Be honest: should I buy the Versa?

[Natbelle]

Im honking of upgrading from a Charge 2, but in reviewing all of the threads here I have serious reservations. It sounds like there are multiple serious faults that are not yet worked out.

Are new Versa owners seeing things improve? 

[lexi83]

😅 this is a good question. I’m on versa watch 2 my first one I had weather app problems then I factor reset it then I couldn’t get it to set up so I sent it back for a refund and got another. Second one is much better set up was fine. What I have found is I get all the notifications except email notifications. I’m currently trying to sort that glitch out. 

You may already know but just in case you don’t if you’re UK (Europe) and Australia both the normal Fitbit and special edition Fitbit have Fitbit pay. So no need to purchase the special edition unless you want that woven band. 

There are a few glitches but I like my versa. I’ve not had as many problems as others have. 

The other thing to know is the female app is not up and running yet also quick text reply is not up and running yet and this is a big one quick text reply will only be available to android users for iOS users it’s a bit in limbo they are trying to work on how they will be able to offer this feature to iOS people. It’s something to do with apple as they operate a closed ecosystem that doesn’t allow Fitbit to deliver the feature. 

Music transfer is slow but I got there in the end. It’s taken a few people hours to transfer music. But then I read today that 1 persons transfer of music was quick. 

Fitbit pay works nicely 

I’m glad I opted to give it another try. I would say maybe give it a go if it’s not working properly don’t spend loads of time trying to fix it if Fitbit don’t helpsort it  just send it back and get a new one or not.   Youre a Fitbit device user so you know what to expect from your device. 

After all that dont don’t know if that helps but hope it does a bit 

[SunsetRunner]

I am on my 2nd full day with it and while there are a few bugs, it's not enough to deter me from buying one if I'd had this knowledge previously.

[lexi83]

Update to my message. I have worked out why my email notification was not working and now is working so fingers crossed I have no glitches with my versa I if that helps. It seems there is a way to work out things like this it’s just being able to identify it. 

These forums are so helpful 

[Kburkman62]

I've been using Fitbit products for 5 yrs. The Versa is, by far, the biggest disappointment. Between the hype of the release and anxiously awaiting its arrival, it wasn't worth it. Too many 'glitches' that couldn't be resolved caused me to throw up my hands and return it. I'm back to using my trusty Charge 2. I may try again in 3-6 mos. They should have bugs worked out by then. 

[Natbelle]

This is kind of what I’m thinking- wait it out and see what it looks like in 6 months. I’m not trying to spend $250 only to spend hours on the phone with customer service or hours downloading music just to get the device to function as intended. For the price of my time, I could invest in the Apple Watch. I’ve really been looking forward to and lusting after the Versa but it just seems like a bad buy. 😞 

[taijitu]

It's a bit of a lottery, I personally haven't had any issues I couldn't resolve on my own within a matter of a few minutes, I don't think it's a bad buy at all, however there's still features I'm looking out for. As of right now though I am satisfied with what I have so far and I'd actually recommend it.

[lexi83]

I agree it’s a pretty penny. My mums “versa journey” has been much more smooth for sure. 

I was gonna wait and not rush to get the versa but I’d been waiting so long for a Fitbit I just jumped right to it 😅. 

Im happy with it though so I’m glad I got it. But yes if the Apple Watch is an option there’s no comparison 😂 hee hee 

Few months isn’t too bad to wait for it especially that you have a Fitbit device to use in the meantime. 

You can can always check in again and see what the general consensus is. 

[Warrie]

My experience has been pretty ok so far.

Initial setup took 30 minutes.

Everything seems to work fine (hr, sleep, steps, stairs, etc).

Charged for 2 hours and got 104 hours out of it, before it reached 5% and needed charging again.

But... connected gps seems to loose connection sometimes, making that an unreliable functionality so far. 

Overall I'm happy and would recommend, but Fitbit needs to improve firmware to make the user experience more reliable.

[DaSpook]

It's a smartwatch with excellent battery life. In my case with round about one hour daily exercise (with or without GPS) swimming, training in the gym, driving with my bike and some smaller runs it works very good with my iPhone 6. Music with a bluetooth headset in the gym is a great feature. 4 days of using the Versa and still 10% Battery left. Thats really excellent compared to other smartwatches.

On the other side some "must have" features aren't there. With my second device (Samsung Galaxy S6) the connectet GPS doesn't work as expected. Notifications are (mostly) OK, but I really miss a calendar app to see my next appointments. That's a basic feature for a smartwatch. Apps? Whitch apps? The choice of apps as really painful, by now. And Spotify isnt't there, just deezer an pandora (never heard). That is a very huge disappointment. Really bad is the possibility to upload mp3 or m4a audio files. That work's if you have m3u playlists but it will last at minimum one hour for about 4 albums. Why can't we simply connect to USB like an USB stick? Or transfer the music within the Fitbit App from the phone. That's really a fail.

To answer your questiion: In my opinion ist OK to buy the Versa now due it's affordable price. So yed, if you can live with the strange things which are inherent with an new operatings system for mobile devices. I think if enough developers brings their ideas to the FitbitOS ecosystem it will be fully acceptable in a few month. It's like a big public beta test, but to be honest: thats meanwhile the same with all newer tech products, no matter which companies sells the stuff.

 Have fun with your Versa!

All the best from Germany

Ulli

[ali_baba7]

Thanks for posing this question, and thanks to all who've replied with their Versa experiences. I'm interested in upgrading from my Charge 2 to a Versa as well, but the issues being reported about sleep tracking and heart rate inaccuracies are deterring me from taking the plunge. I'll probably wait a few months to see if Fitbit manages to work through these bugs, otherwise I won't be giving them my money. I'm not very optimistic though. Has Fitbit even acknowledged these issues as legitimate problems? From what I've read in this forum, that doesn't seem to be the case. 

[Natbelle]

Exactly. I saw a Fitbit response to someone having trouble with their sleep tracking (after several restarts on their 2nd Versa) was to “manually” enter sleep hours. Are you kidding? That’s why we are buying the watch!

[Brencam911]

I'm following this post also.  I have the Blaze and I am tired of it and I think it's to big looking on my wrist.  My kids all have the Apple watch and I love the look of the Apple watch and it's so easy to use.  But I am not an Apple person, I have a new Samsung Galaxy S9 phone.  Is the Versa worth the investment?  Or should I just by a ChargeHR?

Moderator Edit: Format.

[ali_baba7]

Yeah, their customer support in this area has been less than stellar. I hope they're paying attention to these forums because they're discouraging people from purchasing their product. 

[lexi83]

@ali_baba7 @Natbelle yes I take to Twitter if I have a question. But I certainly wouldn’t accept having to do something manually if it’s suppose to do it that’s no what you pay for.  

Im glitch free and I hope it stays that way. 

I reckon they will iron out things over the next few months for those having issues. Tends to be the case with new products then it levels out.  

They have a couple features to add to the watch that was advertised too which is due this spring. So that will be an addition let’s see I gues 

[Voncole]

Hi Natbelle! Unfortunately, at this time I would not recommend purchasing this watch at this time. If you can, purchase an apple watch or wait at least six months for FitBit to work things out. 

I read several tech reviews comparing Versa to the Apple Watch and decided that Versa was what I would want. I purchased my first one 4/19 from Target and it had battery issues. I purchased my second watch from Best Buy 4/26.  The second watch is adding steps, especially while driving, the heart rate is not correct, and the watch was showing incorrect time. I called support and they said I could manually delete steps and that it was because of the vibration of the car. However, I woke up with 14steps. I really wanted to love this watch. I think it looks beautiful and I love the way FitBit presents the data, but for $245 I want it to work. I purchased an Apple Watch this afternoon and will be returning my second versa. I would strongly recommend you wait. 

[Tammy_S]

I think it depends on the functionality you want.  The outstanding issue I have is with the inaccurate heart rates captured during my runs.  Since I was so happy with my Blaze but wanted something smaller, I went out on the day Versa was released & purchased it.  I wish I had waited until Fitibit improves the heart rate accuracy. 

[lexi83]

If a versa is inaccurate I’d say get a refund. If it’s not a matter of switching something on eg switching on notifications and it’s going to be a wait for Fitbit to get it right get your money back then if later on the issues are rectified maybe give it another go. 

I wouldnt be happy to pay £199 for something that doesn’t really work properly. I’d just feel frustrated all the time and probably end up not wearing it. 

Transparency is key with this topic.  And as you’ll see above I like my versa. I’ve not had  terrible problems (with my 2nd versa). 1st one I sent back with in 24 hours. Just not willing to put up with a faulty watch and no one should have too we work too hard for our money. 

[HLC1970]

If you actually want to look at your Versa and be able to tell time, no

[Mothrasue]

I love mine and it’s working well.  Heart rate and steps and sleep tracking are all comparable to my Alta HR.  It set up and synced without problem, unlike the Aria 2 which I have to return.  Granted, I havent tried to put on music or notifications, so i can’t comment on how those work (although my texts do appear when i swipe down on the screen, even though I thought I had that turned off).

also, if you’re annoyed you can’t  see the time on your versa when you look at your watch, try the Flat Jarvis clockface— it’s free and has an “always on” option.

if you’re looking mostly for a smart watch and have very high expectations on that end then you probably shouldn’t get this.  If you want a better Fitbit with some fun features, looks nice, water resistant, etc, then definitely try it out!

(I should mention I have an iPhone, which definitely matters as someone else mentions below.  If you don’t have an iPhone then proceed with caution!)