Unable to get heart rate notifications on Sense 2

[Drasiel]

I upgraded to a Sense 2 because it had heart rate notifications but I absolutely cannot get them to work. I haven't had the high-rate notification trigger a single time and I suspect it's because the app thinks I'm not actually inactive because my heart rate is always so high. I had thought Okay, maybe I just need to set up the exercise heart rate zones to get notifications but the zones Fitbit supplies for me are completely outside of what I'm allowed to let my heart rate get to according to my doctor. If I set a custom zone, I don't get any zone notifications at all. 

I just need a notification if I hit 115 bps so I don't hurt myself, why is this impossible?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[JohnnyRow]

One thought is that without screen shots, we don't really know that you have it set up correctly, and we can't see that your inactive heart rate does get that high.  I don't mean that you are misleading us, but setting these things up can often be confusing.

[Drasiel]

That's fair, but if you included what settings you specifically needed screenshots of to make a proper assessment that would have saved us at least one set of back-and-forth replies lol. I'm going to give you what I assume you need, let me know if I need to grab any other images. My aerobic threshold is much lower than a healthy person my age due to myalgic encephalomyelitis ((220-age)*0.6). Technically due to the relentless onslaught of age, my aerobic threshold should be lower now than what I was told when I first got diagnosed. 

At rest, I sit around the mid-90s for bps. On bad days it's not unusual to hit 110 bps just from sitting up at my desk. I set the high heart rate to 100 to see if it would trigger and it still didn't despite being seated at my desk for an hour and watching my heart rate clear 100bps a few times. I assume it's still able to send a notification with a custom high heart rate setting because that menu doesn't warn you about that. 

I have synced the settings with the watch, I have restarted the watch, and I have restarted the Fitbit app. No wrist buzzes from heart rate at all.

[JohnnyRow]

I'll try tomorrow to experiment with setting my custom rate lower and see if I get a notice tomorrow.  Just left mine at default and never got notice and never thought much about it.  Too late now to bother today.

Or hopefully others with more experience with it than I have will chime in before I get back to you.  But it does appear to me that you did set it up correctly.

[LZeeW]

@Drasiel  Thank you for adding your screenshots.  You'd be amazed the number of times a user asks about a specific feature, but is following the wrong path to set it up.  Your post became confusing because you mentioned zone minutes in your title.  We tend to think about exercise when users mention zone minutes.

The feature you are trying to trying to make work is the High & Low Heart Rate Alert -- your middle screenshot.  The settings are correct, based on what you wrote.  You mentioned that your heart rate cleared 100 bpm a few times.  Your heart rate must be over 100 bpm for 10 minutes with you at rest.  Fitbit "decides" you are at rest when it stops counting steps.  Was your heart rate over 100 bpm for ten minutes while you were at rest?  Please check on that and get back with an update.

We usually think of exercise when looking at the zone minutes (your first screenshot), your photo of your Fitbit, and custom heart rate zones.

[Drasiel]

I don't see what's confusing about it, I brought up the heart rate zones because the Fitbit seems to think I'm entering and leaving exercise zones, which should also be triggering a notification but does not. I also wanted to show the ridiculous values Fitbit has automatically set for me. What good are exercise zone notifications if you can't adjust the formula it's using to set them? I require a much, much lower peak heart rate due to myalgic encephalomyelitis but if I set custom zones there is no notification (although there's no notification anyways.... so moot point unless we can get it working).

You mentioned that your heart rate cleared 100 bpm a few times.  Your heart rate must be over 100 bpm for 10 minutes with you at rest.  Fitbit "decides" you are at rest when it stops counting steps.  Was your heart rate over 100 bpm for ten minutes while you were at rest?  Please check on that and get back with an update.

---

With all due respect, that is the stupidest parameter for a heart rate notification I've ever heard of. What good is finding out I need to lie down or take meditative action to reduce my heart rate 10 minutes after I've already exceeded my limitations. Regardless, yes, I was sitting in my chair at my computer for at least 10 minutes with my heart rate above 100. You can also see that the fit bit recorded me as being in exercise zones, but I never received a notification for that either.

[LZeeW]

@JohnnyRow   Thank you for the additional screenshot and information.  It's clear that this feature isn't working for you as it should be.  I'm going to flag your post to get a moderator's attention.  You can also contact Support for more help.

You mentioned not getting the heart rate zone notification.  That setting, the one in your photo, is a setting in the Exercise app and for that specific shortcut.  The Sense 2 only gives zone minute vibration while using the Exercise app.

I like to try to reproduce problems when users describe them.  I can't reproduce a high heart rate alert.  But I will try a low heart rate alert.

[Drasiel]

The Sense 2 has an automatic exercise detection option which is enabled. Should I not be getting notifications when the device automatically detects an exercise? Does it only trigger on a manual activation?

The more you tell me about this the more this watch looks like a 400-dollar paperweight hamstrung by Fitbit's arbitrary need to prevent user customization.

[LZeeW]

@Drasiel   The zone minute notifications in the Exercise app won't help you.  They are set to give vibrations when you change the heart rate zones in your far left screenshot.  It's hard to read your yellow number, but it looks like it's over 120.  Also, it takes about a minute or so for this vibration to occur.

I did a search on ME/CFS to help me understand your heart rate alarm needs.  The heart rate alarms and high and low heart rate alerts work the same for every Fitbit model that has them.  There is a third party app called HRPacing that might meet your needs, but Fitbit doesn't allow third party apps on the Sense 2 or Versa 4.  Do you own an older model Versa or Sense that supports this app?  It's very clear to me that the Sense 2 will not meet your needs and there is no workaround.  I hope you are in your return window.

[Randalllind]

I think you need the heart rate tile installed the live tile when you swipe right shows your bpm in real-time. If you install it eats your battery life.

[Drasiel]

I do have that installed. I'm not worried about the battery usage the heart rate monitor was the entire reason I bought the watch.

[Drasiel · Accepted solution]

After following up with support, there is no resolution to this as it currently stands. I want to be alerted when my heart rate hits a certain value but the way the app software is set up doesn't allow that. I hope one day they provide a lot more options for how we receive notifications but for now, I have to seek other solutions through the use of the API.

[Randalllind]

I am not knocking it just thought I would let you know you may have to recharge every day or two with the Heart Rate live tile. So if after installing you see a big drop in life that's the issue. 

[Drasiel]

No worries, just wanted to set your mind at ease. 🙂

It does at least explain why the battery life is so low compared to my previous watch though.