Condensation in Versa's sensor

[ftalita]

Hi,

This evening my Fitbit Versa (bought approx 7 months ago) began acting strangely (navigating to the Bike workout on its own, turning itself back on straight after pressing the left button to turn off the screen). After a few minutes of this, it began to show only the blue Fitbit logo, seemingly restarting over and over without ever loading the clock face.

After getting home and charging it for a while, the clock face would occasionally load in between these restarts. I reset the clockface to the default thinking it might be an issue with that, but the reset loop continued. After a while it no longer even showed the Fitbit logo, just coloured bars on the screen that would change between blue, green and brown on each reset (see screenshot linked below). I tried to follow the factory reset instructions on Google but the watch is non-responsive to any attempt to manually shut down or start the device, and doesn't vibrate at all in the manner described by the factory reset process. It continues to reset itself over and over.

Turning over the Versa, I found condensation on the sensor panel (see other screenshot linked below). I was walking for a few minutes in heavy rain today but never submerged the watch. I regularly swim in pools and occasionally lakes and have never had this happen before.

Has anybody had a similar experience and does anyone have any suggestions about how to fix this problem.

Screenshots

Moderator edit: Labels

[Mvice]

Okay good. I hope they offer you a good outcome. Yes, it does seem like
this has happened a lot.

[BonBee]

I like the VERSA  very much, too. It's just not worth the aggravation to me anymore.   I'll keep wearing this one, though it's not fully functional.  When it goes out I'll replace it with something other than FITBIT.

[NikNak86]

Similar situation as you...but i was chasing a toddler through the sprinklers. Screen eventually came back after 4 resets but now the red LED wont shut off and the watch no longer tracks HR...It's driving me nuts!

[Adonovan23]

OP here. They definitely know. I was on month 13 w my $200 piece of junk. Was told I could have either 25 or 30% off a new one. That was it. At the time Amazon and Walmart had it listed for cheaper than the discount I was offered..

I've since bought a cheap 2019 model Garmin for $65 and I have zero issues with it and was swimming in a heated indoor pool dayily before my gym closed. That was October 2019

[NikNak86]

That the worst. I'm hoping that the warranty will cover it as it is less
than a year old.

[MarciD]

Call customer service for a replacement.  It is still under warranty. I bought my Versa in March 2019 and had 2 replacements because of the issue with condensation.  Yesterday, the heart rate staring acting up and giving me an elevated reading. So stressed out that I went to the ER. My next tracker will be a competitor's product!!!

[JuanJoFitbit]

Hi everyone! I apologize for the delayed response. However, thank you for participating in our Fitbit forums. I'm sorry about the condensation issue that your Fitbit watches have experienced. I totally understand how you feel about this.

I'm glad to hear that some of you guys have received a replacement unit. Thank you for posting the update here.

For the people that haven't tried, please restart your watches as described in this help article. After this, make sure that your watches are fully charged and monitor them in order to see if the issue gets fixed.

@Adonovan23, I'm sorry about the condensation issue that your watch experienced. I'm also sorry to hear that it's no longer under warranty. I totally understand how you feel about this and we appreciate your feedback and comments since this helps us to keep improving.

I'll be around if any question arises.

[MarciD]

@JuanJoFitbit There definitely is a condensation problem with Fitbit.  What annoys me is Fitbit's response and not owning up to the condensation issue with Versa.  Let's admit it: Versa is defective and it's certainly not waterproof as advertised.

I bought my Versa in March 2019 and had two replacements within 8 months because of the issue with condensation.  Yesterday, the heart rate staring acting up and giving me an elevated reading. I was so stressed out that I went to the ER to get checked. Upon closer inspection this morning it looks like there's condensation under one of the sensors again.  After 3 Versa's with issues over a 14 month period, my next tracker will be a competitor's product!

Furthermore another thing that irritates me, is the online 5 star reviews by third party vendors who are paid a commission as an affiliate and Fitbit's ongoing promotions enticing consumers to buy a product that is know to be defective. 

[jillybean1188]

I'm having similar problems. I started using my fitbit last year in June--I wear it daily 24/7 except when I'm charging it/doing a water activity. I ran a virtual marathon yesterday and it was HOT. I was sweating so much, but my device worked fine the entire time. I've worked out in the midwestern summer weather all last year with no problems, but yesterday after getting home from my run I noticed a glitch in my fitbit. It kept taking me to the "exercise" page wanting me to start one. I'd hit the back button and nothing would happen but eventually would go back to the home screen. Then it just.....died. I put it on the charger and, nothing. I did some research and got it to eventually restart a few times but it would only be on the fitbit logo screen. The clock would maybe come up, with the wrong time, only to turn off again. I eventually got it to turn on, put it on the charger and FINALLY got it to stay on. I had a firmware update, so I was able to do that, and the rest of the evening it seemed to work fine. 

This morning I woke up and it was working, all was good. But then at 9:30 am it died and I haven't been able to get it to come back on at all. My battery never dies this quickly, and it won't charge if I put it on the charger. I've tried the 2 button and 3 button reset methods and nothing. My sleep tracking last night was also WAY off, when normally it's pretty spot on. There's maybe a hit of condensation on the inside of the censors on the back, but nothing too terrible. I have never worn it in water--not a pool or a shower. It just gets sweaty after outdoor workouts and I always wipe it off and make sure I put it back on dry skin. But all I can think of is that my sweat somehow got inside and damaged something? Any help or feedback is much appreciated!! I really hope it's not dead, esp from just a little bit of sweat.

[Osc707]

contact support and open a case!

I posted on a photo on twitter and tagged their 3 USA accounts. Their support reached out to me via twitter and has been super helpful so far. Seems like I will be getting a replacement unit. Preparing to send mine in

[jillybean1188]

I'll definitely try that! I was going to do the virtual chat earlier but it had a wait time and I had a meeting to get to. Maybe I'll reach out to them both ways! It's frustrating to see they know this is a common problem, but hopefully they'll be able to send me a new one. Thanks!!

[SunsetRunner]

Hello, 

I am experiencing the same problem now.  

The watch hasn't been submerged at all, but the sensor has condensation in it and the screen is blank.  I charged it all day and the app says it's fully charged but the watch itself won't show anything.  I have tried to reset it and some blueish/green bars appear then disappear.

Please can you help? 

[Osc707]

i would contact support! They have bee super helpful with my Versa

[Mvice]

I’d contact Fitbit. They replaced my watch.

[SunsetRunner]

I have, still waiting for a response.

[JoeyDelrocco]

This happened to me then 24-48 hours later mine completely bricked. Bpm Rose dramatically and I was slightly concerned but then I turned mine on and off and wiped the sensors and it seemed to fix itself but then the battery degraded to the point of bricking itself. 

Now looking at my versa it does have the condensation issue too. I'm decided on whether to get another versa free under warranty or to take the versa 2 for 50% off. Has anyone on here decided to upgrade a broken versa with the discounted offer for the versa 2 and had better results? 

[MarreFitbit]

Hello there @jillybean1188 and @SunsetRunner, welcome to the Community Forums. Thanks for reporting the issue you're having about the condensation inside your Versa smartwatches' screen. I appreciate you've taken the time to troubleshooting them prior to contacting us. I created a case for you and someone will respond as soon as possible. Due to recent events affecting our operations, we may need more than 7 business days to respond.

Hi there @Osc707 and @Mvice, I'm glad to hear that our Support Team have replaced your watches. I'd like to give thanks for the feedback you've provided towards our product. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on that feedback. 

Hi @JoeyDelrocco, thanks for stopping by in the Community Forums. I'm sorry to hear that your Versa has condensation inside the screen. As you've mentioned, you've already spoken to our Customer Support Team  who gave a discount or free Versa option as per our Warranty Policy. This is the best option to help you get back on track with the Fitbit family I'm sure our team will be more than glad to help you further with this. 

While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently.   

Let me know if you have any questions present. 

[MelyMel]

I've had my Fitbit Versa for a little over a year and I've worn it while swimming and working out. I've never had an issue. Today I realized there is condensation inside my watch! I tried contacting fitbit and they said because my year was up I could only get 25% off another watch. He proceeded to tell me to put my watch in rice because he couldn't do anything for me except the discount. This is really upsetting. If anyone has any tips please share! I recently lost my job and can't afford to purchase another watch.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi, 

Unfortunately they couldn't help me either.  I wasn't even offered a discount or money back because I'd already purchased a new versa as I didn't want to wait forever for a resolution.  Instead they told me to go the shop (third party retailer) I purchased it from (UK), less than a year ago. (August 2019)   I'm still yet to hear back from them! 

Their emails were blatantly copy and paste and didn't even answer my original query.  Only when a second Fitbit person emailed me he actually seemed like he was talking to me and not copying extracts for every sentence. 

[Jennyashe]

This happened to me today! I was really disappointed as it is supposed to be water resistant. I was floating in a pool, never submerged it for more than a second or two. There is clearly condensation in the charging sensors... not sure what to do. Could someone contact me?