until they are actually ready for it. Either sell fully functional product or nothing at all. I believe it had to be really painful for Fitbit offering 2 years warranty in Europe while being aware those products won't last that long 😉

[Rich_Laue]

When introducing the ionic, Fitbit mentioned that the SpO2 sensor was installed and to be implemented at a later time. Maybe Fitbit should have followed The AW and release the hardware and not say anything.

However it didn't take long for uses to discover the red LED.

[Norman12]

Well wouldn’t you know it. Two days left of my window to return the Charge 3 and the screen is black.  It’s going back.  I hummed and hawed if I should keep this thing and now my decision has been made for me. There is something very wrong with the Charge 3. I didn’t have these issues with the Charge 2...

[SantiR]

@Marison It's great to see you in the Fitbit forums! It's unfortunate to read that. Sorry to see you go.

@Norman12 I hope you're doing well! It's unfortunate to read that you are returning your Charge 3. Currently, there is not an SP02 option on this tracker or any Fitbit device. Please check this Feature Suggestion:

• SP02 for Ionic, Versa, and Charge 3 (Under Consideration)

@Rich_Laue Thanks for sharing your help and support on this thread.

@Starlette @Pescho33 Thanks for sharing your input and feedback on this thread. Feel free to check the Feature Suggestion I linked above for updates on this.

@SunsetRunner I hope you're doing well! Thanks for sharing your feedback and concerns on this thread. Please check the Fitbit Pay banks list to find the United Kingdom banks supported. 

Also, please, let's keep this conversation friendly and on topic. Our goal is to foster a pleasant and collaborative environment. Make sure to check the Community Guidelines and follow them. Let's be kind. 

Have a great day! 

[SunsetRunner]

@SantiR I know the list. For me, it is still unsupported. I don't see HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest, Barclays and other most popular banks. Instead, there are 3 banks nobody heard of + Santander as most "recent" addition. You may call it "supported" if you want, that doesn't change facts that most of the users in the UK cannot use it. I come back to FitbitPay issue as I had big hopes when was buying Ionic and stupid me, didn't check what "supported" for Fitbit means ( no information available on the box either, which in my opinion should be there, after all, these are just 4 banks ). With SpO2 is no different. It is "supported" but nobody can use it.

I am as kind as I can be, believe me, I'm trying hard considering wasted money on the broken product.

[Norman12]

SantaFitBit;

Respectfully I say; we shouldn’t have to “suggest” that FitBit enables a feature that is advertised as a selling point on their devices. I like my Charge 2 and I would suggest that FitBit takes seriously everyone’s complaints and deal with these issues. We all purchased these devices because we are loyal to FitBit but the company is quickly losing their loyal followers. A device shouldn’t die not even one month after purchase! 

Im a loyal customer, I’ve bought devices for myself as well as my family but unless FitBit deals with this I won’t consider another FitBit device.

[Gryzor]

Got to say, after a year and a half of attrocious quality issues (two Charge 2s replaced, one Ionic, one Versa*), lack of features** like a smart alarm or the SPO2 sensor and what can only be described as patronization here in the forum, I've been looking elsewhere. 

Unfortunately there's no credible alternative that meets my criteria; I still love the FitBit ecosystem and that's probably the #1 reason I'm sticking with my Ionic, but also I can't find anything else on the market with the features, battery life and accuracy of it. I even looked at the Apple Watch (first time in my life I considered an Apple product!) but quickly backed away when I found you need an iPhone to operate it.

However, with Google's platform moving forward and the new Snapdragon chip slowly gaining in the market it shouldn't be long now...

T

PS my first Charge 2 HR even cost me some money and some real worry when it broke, but not in an obvious way: after a coincidental illness it started giving me high peak rate HRs when working out. Not really clued in to the poor quality of Fitbit devices I thought there was something wrong with me. After weeks of finely tuning and monitoring my heart rate and consulting two different doctors I realised that the device thas must be off was the watch, not my heart; bought a chest strap that confirmed it. So, lesson learned: DO NOT TRUST YOUR READINGS IF SOMETHING LOOKS WRONG. In hindsight, so clear and sensible.

*I have to say this, though, FitBit were quick to replace my devices with little hassle. I guess they've lost quite some money with me! I understand though that replacement procedures are not the same for every country.

**got the Versa (which died within a month. A MONTH!) for my pregnant wife (she was using a Charge 2 HR up to then, which failed after 7 months) because I saw that they had a New Parents app which would be extremely useful for her. Unfortunately, the app was released in a half-baked beta form and promptly abandoned last summer, and they don't even respond to the feedback form. So another notch in the "doesn't work" column.

[SantiR]

@Gryzor I hope you're doing well! Thanks for sharing your feedback regarding Ionic and Fitbit devices in general. I'm glad you will keep your Ionic to meet your fitness goals. 

Also, thanks for sharing your experience with other devices. I'm glad the customer support team was able to help you out replacing them. 

Thanks for sharing your feedback through the form regarding the New Parent clock face. Your feedback is helpful so updates can be made. Stay tuned for them!

@SunsetRunner @Norman12 Thanks for your replies and for sharing your feedback on this thread. I will pass it to the correct place.

Keep me posted! 

[Rogers007]

It’s 2019, we’ve waited patiently, made choices based upon a slick marketing campaign, that appears to be nothing more than a marketing strategy for tech not ready for prime time.

The deafening silence and absence of ANY information reinforces this was nothing more than a strategy to boost sales when alternate devices such as an apple watch would have exceeded expectations.

Fitbit had such promise, maybe it will be rolled into the Apple ecosystem where our needs may be met.

[Frankc52]

They don’t seem to care that their customer base will dwindle away with all their false promises and false trading 😡😡

[GTOJim]

 I purchased an Ionic specifically for the advertised Spo2 sensor as I have sleep apnea.

At this point it wouldn't surprise me if shortly after the Ionic is discontinued the Spo2 sensor is released for current devices.

It's pretty sad we can't be given some kind of time frame for the Spo2 sensor. Such as approximately 6 months,  unexpected issues could cause delays. .

The Ionic was released in Oct 2017, it's almost March 2019 and we haven't even had a  hint of when the Sop2 sensor might be released.

What gives, why can't management be more transparent instead this silence. If there is a hardware issue causing unexpected delays why can't someone in management man up and say they are working on a fix, instead of remaining silent??  

I appreciate the moderators  doing their best to answer complaints. Their hands are tied either by lack of knowledge or by what they are allowed to say.   Again I appreciate  they are doing everything they can to help us. 

  Does management give a hoot and  read any of these posts, I think not.

[Starlette]

Yep, that is what I've been saying all along. Especially folks like me, who purchased for the sake of sleep apnea. Now I have a second watch that measures my oxygen when at night.

Sent from my iPhone

[Rogers007]

The slick advertising didn’t provide a “by the way the oxygen sensor is in beta testing, release date unknown disclaimer”. That valuable info would certainly have impacted  purchase decision choices.

The absence of updates or any attempt to be transparent with respect to the oxygen sensor development speaks for itself. The performance and development of this technology has slowed to a lackluster crawl! 

Maybe management should adopt the doctrine of “under promise and over deliver”, and invest less in slick marketing campaigns! 

LLR M.D.

[Lynnettefayola]

The FDA does not need to approve a spo2 trial.  I can get a watch for 4$ that will tell me my spo2 on the spot but will not save the data like the Fitbit would. Im also betting that there is someone out there that could make an app that could monitor spo2 just by hacking into the HR sensor which we already have access to.

[steve_mc]

I agree after reading the reviews of the Sp02 sensor to be released later in a software upgrade i thought i would give the Fitbit ionic a go due also to its looks and other features over other brands.But the sp02 sensor was the biggest seller due to also having sleep apnea.Two years on and not a hint of it being applied.If this does not become a feature,then i will not entertain Fitbit ever again regsrdless weather they release the sp02 sensor on another model.

[Frankc52]

Seems they did it again with the Fitbit 3 release date Oct 2018 still waiting 😡😡😡 as a fitness instructor I no longer recommend Fitbit to the members.