HR on Charge 2 is way off (30-50 bpm) !!

[Tatermae]

I've read a bunch of people with the charge 2 saying the hr is was inaccurate. Mine is too, up to 50 bpm! And it still won't receive notifications (iPhone 6s only phone calls) it's only 2 days old! Went thru the 3 reset instructions and still none.. very mad about this purchase, calling customer support in the morning and probably returning it! 

Moderator edit: format

[HeydyF]

Hi @Tatermae, it is great to see you around! Let me give you a hand on this,, but first, I would like to ask you something, is it your resting heart rate the one that shows up to 50 bpm? Resting heart rate measures your heart beats when you are still, and it can be an important indicator of the health of your heart. According to the American Heart Association website, “the average resting heart rate is 60-80 beats per minute, but it's usually lower for physically fit people.” This is because, “active people often have lower heart rates because their heart muscle is in better condition and doesn't need to work as hard.” Also, the average resting heart rate rises with age. Now if you are talking about your heart rate condition in general, there are some other factors that you should take into consideration and that might affect your heart rate. Take a look at this post which has this specific information. 

Catch ya' later! 

[Fishhook]

My Fitbit is also saying 50bps resting heart rate. I think I'd be dead if that were the case. I don't think this is very accurate.

[HeydyF]

Welcome aboard @Fishhook  Let me explain to you how your resting heart rate is measured, and then you can tell me if this is your case. Resting heart rate measures your heart beats when you are still, and it can be an important indicator of the health of your heart. According to the American Heart Association website, “the average resting heart rate is 60-80 beats per minute, but it’s usually lower for physically fit people.” This is because “active people often have lower heart rates because their heart muscle is in better condition and doesn’t need to work as hard.” Also, the average resting heart rate rises with age. 

However, if the previous information doesn't apply in your case, then you should take a look at the tips  in this post to properly wear your tracker, 'cause remember that the better you wear it, the more accurate the results will be. In addition, you can perform a restart of your Charge 2 and please keep an eye on the results. 😉 

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes! 

[moviediva]

If I am very still mine shows 50 bpm, I thought it was wrong, so I check with my blood pressure monitor, and it was spot on. If you go to the American Heart Association website it will tell you how to figure out your resting heart rate. Good Luck to you

[HeydyF]

Hey @moviediva, it is cool to see new members aboard!  Thanks for sharing your information my friend. And yes as you mentioned, you can find further heart rate information if you go to the American Heart Association website, which explains pretty much what you need to know about your heart rate and, the factors affect it and what should be the normal rate according to your age. So take a look at it, and share your thoughts with us. 😉 

Have a nice day! 

[AndyLift83]

If you read his post he says it HR is 50 beats off. Not 50 bpm. 

Mine is regularly 50 to 60 beats less than actual. Measured through garmin's hr chest strap . Fitbit hr is just a random number generator. Useless

[seh12]

I just got mine and wore it for the first time this morning. It was 20-30 bpm low. I wasn't reading the resting heart rate screen, which said 60. The specific reason i got it was to track my heart rate all during my workout, making sure i was keeping it within a specific range. Since it wasn't even close i sent it back this afternoon.

[HeydyF]

Hey @seh12, let me give you a warm welcome to the Community! Oh! Sounds sad that you had to return your Charge 2 because it didn't meet your expectations since it seems tat was not tracking your heart rate correctly. In case that you decide to give the Fitbit family another chance, and you have further questions or comments regards the Fitbit devices usage, don't hesitate to reach out to us. 

Have a nice day! 

[MJS19]

My Fitbit is currently showing 87 BPM during an elliptical workout but I just counted 17 actual beats during multiple 10-second periods. 

It leads me to question the very healthy sounding 47 BPM resting rate that Fitbit lists for me.

[T1M0THY]

Same issue for me - see my post regarding accuracy compared to a chest strap: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-2/Fitbit-charge-2-heart-rate-accuracy-ANOMALY/m-p/3504184#M20...

[T1M0THY]

@HeydyF 30-50bpm "off" suppose they are actually referring to how inaccurate the fitbit charge 2 readings can be. i've been having the same issue with my fitbit charge 2. I've documented the problem of inaccurate readings here when compared with heart rate readings from a chest strap  https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-2/Fitbit-charge-2-heart-rate-accuracy-ANOMALY/m-p/3504184#M20...