Heart rate readings too high in Fitbit Versa

[tiim]

I just went on my first run with the Versa and found the heart rate wildly off. I've had several other Fitbit devices that have registered a peak rate between 160-165 bpm for the same run, on the same wrist, with the same wrist placement. This run shows a lengthy section where my heart rate peaks at 209. I'm in my late 40's... No way that is accurate. Anything I can do to fix this?

Moderator Edit: Updated Subject For Clarity.

[Tvoyak]

My philosophy teacher in college claimed that chairs had energy so I guess your desk can be alive too.  I tried my end table, it had a higher heart rate than me.  

[ab404]

Hello! I had the same issue yesterday evening around 7pm. Sitting down just looking at tv and first my heart rate was around 70 and then i checked again and it was 200. I have the fitbit charge 2.

[azogtoth]

Today I had the same issue, heart rate way to high, when cycling on my bike, aiming for fat burn. I then disabled Bluetooth on my phone and the measurements were more realistic. I'll try to reproduce.

[lilsnowy]

@RobertoME, are there any updates on this? I have had mine since 4/16 and it appeared to be working fine and pretty accurate. Exactly 2 months (6/16) after using it, the heart rate spiked into peak zone when I was casually walking (my resting heart rate is normally under 60 and walking is in the 70-80s). Since Saturday it has been absolutely worthless for tracking my heart rate and sleep (only tracking basic mode and not showing deep, rem, and light sleep). Yesterday my heart rate chart shows I was in peak for 1 hr 57 min, cardio for 8 hrs 22 min, and fat burn for 7 hrs 33 minutes and I burned 6,191 calories. By the way, I have a desk job and I am sitting for approx 11 hours per day. The only thing my watch is really useful for right now is tracking my walk and run steps/distance (I 'think' it is accurate)... Heart rate is critical for trying to increase my performance while staying under a certain heart rate. 

Is my heart rate issue the same as reported so far? Most of the users with this issue have had it from the beginning, mine started 60 days after purchase, is this software or hardware?

Also, I have tried everything to fix this: restarted, factory reset, turn heart rate off and sync, etc. but yet as I sit at my desk, checking my own heart rate at 56 beats per minute, my versa is showing 155. No big deal, only 100 beats off....

[VeraEate]

Hey Guys 

I'm having the same problem.  Heart rate ridiculous for the movement being done and my sleep tracking doesn't alway sync/record  

Super annoyed at spending this much money to get a regular watch to just tell the time!

Is this something that can be fixed or just return it?  

Is

[colinbb]

Same problem here: I'm on beta blockers so my resting heart rate is quite often below 40 bpm, and if I walk briskly, (my main form of exercise), it rarely goes above 70 bpm. Sitting here now and measuring my pulse manually it's about 40 bpm. On the Versa it's going up and down between 40 and 70. If I start walking the Versa will show it shooting up to almost 100 bpm. There's no way I can get my pulse anywhere near 100 bpm just by walking.

I'm just going to turn the heart rate off until hopefully it's fixed, it seems pretty pointless as it is. It's a shame as everything else seems to be working fine.

[BAMBAA]

Hi,

Could someone from Fitbit please confirm if there is going to be a solution to this problem or not? I must return my Versa to shop in a week if there is no real answer if this is going to be solved or not. For now Versa is looking good but useless as a tracker.

[RunForrest82]

If you know this is pending since the release and reported first on 04-21-2018 09:22, i think i would be wishful thinking it's going to be resolved in a week. I'm very dissapointed so far with the Versa.

[BAMBAA]

What I'm currently looking for from Fitbit is them not to fix this in a week but to come out and tell us:

1) Are they going to fix this

2) If they can't fix this can I return my Versa as a warranty issue

[Che4]

Exactly the same problem with the Ionic which shares a heart rate sensor with the Versa. Been going on for months, with no fix in sight. Can help but feeling that the Versa should not have been released until the problems with the hr sensor were addressed. 

[lilsnowy]

I do not know if my heart rate issue is the same the issue other users have reported. on 6/16 mine started spiking 10-100+ beats per minute higher than my actual heart rate (non exercise mode was less accurate than exercise mode). My calorie burn went from 2,200 average to 6,500 average. I ended up turning it off until a few days ago when I did another chat with Fitbit. I also noticed my versa was also having blocks of time it wouldn't register my heart rate. I do suggest following the normal troubleshooting which would also include a factory reset but if all of that doesn't work it is worth contacting fitbit again/consider an exchange. I exchanged mine two days ago and the heart rate is now accurate. I have not had a chance to test the exercise modes yet as I was injured Wed evening and have to wait a couple of days to start exercising again. 

[BAMBAA]

So if I understood correctly Fitbit has agreed that there is an issue with the tracker, changed your item to a new one and this new one is working correctly? This would mean that NOT 100% of Versas are faulty AND 100% of faulty Versas should be changed to new ones by recall from Fitbit? If some Versas are working correctly I can't see that this could be a firmware issue -> can't be corrected with update.

[RunForrest82]

That is correct. I had 4 in total where 3 were totally off constantly, like 30bpm and 1 was correct.

[lilsnowy]

I don't think there is anything official saying there is an issue with the actual versa. 

Fitbit telling me my issue was software related never made sense to me. I had updated to the current firmware a few weeks prior and I was a solid 2 months from purchase with no issues. Could there be some fitbits having heart rate issues caused by software bugs? Possibly but that should show up soon after after a software upgrade OR be resolved by their troubleshooting tips. IF all tips have been tried and it is still not work properly, I would continue to reach out to Fitbit (I did a chat 3 times). 

I chose to use my best buy product replacement plan because I didn't want to wait 1-2 weeks. If I didn't have the BB plan, I would have taken Fitbit up on their offer to ship me a new one when they received the old one - pretty standard practice.

Takeaway - talking to them a couple times might not be enough. 

Part of the warranty: 

LIMITED PRODUCT WARRANTY

Fitbit warrants to the original purchaser that your Fitbit-branded device and Fitbit-branded device accessories (collectively, the "Product") shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase, except that if you reside in the European Economic Area (EEA) and you purchased your Fitbit product in the EEA, the warranty period is two (2) years from the date of purchase (the "Warranty Period").

[Jimtowner]

BAMBAA, Fitbit is unreponsive and/or unhelpful on this and a variety of
other problems. A while back they said they have a team looking into the
problem with no further information or updates. If I were you I would
return it while you can so that you don’t get stuck. In fact, I returned
mine ang got another Versa. I have not had the high heart rate problem with
#2. My guess is they have some bad hardware and it can’t be fixed but
that’s just my guess. I also don’t think that Fitbit is trustworthy enough
to do a recall if that’s what it takes, more reason to not rely on what
they might do in the future.
--

Moderator Edit: Formatting

[BAMBAA]

Thank you very much for your replies and information. I think I will return it tomorrow and try my luck with Samsung S3. Hopefully I don't end up in Samsung forums complaining the hr issues.. 🙂

[shouser]

I just bought the Versa and the HR doesn't work! I normally have a resting rate of 60 and it is showing me at 120. Should I just return it since it has been an issue for so long?

[BamIAm]

@shouser, I had the same HR issue with both the Versa and the Ionic.   I think it's actually a software bug, the sensor gets a reading that it can't parse so it doubles it.  It only happened when I was at rest, though, the HR in both worked OK during exercises.  It was very aggravating.

Sent them back and switched to Garmin, no regrets!

[RBTan32]

I got the full runaround on high resting heartrate from Fitbit support. The ending was basically telling me they know it's an issue so there is no point getting it replaced. I just have to wait when Fitbit decides to push a firmware update. I expected more from a reputable company like Fitbit. I wasted $200. What's bad is there is no recall and they continue to sell a product with a known issue

[Kolkos]

I am using my Versa for a few months now. I've noticed a few issues with the device:

- HR tracking:

  - I've noticed the sleep tracking function didn't work properly for a few times now

  - While resting (working behind my desk) the heart rate is (way!) to high, the HR keeps rising to ~140BPM

  - After the issue with the high HR, the HR is not detected at all. Resetting the device seem to work for a couple of hours. 

- Exercise:

  - When I use the 'Workout' function, the device resets itself after ~2 minutes...

Please help me with these issues.

Best regards, 

Anton