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.

[acbdparker]

ME TOO! I just posted about this same issue yesterday.  I run regularly and peak around 167.  It said I was in peak for over an hour yesterday at 197... That's impossible and doesn't match what my blaze has been saying for the past year.  I'm really frustrated.  Have you been given any suggestions to fix this?

[acbdparker]

I agree.  Getting in contact with customer service is tedious and time consuming.  My HR is way off and I'd rather return the Versa and continue using my Blaze if this cannot be fixed ASAP

[mw619]

I already posted once in this thread, but now I have another question. Is this something that CAN be fixed by some sort of update or is this something that is just broken with the watch? That'll help me decide if I need to go ahead and return this or hold on to it and hope they can ACTUALLY fix it.

Anyone have any ideas?

[PizzaMyMind]

i contacted customer support they had me turn off the heart rate then sync and then reset the versa by holding down the left button and the bottom right button then sync and restart the heart rate. Im going to see how this is fixes the issue 

[Gadams99]

I hav tried all the tricks that they suggested and nothing has worked 

[sambiller]

Same issues with my Versa of elevated heart rate during exercise... My Blaze worked very well so I'm surprised that the Versa is so bad. I'm returning the Versa to Target today. I'm going to try the Ionic instead but I'm seeing similar HR problems on the Ionic based on the community forums. Hoping that it works for me because I prefer to stay with Fitbit instead of moving to another company. 

[acbdparker]

They told me to do the same. It's frustrating when I will have to wait a week to test and see if it improved.  Based off of other users it sounds as though this isn't a fix for the issue.  We shall see.

[Jimtowner]

My Versa heart rate peaked yesterday at 184 on a bike ride which at my age an condition would put me in the morgue. My breathing was not strained and I'd estimate my actual heart rate in the range of 90 to 100 had I stopped to measure it. The problem is, my Charge 2 was equally horrible but in the other direction, consistently way to low, such as in the 50s while riding. I hoped the Versa would be reasonably accurate but so far, no. I'm on the fence about whether to return it. 

[bobmccon]

mine is way too high when inactive. It actually seems reasonably close
most of the time when "moving" - or at least pretty much where my Polar h10
chest belt would have me. +-10 bmp is a lot different when sitting than
when actually exercising. I'll compare them both simultaneously at the gym
soon.
Bob McC....

"At times like this, an adult needs a drink."
Dance, Dance, Dance. H. Murakami

[tiim]

Original poster here with more data from my Versa. I just completed 30 minutes on the elliptical. The Versa listed my peak heart rate at 174. In my last 5  elliptical sessions with the Charge HR, my heart rate never peaked beyond 156.

[acbdparker]

Are you going to return it?  That is so disappointing.

[Gadams99]

I’m going to email them back and let them know there is no progress. I’ll let you all know what response is. I will do that in about 2 hours

Sent from my iPhone

[SunsetRunner]

Well I did a 5 mile ruck (hike with weighted backpack) this morning. I wore my fitbit versa and Polar H10 chest strap. Fitbit gave me max bpm readings of 160, Polar 135. The averages were closer. Fitbit 115 and Polar 109. The calories were way different 1716 fitbit, 1136 Polar. The Fitbit actually did a lot better today, same hike. The last hike, on the fitbit, i was getting high bpm's in the 170's. The 170's were in the first half of the hike. If I were to make a wild guess, today i was over dressed and started sweating right away. Logic says to return the Versa today, emotion says i kind of like having that nagging piece of technology on my wrist even though the workout data is pure junk. I wish i knew if this was a hardware or software problem and if software if they plan to fix it.

[Dazrox]

I bought the Versa for my wife a few days ago. Heart rate is way too high, almost double actual in most cases. We used her Charge 2 and my Polar M430 to compare. Both showed similar rates but the Versa was way off.

Has anyone been advised if Fitbit is working on a fix? Such a shame this Fitbit really has potential to be the best ever.

[Tammy_S]

I sent an email to Fitbit yesterday morning & had a prompt reply.  Last night I sent a picture of the Versa's placement on my wrist.  I also gave them the 194 peak that was incorrect as an example while I was running.  Sleep tracking has been an issue but last night appears to be ok.  I will pass on anything I learn.  I'm headed out for a run this am & will provide them with an update.

[LWW73]

Here's my interaction with Tech Support:

Thank you fr letting us know that had the Fitbit Surge. We'll be pleased to
assist you regarding your new Versa which is being inaccurate in terms of
heart rate and sleep tracking and steps count. Rest assured that we'll
assist you in this matter, the best way possible. ...


- Are you wearing the Ionic particularly tight or loose? No. I've tried
loosening it and tightening it, but that has no affect.
- What was the tracker's position on your wrist? Was it where people
typically put a watch or was it higher up on your wrist? I've tried it
at one and two finger widths up from the wrist bone, on the wrist bone, and
farther up. No affect.
- What were you doing when you noticed this situation? If you were
exercising, specifically which types of exercise? Sitting comfortably,
as I am now typing this. The Versa says my heart rate is 108 BPM, in the
"fat burning zone". My actual heart rate is 72.
- If your tracker counted less than 100 steps or more than 100, please
let us know and we'll see if we can investigate further. It counted 114.
- Do you mean you're getting normal sleep charts instead of sleep stages?
There's nothing wrong with the graphic, just the data. The first night
there was a period that showed gray on the graph. The 2nd night it says I
slept 1 hour and 10 minutes. It should be closer to 7 hours.
- Are you getting any error message. If so, please send us a screenshot
of this message. No. No error message.
- Please receive (accept would be a better word) our sincere apologies
for the previous email in which we mentioned the Fitbit Ionic instead of
the Versa. No problem.

[Jimtowner]

When I accessed this thread just now in my browser this message was at the top: "We are working to resolve an issue affecting device functionality, including syncing, setup/firmware updates, and downloading apps/clock faces from the App Gallery. Thank you for your patience while we work to get this resolved quickly!" Hopefully, that includes this issue which I have more data on if Fitbit support is watching this.

I did a session on my exercise bike this morning using the Versa and my Scosche Rhythm Plus connected to the Fitiv app on my iPhone. The Scosche has proved very accurate when compared to a manual pulse and a Wahoo chest monitor. In comparison, the Versa has some serious errors.

1. During warmup the Versa hr rose much to fast compared to actual, reaching ~110 bpm in a minute or two while the actual/Scoche hr was a max of 99 much later in the session.ose

2. There's a totally wrong hr peak early in the session of 134 bpm when the actual was ~90 bpm.

3. During a four-minute cooldown, the Versa hr did not come down.

The average hr for both exercises was the same at 101. But that's not of much use because it's an accurate hr during the exercise that I want to know.

Scosche Rhythm Plus

Fitbit Versa

Fitbit Versa

[mw619]

I saw that notice, too, and all that tells me is that they won't be
addressing the heart rate issues for awhile since these other issues are
their first concern.

[RunningH2O]

I am returning the Versa.

Don with peace from my iPhone

[tiim]

Even this Versa review on Wired complains about the issues with the heart rate monitor:

The heart rate monitor did show some crazy spikes on my outdoor runs—there’s just no way that I can possibly go from a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute to 195 in just a few minutes, without collapsing on the floor—but it seemed fairly accurate on the treadmill and while swimming.

I like the watch for the most part, but I'm going to return it sooner or later it the company doesn't address this. I still have a working Charge HR that that seems more accurate.