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.

[Konaneil]

Good luck!

After what the rest of us have seen for at least a year and a half I can't be very optimistic. Please let us know what they say.

[bmoliver]

I want to first do a bike ride comparing both and then will contact Fitbit.  I'll let you know.

[Estpest14]

I have had my fitbit since Christmas and last week it started reading extremely high heart rate all of the time. I have called fitbit for help restarted done an update and factory reset, still reading a heart rate of 140 while I am sat doing nothing. Fitbit have refused to do anything even when i persisted, just said it is a known issue and they are working on it. 

[bmoliver]

Going to do a few more comparisons between Versa and Wahoo, but it doesn't sound hopeful for warranty return.
--
Brian

[Savikam53]

They are releasing Versa 2. I sent an email to inquire if this is fixed. I
do want to rely on Versa. Just yesterday Versa HR rate coincided with an
AFib episode that landed me in ER. So it has been great to some degree. But
I was in a resting state and HR was off the chart which is where it
performs best. I bought a pulse ox meter and BP monitor and in a resting
state Versa is quite accurate. Even on the hospital monitor last night
Versa was accurate while resting. I hope Versa 2 has corrected the issue. I
also hope a firmware update will fix this eventually.

[bmoliver]

Agree, Versa is OK while resting, just not for exercise.
--
Brian

[Konaneil]

I also have AFib. I get attacks every five or six weeks. My Versa never gives me proper warnings. When my heart rate is actually 150 or 160 the Versa will measure 75 or 80. There's another tiny device, not a watch that specifically measures heart rate in afib and gives you an EKG reading that you can share with your doctor. I would mention its name but Fitbit doesn't allow it on their forum. I know because I've tried to mention it before and they forced me to remove it.

[Konaneil]

When I'm not in a-fib and my heart beats are evenly dispersed the Versa gives me an accurate resting rate however I don't think that's very useful.

I really wonder if the following will be censored out; My experience with the Versa and the company's unwillingness to fix a known issue have

causedm to lose trust in the Fitbit company.

[Savikam53]

Thanks for the info on the device. I will do a Google search. When I was in AFib, the HR reading was high and coincided with my ill feelings of palpitations and an immediate headache. While in the ER, the Versa graph was consistent with the timing of my episode, which I shared with the ER doc. I knew something was wrong, and it was just prompted me to get help.

Sent from my iPhone

[bmoliver]

I did a bike ride comparison of the Versa and my Wahoo chest monitor a few days ago.  The ride included a 4 km Strava segment that I wanted to get a PR for that started about 8 km into the ride.  The Wahoo showed readings that made complete sense, i.e., lower for the initial 8 km (~90 to ~130) and then steady and higher (~157 to ~160) for the 4 km Strava segment.  The Versa, on the other hand, was almost completely backwards, showing a 3 peak sinusoidal pattern for the initial 8 km (~90 to ~180) and then only about 100 for the 4 km segment where I was doing the most work!

From my week or so with the chest monitor, I can confirm that the Versa is completely unreliable for pulse (at least for my wrist) except for resting periods.  For any kind of activity, even walking, I cannot rely on the Versa pulse data.

[Konaneil]

Valerie,

To be more specific about what we've been discussing while not boring others I sent you a private message.

[Kayakerdad]

I am having same issue, it reads very high and totally different from the blaze it replaced. It also seems to get stuck on a high reading, when I take it off and put it back in it reads a lower rate. As a long term fitbit user I am not impressed with the Versa. 

[bmoliver]

Well, your pessimism was indeed justified!  After comparing the Versa with the chest monitor I recently purchased for comparison, I've had several chats, phone calls, and emails with Fitbit service and the bottom line is that after I showed them some comparison pulse profiles (between the Versa and the chest monitor) they now admit that there is an issue with the Versa pulse readings (too high and/or erratic) and their engineers are working on it (firmware upgrade??).  However, they can give no time estimate for when or if there will be a fix, and they will not do a warranty refund past the 45 days allowed if purchased from the Fitbit site.  Their exact wording from my last email with them was:  "In this case, our higher team are aware of it, but may not be able to provide a fix in the immediate future".  So, there you have it, they admit there is a problem, but no warranty refund.  Very sad for Fitbit 😯.

[Konaneil]

This problem is well-documented on this forum going back to when the Versa began to ship. 

From my 40-year experience in the consumer electronics industry I feel close to certain that if this was a solvable problem it would be history by now.

[bmoliver]

"Yes, I tend to agree that it's a hardware not a software issue - probably caused by the reduced number of lights and sensors in the Versa as compared to earlier Fitbits.  I assume this issue is also present in the Versa Lite, and may well be present in the Versa 2 as well. 

[Eshanti]

I just finished talking to them and they won't do anything.   Suggested I keep up with any updates as that is where the fix will be.

Yeahhhhhhh, sure.   Not happy.   This was a lot of money and now it's practically useless.

[GerberaDaisy]

After hours and hours of conversations with fitbit several different times, they finally agreed to replace mine. I started getting readings double what my actual heart rate was when I first got it lightly wet while washing it. I thought it was coincidence. The sensor on the back looked different to me. Like they were changing colors or fogging up. Had nothing to compare it to so thought it was all in my head. Since it was broke anyway, I decided to get it wet again. Just lightly to wash it. It should have been ok as they claim it’s swim proof. Then the sensor light started acting up and a day later was completely out for good. When I got the replacement and compared the sensors it was clear to me this is a hardware issue. I will be keeping my replacement far from water and hope there isn’t a hardware AND software issue. I am attaching a picture in case others notice this too. The one with the strap where the two sensors look pink is the defective one.

 

[Tollyron]

Am having the same problem with extremely high BPM readings. Interesting that it happened after camping I left it on to shower whereas I normally remove it at home. Some of these units are obviously less water resistant than others. End result is that I am not sure if it is software or hardware problem. Now to find my receipt and start the onerous task of trying to get fix or replacement.....

[TINYSAILS]

THis fixed mine. GO to settings on the watch and turn off the heart rate. Restart the watch. Turn HR back on and sync the watch.  Mine was at 160 for days and now it is correct again.

[FierceAngel]

I'm having the same issue and this started yesterday, it's been 2-3 weeks of having the Versa and it was working fine until now. I'm sitting down and HR jumped to 129 and when I work out, it jumped up to 200+!! Can someone help me? It won't even register how much calories I burned off last night while i was lifting weights.