Thanks for the suggestions, I think.
This is a fairly long post and will likely take some time to respond to it appropriately. For this reason, I have provided a summary at the beginning rather the end.
TL;DR: (1) Re: battery life. This is not an isolated issue. WTF? More importantly, what is Fitbit doing about this? (2) Long term solution: is it time to jump ship and get an Apple Watch? I’ve been loyal to Fitbit for 6+ years. Please convince me to stay with Fitbit.
Full letter:
I agree that many of the “battery saving” tricks you suggested are precisely the features why we bought it in the first place.
It is promoted as a fitness watch that can do a number of important things and still last 4+ days. These features include:
Critically important for many users:
• monitor HR (most people who use this either assume or need this feature always on).
• monitor a full night of sleep (this is one of my favorite features)
• count steps (it’s original raison d’etre).
• count flights of steps
• provide the time when lifting arm to view watch-face.
As tech has evolved and improved, Fitbit has released new devices regularly. One of the distinctions of Fitbit has always been its outstanding battery life, especially compared to smart watches like the Apple Watch. As Fitbit has released new devices, it has advertised additional features along with long battery life. Some of these newer features (and useful original features) include:
• effective silent alarm (again, one of my favorites and something I rely on every day).
• reminders to move periodically if the wearer has been too sedentary. This, and similar reminders (to wash hands, etc) are directly relevant to Fitbit’s stated mission.
• ability to estimate O2 blood saturation and variability, especially overnight. (Another aspect that helps Fitbit rise to the top of sleep trackers.)
• swim tracking (in a pool)
• ability to guide wearers as to how much time spent in “the zone” (honestly, this is frustrating for me because my resting HR is a little fast and the customization instructions are confusing and inconsistent). I frequently “max out” my weekly 150 minutes without any intentional exercise. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to turn this feature off and keep O2 monitoring.
Fitbit advertised that the wearer could get all of these features and still have good battery life. For the sake of argument, let’s reduce expected life by a day: 3+ days.
in an effort to compete with rival companies with strong reputations, Fitbit has added more features to their devices so that they are becoming fitness wearables with smart-watch features. Of course, usage of these features take battery power.
For the following features, Fitbit has notified potential customers of significant additional battery drain:
• GPS
• Music streaming
• Always on display
But for other new features, Fitbit does not claim significant loss of battery life. if we are generous, a customer might presume a reduction of an additional day of battery life which would bring us to 2+ days.
So we started at an advertised battery life of 4-5 days. If we assume significant usage of battery life for “average use” of features not tagged as battery hogs, we are down to 2-3 days. Let’s set that to 60 hours (2.5 days) when watch is new.
After 2 years of use - about 350 cycles - let’s assume 80% of original capacity remains. It should take about 500 cycles but I’m trying to be forgiving to Fitbit, here. This brings us to 2 days.
I think it’s fair to believe the battery percent gauge on the device. If it says 75% charged, I will believe it’s 75% charged of its current capacity.
Lately, my battery hasn’t been lasting very long. I’m still under warranty (watch is 2 months old), so I called customer support and a replacement unit is on its way to me right now.
Anecdotally, I think battery drain when sleeping is less than during the day: I don’t look at the watch, the display is dim, I don’t have vibrating alerts, etc.
Even in its compromised state, I was astounded after taking most of the additional measure you recommended, that my 90% battery lasted 6 hours last night. No vibrating alarm this morning. No sleep measure beyond 6 hours.
My watch was deliberately purchased directly from Fitbit. Until a week or two ago, the watch had been operating as advertised.
Below I’ve listed some possible causes and follow-up questions about how to manage the specific problem if it’s the cause:
• the battery suddenly became damaged. How did this happen? What can I do to make sure the battery doesn’t become more damaged until my replacement arrives. What can I do to make sure the replacement battery stays healthy?
• the watch was defective prior to shipping. Why? Was it a random dud? Refurbished but sold as new? A known problem in the manufacturing? What assurances (aside from my warranty) do I have that this problem will not repeat?
• the “percentage charged” number is not accurate, so 90% could actually = 10%. What can I reasonably expect from a replacement watch? Why would replacement watch not have this same problem?
• what am I missing?
Apple makes a smart watch that is also a fitness tracker. Apple advertises 18 hours of battery life from a full charge assuming average use (plenty of notifications, etc.). With a new watch fully charged, anecdotal reports suggest heavy/power users get about 16 hours of battery life; average users get about 20-40 hours of life and, with conservative use a user can milk about 2 days of battery life from a full charge.
One can get a brand new Apple Watch, series 3, for about the same as a Versa 2. A 40mm Series 6, at MSRP is a little more than the MSRP of the Fitbit Sense.
While Apple products tend to be more expensive, warranties tend to be more generous and, when the device is treated as advised, Apple devices appear to last longer than their counterparts. For this reason, most of my tech is within the Apple ecosystem. Until 1 month ago, my daily computer was a 13.3 inch 2010 MacBook Pro. It needed a repair once while under warranty. My iPhone is 3.5 years old. Aside from battery replacement, I’ve used the warranty once for a problem I didn’t even know I had (Apple caught the problem and replaced the phone within the hour). My iPad recently turned 6 or 7 years old. I am starting to shop for a replacement that will last another 6-7 years.
If this problem persists after additional replacement units, I may request a full refund and simply purchase an Apple Watch.
At your earliest convenience please provide the following:
(1) Reasonable (not copy and paste) answers to my above questions.
(2) A reasonable argument for why I should stay with Fitbit instead of switching to Apple.
My physical and mental health are important to me as they are to most Fitbit users. Wearables have provided incredible tools to aid is in becoming and staying healthier than without them. I have considered Fitbit devices to be focused on fitness first, then additional “smart features.” My wearables have only been Fitbit devices. I am currently wearing my fourth model in 6 years.
Please advise.
If you cannot, please pass this open letter to someone who can offer constructive advice.
If necessary, I can be reached directly through the contact info associated with my username (obviously, I’m not an actual Muppet).
As this is an open letter written on a moderated forum open to others who use Fitbit products, I invite constructive advice from the community writ large, as well.
Thank you.
ps. If I have edited letter, it is for typos and clarity. Primary content is the same.
pps. Some small part of this letter may have been changed by the forum posting system. I will review and make necessary changes.
Community Moderator Alumni are previous members of the Moderation Team, which ensures conversations are friendly, factual, and on-topic. Moderators are here to answer questions, escalate bugs, and make sure your voice is heard by the larger Fitbit team. Learn more
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