Is the Versa 2 battery replaceable or interchangeable?

[Michelleohio]

I've been told that the battery on Versa and Versa 2 cannot be replaced.  Recently on YouTube.com, there were a series of demonstrations showing how to remove and to replace the battery.  The company that did the demo sells the battery for about $15 and also will install it for a fee.  I was wondering if anyone has replaced their battery and how effective it has been.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[B_Tucker_19]

I agree! Since I posted my original question, I was not satisfied with Fitbit and purchased a Garmin Approach (since I could use it for golf) 

I’ll never get another Fitbit again since they don’t stand by their product.

[wbusy]

I agree. My Versa 2 is now useless.. I really like and got so used to the watch that I purchased another.

HSN has them for $99.  I did opt for the 3 year warrantee this time.

However, there should be a better solution.

[Melaroo]

I bought my Versa 2 in December 2020 and after reading all these replies have to agree with you all. I now have to charge my watch every day as it drains so easily. I was wearing it to bed as well but I've now stopped just so I can charge it up. 

There must be some sort of defect for all of these watches to be draining to quickly. 

[wbusy]

The new Versa 2 that I purchased from the shopping channel seems to be superior to the old one I had. It communicates much faster and has some bells and whistles that I don't believe were on the older model. For instance, I can set the side button to automatically activate Alexa if I depress it for a few seconds. I have set mine to automatically go to my workout routine. You could set for Spotify or a number of other things.

 If the old Versa 2 could do this, I was not aware of it.

 It is also possible that the faster communications I am experiencing are simply due to a new battery.

Anyway, for $99 I'm liking it so far.

[Toots0070]

I am having a battery issue with my Fitbit Versa 2 now. Reading all of this is disheartening. Fitbit clearly cares nothing about its customers? Why? 

[wbusy]

All rechargeable batteries eventually must be replaced. Not all are replaceable by the customer. An example is the smart phone. It's a way of selling new merchandise. I did buy a new Versa 2 because it was the right watch for me.

[Guy_]

Hi all - generally batteries don't change the way it is being expressed here and are good normally for some 600 charges which works out at about 6 years if charged twice a week, and even then that only reduces to about 80% capacity.

Sudden changes are normally due to something else such as a configuration change [resulting from a settings change or firmware or app change, or even phone firmware change] or some fault which drains the battery faster, such as water getting inside, the most common

Given that the price point is as low as it is it is easier to buy a new one if outside warranty rather than considering dealing with questionable and expensive battery replacements.

Before going down the replacement route though, there are 2 options to explore.

1) Restart the phone and do a watch Shutdown from the watch Settings About menu - wait at least 10 seconds before proceeding.
2) A factory reset [also from the watch Settings About menu ]is worth trying just in case it resolves the problem. It may even kill the watch but if you decided to replace it, it doesn't matter. Wait several minutes before doing anything with the watch after it is started.

The Versa 2 is a great watch as it normally works well .

Note: If your watch is working well avoid making changes to the firmware or App updates unless you know what the changes will be. Any new problems will then more likely be due to a fault in the watch.

[SunsetRunner]

Not the point. 

No one is expecting the battery to last forever, we wish it were possible to replace it, it hardly seems too much to ask, considering that we do it with just about everything else.

We all know that it's "a way to sell something else", it's just that it is also an underhanded and dishonest way to treat customers and a good reason not to buy from this vendor anymore.

[Guy_]

Hi @SunsetRunner - yes it understandable to want to replace batteries but while many rechargeable batteries are not replaceable, a battery that will most likely last 6 to 10 years doesn't need be replaceable because the technology will be obsolete long before then and as mentioned it is generally [except in a few isolated cases] not the battery that is at fault anyway.

[SunsetRunner]

Yes, but, as it has been repeatedly stated in this thread (maybe a dozen times?), the issue is not of batteries stopping to function properly after 6 (much less 10) years, as no one would be complaining in that case. In my case it is not even 2  years, that's the whole point.

PS Do you work for Fibit, Guy_?

[wbusy]

I do not work for Fitbit. You are responding to the latest post, which was not from me. My battery also crapped out after 2 1/2 yrs.

[Spike-ado]

How do I turn off features?

[Samsquantch]

I just find it curious that time and time again I read of Fitbit users where the display dies just outside of the warranty. Very convenient I think. Has happened to too many users, including me, that I have no desire to order another. A smart watch I bought for $30 last more that a year at least. Very shady in my opinion.

[B_Tucker_19]

Totally Agree!  You'd think that they would try to support their product after so many complaints...seems like they should do a 'recall' of a lemon product.

[enositis26]

Absolutely spot on with all the comments you added mate. I was loving my watch but now I have to charge it once every 2 days. I know things will get worse. Companies that make the products disposable when they are £100+ is ridiculous. No environmental concern whatsover. Why shall I throw away a perfectly good watch just because the battery is dying. Battery is the one thing we know since kids that as time goes by , they deteriorate.

Crazy. Mate the only problem i see doing it with third party is that they wont be able to Seal it properly and you are risking damaging the device if you took it underwater. Which i was using when i was free diving. 

[SunsetRunner]

My battery usage has gotten better, I am now back to six days and I think it is because I take my watch off when I am just sitting at my desk working.

It is now two years since I purchased this watch and if it lasts me another year I am happy, even though the fact that I cannot replace the battery in 2023 is plainly outrageous.

But what worries me is that the new models of Fitbit Versa and Sense are purposefully designed to be so much inferior, they are taking off important features (wiFi connectivity, Google assistant, music etc.), they are basically crippling them in order to force people to purchase the much more expensive, flagship Google pixel watch. Now, this is something I might even consider doing, except that the battery barely gives one a day on a full charge! It is just a non-starter for me.

[Ripley39]

Thanks for  sharing your experiences with your Fitbit. My next one certainly will not be this product. 

Now after  owning one for 4 years the battery on my Versa 2 needs to be charged every 2nd day.

Even in the past I had to charge it every 4 days.

[CraigusXhrist]

Boo. 

I know you're just doing your job and trotting out the company line, but the company line is **ahem** and obviously so.

Boo. 

[XaraTheImpaled]

I dont think anyone cares if it damages the watch.

Its basically garbage anyway. So trying to fix it. we are not losing out on anything but our time and the ocst of a battery we buy

[jsvp]

Where’s the Fitbit respondent disappeared too?? Convenient