Heart Rate Sensor

[TigerPointe]

The heart rate app doesn't seem to working for the Versa 3 and Sense trackers.  If you look at your community forums, you'll see what I mean.  Now, folks are starting to ask me, as a developer, when it will be fixed.

It seems that when folks are exercising, the heart rate display is off by a significant amount.  However, the statistics in the mobile app are fine.  This tells me that the sensors on the watch are working, but that the exercise app needs to be patched.  I only have a Versa 2, so I can't really follow up.  I've been told that this has been a problem since October of last year.

I keep getting emails about how the Versa 3 is now coming out in new exclusive colors!  That's terrific, but shouldn't Fitbit be more concerned with working devices?  Thanks.

[JonFitbit]

Do you mean the value returned from the heart rate API doesn't match what's shown in the mobile app?

[TigerPointe]

From what I've been told, it's the Fitbit-written Exercise application on a Versa 3.  The person picks the Exercise app and selects the "Elliptical" option.  During the session, the heart rate value displayed on-screen is 50-60 points low.  The odd part is that when the person later reviews the details on a mobile phone, the numbers are correct.  This tells me that it's probably the Fitbit Exercise app.

Even though it's not my app, I've tried to be helpful in asking a few questions.  Supposedly, the user is certain that the watch is being worn correctly.  In fact, the person upgraded from a Charge 2, and that device is still working perfectly.  And since the results after a sync are correct in the mobile app, I assume that the physical sensors on the Versa 3 are working fine, as well as the software that collects the readings.  To me, it sounds like a simple display issue in the built-in Exercise app on the Versa 3 platform.  I assume that the app uses the same API as everything else.

I know that things are probably really up-ended over there, and I hope that things work out for you guys because personally, I really enjoy my own Versa 2.  I've been through similar situations in my own career.  The issue for me is that folks are starting to reach out to third-party developers, like me, because they aren't getting any love from the end-user support.

And please tell whomever trains the call-center personnel to be delicate with the up-selling.  I've gotten more than a few emails from stressed-out users asking for help and who became upset because Fitbit tech support told them that they need to buy a new watch -- from zero to nuclear in less than a second.  If somebody makes a support call, you might consider suspending marketing emails tied to that address for 30 or 60 days.

[TigerPointe]

FYI:  I finally heard back from the Versa 3 user.  I had asked the person to install a different watch face that displays the heart rate.  I've been told that during exercising, the number there is wrong too.  I asked whether the wrong value on the watch face matches the wrong value in the Fitbit Exercise app, but have heard nothing back as of yet.

This seems to indicate that the issue may be with the 5.x API -- that the tracker device API is reportedly returning an incorrect value, while the mobile app is displaying the correct numbers, and these two values are different.  As I said, the person upgraded from a Charge 2 to a Versa 3 at Christmas.  The Charge 2 still works fine, so maybe the issue is related to the multiple device profiles in the mobile app?  I have not been able to replicate the issue on my Versa 2, which is running 4.x of the API.

[TigerPointe]

Heard back from the user, who graciously sent me two photos.  The Versa 3 on one wrist, and the Charge 2 on the other wrist.  The Versa 3 incorrectly says 118 bpm.  The Charge 2 correctly says 157 bpm.  The person was wearing both at the same time only to prove a point.  Normally, the person just wears one at a time, and regardless of which device is worn, the mobile application is always correct.

Also, the person said that all of the watch faces that were tested on the Versa 3 that included the heart rate showed an incorrect number on the Versa 3 that was consistent with the Fitbit Exercise app.  Since the mobile app is correct, I do not suspect a faulty sensor.  It's got to be a calculation glitch in the API.  If you check the end user support forums, it seems to be a common complaint.

[TigerPointe]

Hey, JonFitbit -- has this issue fallen into the "we're not going to fix it, but here's $25 off on the next model" solution bucket?

My user sent me another email which included the following threads.  The person says that it's the same problem that these people are all experiencing.

This post was from a few days ago ...

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa-3/Versa-3-not-tracking-my-heart-rate-accurately/m-p/4808130

Here is another one from today, in which the user claims that Fitbit wouldn't even help ...

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa-3/Versa-3-heart-rate-wildly-inaccurate-and-support-refuses-to-...

As a third-party developer who only wrote some free clocks in his spare time, I'm not telling you guys how to run a business ... but when users are ignored, told that is not a real issue by real Fitbit representatives, or replying with some pre-written text blurb that doesn't even match what the user is describing, it just doesn't seem like a good idea for the long term.  I like my Versa 2 ... but other folks who upgraded seem really upset.

[TigerPointe]

I got another email from my user who was again asking for a progress update, and I had to research it on my own since nobody at Fitbit will answer me.  There are a lot of articles online that discuss the heart rate inaccuracies of the Versa 3 and Sense that I am sharing for the benefit of other developers who find themselves with upset users.  Here is one of the most detailed ...

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/10/fitbit-versa-3-in-depth-review-fitness.html

The upshot seems to be that the older trackers (like my Versa 2 or the user's Charge 2) used an optical sensor that was a little bit off for everybody.  With the new Versa 3 and Sense, it appears that Fitbit settled on a sensor that is more accurate for most people, but if you happen to be in that "special" group who have naturally low blood pressure or are exceedingly fit, your numbers will be extremely wrong.  If you sell millions of these devices, that's a whole bunch of users who will suddenly think that your latest watches are broken.

If the above information is true, the numbers will be most off for those who are hard-core fitness people -- like personal trainers -- who could recommend the product to their own customers.  It's sad to miss out on those opportunities.  As for my user, I will tell her very politely that she needs to contact Fitbit support.

[Giampi71]

Hello @TigerPointe It seems you are trying to have a meaningful and constructive dialogue with Fitbit but instead you are being ignored.

The fact that Versa 3 / Sense heart rate sensor being essentially an expensive random number generator is now practically a statement as practically everybody is complaining about it.

However I'm a little bit puzzled about what your user told: number displayed in the smartwatch is wrong when instead the actual figure reported afterwards is correct. Well this is different than what I've experienced (see an example here) where the HR is completely off.

The problem is that Versa 3 / Sense have been released more than 6 months ago and the issue was never acknowledge by Fitbit. My conclusion is actually that Versa 3 / Sense is not fit for purpose unfortunately.

[TigerPointe]

Hi @Giampi71 -- thanks for the reply.  From what I've been reading, the device might return somewhat accurate results at the start of the workout -- or during a shorter / lighter workout.  Unfortunately, the harder that you exercise, the worse the numbers get.  I am going to assume that the user reported incorrectly, or ran only a short test to answer my email questions quickly.  I apologized to the user, because she really liked her Charge 2, and supposedly received the new Versa 3 as a gift.  It's not often that a user will spend that much time in helping a developer find a solution.  Fitbit would do well to remember that for most folks, a $200 watch is a sizable investment.  I told the user that I would email if I heard anything more -- but my suspicion is that I won't hear from her or @JonFitbit about it again.

[JonFitbit]

If there are specific product questions like this then the best route is customer service. I can only help with SDK related questions.