Brand new Sense has several issues

[MdeVBerlin]

Hi,

I got a new Sense on Saturday, and set it up on Sunday (1st Dec). I've had to recharge it 5 times already since then as it drains from 100% to 15% in a matter of 4-5 hours without intensive usage.

The music controls don't work. I have managed to get them connected and able to control music on my phone exactly 1 time. Every other time it says "no phone connected" even though everything in the app and on the phone shows that it is in fact connected. The 1 time I managed to set it up, it also disconnected after changing to the next song.

The side button reacts only in a very specific way which is VERY painful for my finger, I have to almost dislocate my thumb to get it to react, and touch screen doesn't react at all for wakeup. 

I've had an Inspire HR for 5 years and this has always worked flawlessly, but I wanted the music control as I'm a fitness trainer and it makes it easier to pause when necessary as I can't carry my phone on me onstage. However with how unreliable this is, the Sense actually doesn't bring me anything.

I am extremely disappointed, this is an almost 300 euro watch that does less than the 80 euro HR that lasted me 5 years and only drained itself after >8 days with the exact same amount of usage.

Moderator edit: formatting

[DavidFitbit]

Hi @MdeVBerlin. It's great to see that you've visited the Fitbit Community. I appreciate your loyalty shown to our brand.

Let me help you with the issues you are experiencing with your new Sense.

Your watch should have up to 6 days of battery life. However, battery life and charge cycles vary based on usage, settings, and other factors. Battery performance may vary. Always-on display and SpO2 features may require more frequent charging. For uninterrupted tracking, I recommend charging your watch every two to three days.

In addition, i recommend reading our help article Can I extend my Fitbit device's battery life?

Regarding the issue with music control, please note that certain requirements must be met in order to have a successful experience with this feature. If you are able to connect your watch to your mobile but it often disconnects, ensure to keep your phone nearby with the Fitbit app running in the background. Your phone should be within 30 feet (10 meters) of your watch.

If the button of your watch needs to be pressed to hard, restart your device if you haven't done so. 

I hope these tips will be helpful!

[MdeVBerlin]

Hey David,

I don't find that a great answer to be honest. I am not using always on and I'm not using any SPO2 clock faces, and I shouldn't have to extend the battery life on a 3 day old device. Between 6 days and 8 hours is way to steep of a difference for me. Even looking at other threads I'm seeing some issues with the device losing charge quickly but that is on devices that are months if not years old, this one is fresh out of the box and needs to be recharged within 12 to 16 hours every day without any rigorous activity. 

Regarding music control, even when my watch is physically on top of the phone it shows the behaviour outlined above. I live in such a small flat that I physically cannot be more than 3 meters from my phone at any time. It continues to show "no phone connected". I've already tried restarting the watch and the phone, in different orders also (first watch or first phone) but the problem is the same. Yesterday it worked for a little while, but it was again showing "no phone connected" and no song title / artist after 2 tracks. Also as I mentioned, once the track is paused, the controls stop working, so I have to restart it from the phone. This is with 3 different music apps on the phone - plus I am getting the notification from the watch (buzz) when I pause the music, it will show the title and artist as a notification, but it won't let me control the music. I am quite confident the issue is with the watch.

[DavidFitbit]

Hi @MdeVBerlin. Thank you for your feedback.

If the issue persists, i suggest then that you contact our tech support.

I hope you can find the support you need!

[CDLeyva]

Hi, I also just bought one and am having problems with it.  Mine keeps restarting so I don't even know if anything else isn't working.  I replaced the one before this after 3 days and the one I had before was at least 1+ yrs old. I am wondering if there was a defective batch. I haven't ever had 2 not work within a couple of days of purchase.

[MdeVBerlin]

Thanks for trying David, I've contacted tech support already but getting the same answers, so kind of going in circles. Fingers crossed I'll get a better solution, I would love to be able to actually use the full functionality of the watch 🙂 

[DavidFitbit]

Hi @MdeVBerlin and @CDLeyva. I'm sorry to hear you haven't use the full functionality of your watch.

Since you have already created a case with our support team for this inquiry, i recommend that you continue following their instructions. They have better resources to assist you.

If you feel we are going in circles it must be because they believe the suggestions may work. If they don't work, feel free to contact them back. 

In your case @CDLeyva, If your device keep randomly restarting, try restarting the device and attempt to setting it up as a new device. 

I hope these suggestions will be helpful!