Announcing Sense Update OS 5.3 (44.128.6.12)

[FitbitCommunity]

This update should now be available to all customers! If you have any difficulty updating, make sure you are following the directions in this article, and then provide as many specific details as possible in your post so that we can assist.

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Update 11/7

We are continuing to roll out this firmware for the Fitbit Sense, and expect more users will see it as available. This is a progressive rollout, and all customers can expect to have it within a few weeks. We roll out releases in phases as a cautionary measure so that we can monitor performance closely and make adjustments if needed. If you don't see the option to update, don't worry - you'll have it soon!

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Update 10/27

We’re excited to announce that a firmware update for Sense will be available soon!  Some of you may already have this update available - if you installed it, let us know what you think!

If you don’t see the update yet, that’s expected. Check the Fitbit app in a few days, and you’ll see a message when you can install the update. We expect everyone to receive the update in the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience while we get this update to all of our customers. 

Did you know that we gradually release our updates? We do this to make sure everything is working just right for you. Sometimes we find an issue and it might take a little longer than expected for everyone to get the update. While you might see suggestions on how to “force” an update, we ask that you don’t try any of these workarounds. Most of the time the update won’t be available and you can lose data or encounter other difficulties. The best way to get the update is to be patient and wait for the update banner to appear in the Fitbit app.  

WHAT’S NEW AND FIXED

You can find release notes here.

HOW DO I UPDATE?

You can find step-by-step instructions for updating your Sense here. 

We recommend updating your Sense over a home Wi-Fi network as this can greatly reduce the time it can take to get set up. For more information on connecting your Sense to Wi-Fi, check out this article. 

If you run into difficulty updating please review these troubleshooting tips. 

We’re interested in hearing your feedback on this update! Let us know what you like! If you encounter unexpected behavior during or after your update, please post the details below.

[SunsetRunner]

Last update my the mindfulness log ‘my journey’ disappeared, this time text messages won’t come though anymore.. calls yes, but texts no. I’m starting to dread these updates. It seems something stops working every time. 

[SunsetRunner]

In my case the Sense started missing out parts of my sleep since the update (3 days where 1.5 hrs on average was missed since). Sigh.

[Qlqlp]

Will this fix:

Connection to phone - keeps randomly stopping working 

Calls on watch - keeps randomly stopping working

Messaging/WhatsApp notifications - keeps randomly stopping working

Extended EDA scan with guided breathing - "heart rate data not captured"

Short EDA scan - "phone not connected"

 Spo2 - keeps randomly stopping working

Countdown timer - no sound when has finished (I know technically not a bug now but sense has a speaker so should obviously have been included at launch by anyone who cared at all about their product or customers).

Because these issues have been going on for years if you Google them/search the forums and I've just got a Sense and they're still not fixed! The whole device is full of bugs and does not work reliably as advertised. Everybody should send these back en masse to Fitbit until they sort out their business model and provide devices that work at launch! 

[Qlqlp]

By the way I'm in UK and still no sign of this promised update... 

[Kenz1988]

This update is causing my battery to drain! It went from 39% to 11% within just a couple hours 😞 

[Irish57]

Agree on all counts!

[Irish57]

My update went smoothly as well. I cannot locate the outdoor activity? Help please.

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Found it, thought it would be on my app not just Sense! 

[IgorR11]

This update has not yet arrived for me

[SunsetRunner]

totally agree @Qlqlp. I have just updated to the last firmware my sense and the Breathibg Rate data after one year is still not in the health metrics. They prefer to launch brand new devices rather than fixing the bugs in the old ones. If there is a quick way to sync Fitbit and Apple Watch I would buy a brand new Apple Watch straight away and bye bye Fitbit. They would deserve some sort of action really . 

[Memmalou]

I absolutely agree. I'm sick of buying fitbit, I've had nothing bur problems with all that I've owned. Most have been replaced, but they just seem to get worse with every new watch, rather than better.

I won't be buying anymore, I will be looking around for something better, especially for the price you pay.

[SunsetRunner]

Update went great. Battery life is good. I installed at 74% and 30 minutes after install I am at 73%. Haven't tested outdoor activity yet, but will do so shortly. BR still functioning normal, HR normal. Will test the altimeter after climbing 4k feet tomorrow on my mountain bike. 

[Anouschy]

Since the update my Sense does not see my phone anymore. I thought at first it was because of my change of WiFi but now I am starting to think it is related to the update. What can I do?

[Rge]

I did the update yesterday. It went well, no issues with the update but even after sleeping for 7 hours with an 82 sleep score and a period over 4 hours with one period of 1 hour 17 minutes I got no data recorder- no BR, no HRV, no SP02, although I did get a sleeping heart rate and Oxygen variability and a skin temperature.Not very happy with that-


Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS

[Irish57]

Don’t know if I should attribute missing heart rate data to my update yesterday or not? In checking data from workout the heart rate data is incomplete. If it’s not one thing it’s another! By the way it DID Not fix the heart rate inaccuracies at all! Compared devices during exercise the heart rate and calorie burn on Fitbit considerably lower. Quite angry!

 

[zpetkova]

I just went for a couple of runs. I started an exercise --> run from my FitBit Sense. During the run the FitBit was showing calories and heart rate. However, once I completed the run, the FitBit app on my iPhone is not showing either calories or heart rate stats. How can I fix this?

[Heathcat]

The ecg on my sense has vanished after update on watch completed this morning. Where did it go? How to get it back?

[Willem48]

I am not able to connect my phone after the update, not seen in discover bluetooth devices!!

Have restarted the Sense, also my Phone ( Android 10 ). Also not able to connect Google Assist.

Worked all well before the update of today. 🙄😫

FW 44.128.6.12 

[Fielddog]

I just completed the update and it DID break something that had been working fine. I can no longer use the “remember to move” function because it will not allow me to enter the time range. If I set the start to 7am, it immediately rolls to 6am - AND changes the end time by an hour. Every time I try to adjust the start or end time, both numbers change and not to what I want them to be. 
Customer Support had me delete and reinstall the app from my iPhone. Didn’t help. Very frustrating 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the Sense firmware update, and the steps tried prior to posting. I understand your concerns and I'm sorry for any difficulty that you've experienced. Every feedback shared in the forums is always provided to our team so they can improve our devices, features and overall environment. Please know your comments won't be the exception.

@Kenz1988 As you may know, there are different features and apps that impact the battery life. Because your post didn't mention, may I know if you've followed the tips described in this help article? If you have done so, please try getting in touch with our Support team so they can investigate your watch's behavior and provide you with assistance. They're available via chat and phone, just click here to get connected with them.

@Anouschy and @Willem48 Thanks for the details and your efforts while troubleshooting your watches. Given this situation, let's try reconnecting your watches with the following steps:

1. Remove your Sense from the Bluetooth settings.
2. Turn off other Bluetooth connections nearby.
3. Force quit the Fitbit app and reboot your phone.
4. Open the Fitbit app, tap your profile picture > Set Up a Device.
5. Select your Sense, tap Replace Device and follow the on-screen instructions.
6. Once the process is completed, you can try setting up your features such as Google Assistant one more time.

@Irish57 Thanks for the screenshot provided and I'm sorry for this inconvenience. Let me share that our team is aware of the issue with the heart rate not being accurate and they're working to identify a resolution. Currently I don't have a time frame, but please know your feedback will be passed along.

In regards to your workout not showing your complete heart rate graph, has this happened with other exercises? Because your post didn't mention, please confirm if you've tried force quitting the Fitbit app, rebooting your phone, and syncing one more time to check your details. This will help me to investigate on my end.

@Heathcat Even though the ECG app doesn't appear on your Sense, do you see it installed in the Fitbit app? If that's correct, let's try uninstalling the app, restarting your watch to refresh its performing and reinstalling it one more time from the Fitbit App Gallery as described here. Let me know how it goes.

@Fielddog Thanks for contacting our Support team prior to posting. I understand your point of view and because our team has access to your details, my best advice is to get in touch with them one more time and let them know the issue persists. I'm sure they'll be able to investigate this situation and provide you with further assistance. Click here to get connected with them via chat or phone.

Hope this helps.

[Willem48]

I did the steps you mentioned, but cannot connect to sense controls an no google assist.

It stucks while downloading device data.