Heart rate accuracy with Versa

[Hwnwhaler]

I noticed three nights ago my Versa did not give me sleep details. It said it needed a better HR data read.  I noticed the HR was high, like 2X + what I would usually get.  This happened one more night and still had the high HR the next day.  The latest update for firmware came and I uploaded that, but same issue.  I have noticed when I do steady state cardio where I really know what to expect the HR drops down to be 15 to 20 beats higher than expected.  But then goes back up to weirdly high readings of 150 to 199.  I have checked my pulse manually and on my BP monitor and it is where I would expect it.  For example last time, I was 60 on the BP monitor while looking at my Versa reading 150.  Help please.

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity

[RicardoFitbit]

Hi @Hwnwhaler, It's nice to see you again participating here in the Community Forums, welcome back! Sorry for the delayed reply.

I appreciate all the details that were shared in your post. I'd like to share with you that,when your heart beats, your capillaries expand and contract based on blood volume changes. To determine your heart rate, the optical heart-rate sensor in your Fitbit device flashes its green LEDs hundreds of times per second and uses light-sensitive photodiodes to detect these volume changes in the capillaries above your wrist. Then your device calculates how many times your heart beats per minute (BPM). The optical heart-rate sensor detects a range of 30-220 BPM.*

We use green LEDS because they maximize the signal detected from the capillaries near the surface of the skin. The optical heart-rate sensor also uses infrared light to determine when the device is on your wrist to improve the accuracy of your heart-rate data. That said, if you feel that the the heart rate measurements of your device are not accurate, please try the steps that are specified on our help article: How do I improve the accuracy of my heart-rate reading on my Fitbit device? and let me know how it goes.

Keep in mind that we do not recommend our users the compare the data tracked with the Fitbit device and other tracking devices because they may use different algorithms to track data.

Don't hesitate to ask me any additional questions you may have, I'll be waiting for your reply.

[Hwnwhaler]

Thank you for the response!!    The Versa's battery ended up dying completely so it went on the charger to get back to 100%.  When it came back off it started tracking HR correctly again, also the sleep details.   Funny thing is two days later the display died - however customer support is taking care of that and a new one is on its way.  Thanks again.

John

[lorraineg]

I just finished cardiac rehab at a local hospital. It consists of working out while hooked to a heart monitor. My fitbit was never accurate. If you go back through messages, you'll see that Fitbit has been "working" on the heartrate issue with the Versa since 2018. Supposedly they have fixed the issue with the Versa 2 with the latest update. I've not seen any input on whether it actually fixed the issue or not. While I was at rehab the Versa was often as much as 20 beats different than the HR monitor. Don't rely on the Versa for an accurate HR, especially if you have issues that require you to monitor it accurately.