Fitbit OS 3.0 - Versa Firmware Release (32.33.1.30)

[AlessFitbit]

Fitbit Update 1/10/19: 

Hi all!

Big thanks to everyone for your feedback on the release of Fitbit OS 3.0!

Since the majority of users have now updated to 3.0, I will be closing this thread from further comments to help keep our Community discussions on-topic.

If you are experiencing an issue outside of the firmware update process, I invite you to start a new thread on this forum and we will be happy to assist you there. 

Thanks again and happy stepping! 

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Fitbit Update 12/26:

Hey, everyone! We're aware that some of you may have noticed a fast battery drain on your Versa watches after completing this firmware update. Our team is investigating the root cause of this issue and whether it was caused by this update or other factors are involved. 

In the meantime, if you're experiencing this problem please try a restart on the device then consider switching to a Fitbit made clock face! Many 3rd party clockfaces (especially those with animations) are known to use up more battery. If you try this out and are still seeing a fast battery drain, we can connect you with Customer Support for next steps or you can reach out to them and create a case. 

We look forward to getting you all back on track! 

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Fitbit Update 12/22: 

We've released Fitbit OS 3.0 out to 100% of users. Please make sure you have the latest version of the Fitbit app (2.84) before downloading the newest firmware. 

We're excited for you all to have the newest Fitbit OS, but please let us know if you have any questions about this update. Happy Holidays, everyone! 

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Hi, everyone!

I am excited to announce the release of Fitbit OS 3.0! (Firmware Version: 32.33.1.30)

We've started to roll out this update and it's currently out to 20% of Versa users. This is a progressive rollout, and all Versa users can expect to have it soon. We roll out releases in phases as a cautionary measure so that we can monitor performance closely and make adjustments if needed.

WHAT'S CHANGED?

Please check out this help article to see what's new in this update.

HOW DO I UPDATE?

Step by step instructions for updating your Versa can be found here. We recommend updating your Versa over a home Wi-Fi network as this can greatly reduce the time it can take to get set up. For more information on connecting your Versa to Wi-Fi, check out this article.

If you run into trouble updating your Versa, please follow these steps:

1. Restart the watch. 
2. "Remove" the watch from your account inside of the Fitbit app.  
3. "Forget" the watch from your phone's Bluetooth settings (along with any other Fitbit devices paired to your phone)
4. Try the update again.  

*If anyone isn't seeing the TODAY app after updating, please try the following:

1. Make sure you're running the newest version of the Fitbit app (version 2.84) 

2. Connect to Wi-Fi in the Fitbit app, plug your Versa into the charger and let it sit. This will automatically update the Today app. 

Looking forward to hearing everyone's feedback on the latest release. If you have questions, please let me know in this thread!

[kcooper11]

Hi

Thanks for creating a case for me. I have also messaged the support team as none of the restart suggestions are working.

Karen

[bpsbrernie]

I'm curious if anyone has had this come up yet.  My battery problem seems similar but different.

When my Versa is removed from the dock, it shuts off and becomes non-responsive (as though the battery is completely dead.)

When I put on the dock, I'm greeted with a red battery that says 0%. It then boots up normally. After the screen times out, if I double tap, I see the battery as 100% charged.

I've uninstalled any add-on apps I had and reset the clock to a fitbit provided one (the default one I believe.)

It seems to operate normally when on the dock and sync's, etc.)

[RAM111502]

That’s great and all but when will the heart rate/sleep tracking issue be addressed and fixed? This has been a problem for a while now and still no resolution. Just got the Versa for Christmas and so far not impressed compared to my Blaze.

[EmTe]

From what I gather, all symptoms stem from the heart rate sensor. In particular, if the heart rate sensor is started and then stopped, then started a second time then stopped, it crashes.

Symptom 1: When you turn your wrist, the watch lights up, but it takes a moment before the time shows up.

Reason: If the watch has a heart rate display, when you wake the watch it reads the heart rate, which crashes the watch, so it immediately reboots. This causes the delay for when the screen is on and the app is restarted. When the heart rate is shown (which is considered the first try after the reboot, it works successfully). Then the next time the heart rate is read, it will crash. But if the watch is set to refresh only once a minute, the heart rate won't be read until the next time you turn your wrist.

Symptom 2: Battery life down the drain.

Reason: If the watch face is constantly being restarted like that, it's no wonder it will use up all our battery.

Symptom 3: Why don't all apps/faces with heart rate indicators crash like that?

Reason: It depends on how often the heart rate is read.  For apps that constantly listen to your heart rate, the app is not actively turning off the sensor after each read, so it won't crash it. For apps or watch faces that only read your heart rate when the screen is on (when you turn your wrist), the app will turn off the sensor when the screen is off or after each read operation. Then in the second read operation, which occurs 1 minute later or 1 second later (depending on the ticking of the watch), it starts up the heart rate sensor again to get a reading and then turns the sensor off again. Turning it off will crash the app.

[Henrik_GBG]

I have the same problem after update. For an example. Yesterday lying on the sofa Versa showed 85-90 bpm when my old Garmin shoveed 70-75 what is that Versa shoved before update. 

Henrik

[oma7144]

Any news on a firmware update to correct my sensor and battery drain issue? I desperately need a working Versa. Cheers.

[Philsphan]

Their response times on our complaints is non existent. 

[mingke]

@Henrik_GBG

This is a great Post. Explain everything happening now. Everybody should read this and do something to their watch face

[Wardlee]

Hello,

I lost the notifications as soon as I updated my firmware. None of the settings on the app, phone, or watch have changed, and the Test Call goes through to the Versa, but no actual notifications. I am now wanting to uninstall the update because my device was working perfectly before but I can't figure out how to downgrade... Please help.

[Tbayjay]

My versa screen flickered on/off during the update reboot process and now it won't turn on.  Tried holding all three buttons as well as the bottom left and right multiple times but cannot get my watch to power on.  Watch isn't syncing with app.  Please advise how I can get my watch working.

[Naza]

@AlessFitbit thank you for opening the case for me. I appreciate the assistance. However, despite communicating with the people at support the problem persist and seems to be getting worse. This Versa is starting to be useless to me as it is continuously being completely drained of battery power. All their fixes do not work, particularly since they are generic fixes about how to save power, something that doesn't apply here.

My versa never had this issue, it lasted for days but now dies every 6 hours, despite being charged to 100%. Please please please look into the cause of this and perhaps roll back the new software, it is messing with our devices badly. And that heart rate reading is just a mess.

P.S. I charged my versa to 100% at 17:55 South African time (GMT +2) on 28/12/2018 and the battery was totally drained at 22:55. I spent most of that time on the couch watching TV or scrolling on my phone. This is just ridiculous now. We need this fixed, fast. Please.

[Salcy]

Hi @AlessFitbit.  Nobody has contacted me yet.  I charged the Versa to 100% yesterday at 8am.  By 9am today the battery was at 82%.  After jogging for 34 minutes using assisted gps and bluetooth headphones I ended up with 72%.  Now at 7:37pm the battery is at 58%.  So with some luck I will ne able to squeeze two jogging sessions back to back before I have to recharge the Versa and in the process squeeze a little over 2 days of battery...  I am using the layers watch face and constant connection to my phone in order to get notifications.  I do understand that all these uses up power but FitBit should not just advertise 4 days of battery unless they specify that this is only if you just let the Versa sit somewhere and do nothing with it.  I need to to know ASAP if I should return it or if there is a patch to the latests update coming up?

[lenny4d]

@NazaI think it is well recognized that this firmware upgrade is causing a 'mysterious' and obviously unacceptable battery drain problem for certain people. And it's a pain. I don't think it is yet understood exactly why this happens and what you people have in common as the majority for sure doesn't have this. Are you running a completely clean configuration, that is NO 3rd party apps, NO 3rd party clockface, NO headphones, NO wallet. Can you do a factory reset and use a different mobile device? I am not sure if it is possible for fitbit to force roll-back an individual account/device. I agree that it should be made possible. It definitively cannot be done by the user.

@SalcyI notice your posts which aren't really about the battery drain issue, but are still about what seems a high battery use. It definitively seems that way (although as I said before using earbuds/bluetooth eats battery power). Still not as much report in your last post. You should try without using ear.phones, turn all day sync off, turn assisted gps off, make sure that when you do an exercise the screen turns off (not always on). Then try again, see if it helps (should be). Normal is about 3-3.5 days, so about 25-30%/day MAX (without the earbuds!), probably better than that. Just to see if you still end up at around 50%/day or are back to normal levels.
Bluetooth (connected GPS, earbuds, live data, notifications) eats A LOT OF ENERGY, relative to everything else. You just may be a heave BT user? If there is a difference as I hinted at then there will surely not be a patch. In fact, battery usage has improved with OS3 already compared to earlier OS.

@Tbayjaysomething is dead -- contact customer service, see if you can get a replacement

@EmTeYou seem to have missed that the heart-rate sensor (the physical device (led+optical sensor) + firmware is always on/active while wearing the tracker. It is never off.  Also, some people also have excessive battery drain with standard fitbit clockfaces = clockfaces that work. Not everyone has a battery drain issue!! (most people don't). That said it is known that (many/some?) clockfaces don't work properly because they have to be recompiled (and maybe recoded?) for OS3.0   This is not good. It should be transparant to the user, and work -- or not be available. Here Fitbit has do a bit of a cleanup. The same for apps. So that there may be rogue clockfaces and apps that cause havoc is not entirely impossible. But it doesn't seem to be the underlying problem of the battery drain, sofar.

[oma7144]

Any news on a firmware update to correct my sensor and battery drain issue? I desperately need a working Versa.

Cheers.

[Salcy]

@lenny4d So I should stop using the Versa for what it was meant to be used for?  I did not monitor the battery usage before the update but one thing is for sure, I did have to recharge it on the third day after 3 workouts with the same type of usage.  Now I only get two days.    So there you have it.  I would recommend FitBit to do a better job advertising the product in order not to deceive anyone.  If this is the case I should have kept using my Flex1..

[lenny4d]

@Salcy  well, with an Apple you get less than a day or so 😉 My point was that you might want to establish a baseline to understand if it is because of heavy BT usage that your battery drains seemingly fast or there are other causes. That's all. For example, your wrote that you charged it by 8am to 100% and at 9am the same day (?) it was at 82%. If you didn't do ANYTHING then that is not normal. It should be around 1% in 1 hr, not 18%. So "we" need to figure out why you lost 18% in the very first hour. That's all. Again, and I can't stress this enough -- Bluetooth uses power, and having the screen a lot on uses power. Normal every-day-people-exercise-use means 3days+

@oma7144"Any news on a firmware update to correct my sensor and battery drain issue? I desperately need a working Versa. " --- I see your question every day, but I can tell you there won't be any resolution to whatever you mean by sensor. The "battery-drains-in-hours" issue is high on the list. Again, ensure that you have a completely clean installation (do a factory reset), do not install 3rd party apps/clockfaces/wallet and if possible use a different mobile device. Then check again. If it still drains, make sure your name is known with customer support so you either get a new one or a fix.

[Salcy]

@lenny4d The reason I did not explore the iwatch option is because of the battery issue.  Yes I did my research.  When I first charged my battery to 100% (8am) that specific day I did not workout. So by 9am the following day it was at 82%.  The issue is when I use it for what it was meant for, wheb the battery suffers dramatically and battery life goes down to 2 days.  SAME type  usage before the update, gave me 3 days of battery life.  Also, define "normal" use.  That wat I may be able to teak my usage of the Versa... BTW  battwrybis at 52% usage since I charged it on 12/27am.  I am about to go for another jog.  I should loose about 10% there which is fine.  But I may not be able to squeeze another workout tomorrow... I just want to make sure that this is OK and there is nothing wrong with my Versa.  If the pattern is consistent, it will prompt me to charge it overnight.  I find the battery usage a bit inconsistent at times.  Thnx for the time spent in my case.

[Naza]

@lenny4d thank you for the reply and trying to help. To answer your questions,  I do not have any 3rd party apps, Im using the fitbit layers clocks face now, I do not use wallet nor have I used earphones since the update. I have done a reset, restart and a shutdown and none have worked. I unfortunately do not have the luxury of using a different cellphone, though I don't know how that would help or change anything. 

What I need to point out, though is that I bought my fitbit so I can use it, not for it to just sit there and look pretty. Part of using it is using the Bluetooth earphones to listen to music from the watch when I work out, to change clock faces as often as I like, to have my heart rate continously monitored, etc. So to suggest that I need to stop doing these in order for the device to last longer than 6 hours on a full charge is just ridiculous. Especially because I know that it can last longer even when using  the 'extras'. 

As I've said, the problem is getting worse. I now have to charge my device twice a day, as opposed to every 4 days as I used to. And I'm barely using it!! Again, the problem is not just the battery, it's also the heart rate sensor problem. This morning I was standing chatting to friends post 5km run. 15 mins after I completed my run/walk my heart rate was at 142bpm, this has never happened before. It would have usually gone down to about 80bpm by then when it was behaving properly.

I have tried everything to get it working properly again and it just isn't. I really am not enjoying my device at the moment. I need fitbit to please fix this.

[lenny4d]

@Nazathanks for reply back. I have OS3 and none of the problems and because I like my Versa a lot (even though the HR sensor system sucks, I know) I try to help others....  You should make sure that fitbit customer service has registered your name so you can get a new one asap or a fix (which probably will take longer).
"I unfortunately do not have the luxury of using a different cellphone, though I don't know how that would help or change anything" -- well it is all about Bluetooth connection. It is not a secret that fitbit is struggling with getting a robust bluetooth connection for their trackers across all mobile devices/operating systems. Maybe something gets locked up with particular mobile device hardware. Dunno, but when you have an otherwise totally clean fitbit there is not much left that can be wrong than BT.
"Part of using it is using the Bluetooth earphones to listen to music from the watch when I work out" --- absolutely!I do that all the time, allthough you have to be aware that listenening to music via bluetooth on the tracker does drain the battery. Fitbit has not provided a figure for how listening time there is, but is you listenen continuously, maybe it would be 10hrs or so? I doubt you get a day on the Versa.

"to change clock faces as often as I like" -- yep! This is one area where I think fitbit could have created a much better interface to the clock gallery: there should be the clock-app which holds as many clockfaces as you like so that -- just in the exercise app -- you can quickly switch clockfaces from one to another. Having to download clockfaces just to switch is silly and something definitively not 2019. The Versa has more than enough memory to hold a bunch of clockfaces.

"to have my heart rate continously monitored" -- Not sure what you mean by that? HR is recorded 'continuously' (there are different rates, one is like 1s, the other 5s. Fitbit.com filters the fine-grained HR and sends it back to the mobile app for the daily HR graphs. Please explain what you think is missing? Unfortunately (and there are plenty of threads in the forum on this), the HR measurement sucks. You also hint at that, and it is true. I am wearing a Charge2 at the same time, and for exercises I rely on my CH2 only. Whether it is the optical sensor part, or motion filtering, or the placement, whatever -- it's not good. I can't help -- hopefully one day there will be a Versa 2nd edition that is going to seriously fix a couple a things (and it's not called Garmin etc 🙂 )

"So to suggest that I need to stop doing these in order for the device to last longer than 6 hours on a full charge is just ridiculous." -- I didn't suggest that, it's more like DIY-troubleshooting. Something serious is going on for certain people wrt battery drain, even with clean tracker installations. That needs to be figured out and fixed. But as I said, it could be there is some kind of new imcompatability in the Bluetooth connection. And also I agree that the system should be such that via fitbit.com you should be able to manually roll back a version of firmware. It is almost amazing that they haven't  implemented that type of functionality. But so it is.

@Salcy"When I first charged my battery to 100% (8am) that specific day I did not workout. So by 9am the following day it was at 82%.  " --- Oh, ok, I thought it was just 1hr, but it was 25hrs. 18% in 25hrs is very normal, in fact it is better than normal, because that gives approx 5 days 🙂

"The issue is when I use it for what it was meant for, " -- well, now it becomes a bit word-picking.Nowhere it says exactly "how much is what it is meant for". Fitbit doesn't explicitly state that 1 battery-charge holds for (example)

X days of basic use, Y hours of bluetooth earbud use, Z hours of connected GPS use, Q number of exercises with the screen continuously on, M syncs etc etc.
Everyone will understand that the more active you use it, the shorter the battery lasts, and probably if you do exercise every day, listen to bluetooth everyday, sync a hundred times a day, and push hundreds of notifications, yes it will last 2 days if lucky. And indeed if you want all the functionality that the latest Apple watch can offer on top, you need a massive watch and it doesn't even last a day. So one has to be realistic about expectations. That's all I can say. If you say the battery lasts noticably shorter than before, I appreciate that. Difficult to pinpoint why exactly that would be. I don't read anything else that is obviously very wrong. Without connected GPS and without music via the tracker you really should be getting 3 days. Again, Bluetooth DRAINS THE BATTERY.

[Salcy]

@lenny4d It is clear that this will not get anywhere here.  It is not about Apple which you keep mentioning.  My last words:  I get 2 workouts of about 30 min each before I have to charge again and I definitely lost a day after the update.  Twist it whichever way you want but a fact is a fact... I AM DONE HERE ... Blah blah blah