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.

[5ggggg]

same problem for  me. See charge 2 compared to Versa. I wear the Versa on my left and the Charge 2 on my right hand. Both tightened up. 

Versa running:

Charge 2 running:

Versa walking:

Charge2 walking:

 Versa running

Charge

Versa walkingCharge

[David4321]

I had the same problem. I was getting readings of 150 - 160 after 2 - 3 minutes jogging. Fitbit say you can wear it loose, and when you're not active, its ok. But, you need to tighten the strap when running. Don't know why, but, this should solve the problem. I've heard it's the same with the Apple watch. Cheers

[5ggggg]

I know and had both trackers tightened.

[tiim]

I started this heart rate thread nearly three months ago just after I bought my Fitbit Versa. I waited patiently for a fix and like the rest of you, I have been frustrated by the lack of feedback from the company. What a total letdown. I just gave up and returned it to REI before their three month return window expired. 

With that said, I went for a run this morning with my old Charge 2. I'm happy to say it worked perfectly. 

[Dazrox]

I believe the silence is because they do not know themselves what is wrong.
I will never trust Fitbit again. I moved on to a Polar M430 watch. Not a
pretty watch by any means but boy does it heart rate monitor work well.
Super accurate in all conditions. For me this is the most important
attribute of a sports watch. Everything else is optional. Fitbit do not get
this when they designed the Versa.

[David4321]

Thanks for the update. Same for me ... heart rate is the main priority. Cheers

Sent from my iPad

[matt5555]

Yeah I went to a garmin myself. I'm not a hardware guy, but I betting this things problem has to do with the one green light. The iwatch has 2, my charge had 2, and my garmin has 3. 

I'm betting the reason they use one light is  a compromise for battery life. I don't think people would buy a fitbit if it only got 2 days of battery life like the iwatch. So they compromise on heartrate for more smartwatch features. It's tough to believe that fitbit would be able to have all the feature of an iwatch and still have more battery. Apple's a bigger company and has more resources to throw at it. I don't think it makes sense for them to compete with the iwatch though. As far as I can tell their app store has no way to monetize apps. So you'll never get anything more than people playing around. 

Just my guess. It sucks because I really like my fitbit. I feel like their Ui is really top notch.  Also garmin has a closed api which is dumb. 

Oh well 😞 

[Tich]

Would be wary of switching to Garmin... I did exactly that earlier this year after tiring of Fitbit's hardware unreliability (was on my third Charge 2) and finally switched when Fitbit broke distance tracking (firmware issue, has since been fixed).

I got a Vivoactive 3 (uses the Elevate HR sensor). After a week it was returned for a full refund. Battery life was absolutely dreadful (barely more than a day), sleep tracking simply didn't work, and while the Fitbits have occasionally spiky HR (as per this post), the Garmin had constantly inaccurate HR. I did quite a thorough comparison using Fitbit, Garmin and Polar chest strap. My full review on Amazon is here and I'm certainly not alone in my experience. Personally wouldn't trust any tracker using Garmin's current Elevate optical sensor (although I accept there could be quality control issues and I just got unlucky with my particular device).

[giugiubee]

Im about to return the Versa. My heartrate readings are now inverted. My weightlifting of one hour with my Blaze used to result in 200-275 calories. With the Versa, its not 500-600?!?! With 50 minutes of elliptical, the heartrate is always stagmant at 112, with my Blaze it was 150-175, as my workouts were intense. So now when i sit, i appear to burn more calories than when i do intense cardio. So messed up. Fitbit has no technical support. People post so many issues, and no one from fitbit responds. Their watches do not know how to calculate heartrate consistently. I mean if having any sweat on your wrist distorts readings, then what is the point of their products? 

[giugiubee]

Did it fix the issue?

[giugiubee]

Unfortunately for new purchasers, theres not a week to waste before you can return the product to the store. 

[giugiubee]

Yes!!!  This! 

[woody_nh]

Using the bike exercise mode when the bpm displayed was 150 to 160 the real rate was 105 to 115. At actual rates below 90 the Versa appears accurate. However it is useless for exercising.

[giugiubee]

The problem is that Fitbit doesnt respond to any of this. They should clearly state this. I constantly have to move the watch around/tighten/loosen to get consistent readings. This is a majot problem. Its a watch. I shouldnt habe to spend my workouts fiddling with the product. Maybe they should just admit the products are for relatively sedentary people, not hightly active people. But i do appreciate your response.

[giugiubee]

Fitbit has always been bad at responding. Theyre basicslly like, er, how about you users figure everything out for yourselves...ugh

[giugiubee]

My problem is that the heart monitor actually doesnt work well if you are highly active. How can i be doing the same exercise at the same intensity, and get random drops from 170 to 98, when the watch itself hasn’t moves. Ive already given up on other issues. I just want the heart rate piece to be consistently accurate.

[AudreyM4]

I am also having problems with the heart rate monitor, One second it will be at 120 + then it won't. When I have the Fitbit off it says my heartbeat is still going? Also wondering if anything could fix this 😕

[Jimtowner]

AudreyM4, what fixed it for me is returning my first Versa and getting
another. I do not have the problem with #2. I suspect it is defective
hardware in some devices but Fitbit won’t confirm or deny anything.

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Moderator Edit: Formatting and word choice

[AudreyM4]

Ah, thankyou I will certainly try returning it and getting another one.

[SunsetRunner]

I've been following most of the threads and posts of this community since late April, 2018.

My conclusion is that we're flogging a dying horse. With the Wall Street Journal (1) reporting Fitbit losses in the $ Millions, it doesn't surprise me that the company is dodging any negative ownership of their product. They can't afford the financial stress to sabotage their newest entry (Versa). It's also interesting that the same WSJ article claims that William Zerella, the finance chief of Fitbit Inc. will be leaving the company in June.

My reaction?  None, really. The watch is new technology. It has its share of bugs and is an unreliable tool at best. But it's still a tool which has, if nothing else, the ability to remind us to take notice of our health and human frailty. It has helped me lose over 40 lbs since late April. I don't count on the accuracy of the Versa, but I can certainly attest to its effectiveness as being the ubiquitous nag that gets me off of my lazy keester and be accountable to myself.

Lesson learned? When the Versa finally dies (battery, mishap, etc.), I'll do my due diligence and research the replacement more carefully. But I will continue to own a wearable fitness tracker for the rest of my life.  Thank you, Fitbit, for helping me make it to my (almost) 70's. 

Matthew