Heart rate inaccurate on Fitbit Sense

[Cameronoates]

Hey 

is anyone else experiencing huge heart rate inaccuracy during exercise with the sense? 

During exercise with the sense it won’t ever get above 120bpm for me 

but if I use my charge 4 during the EXACT same exercise my heart rate is between 145-170bpm in the cardio zone 

It’s extremely disappointing and I don’t want to have to switch to my charge 4 everytime I exercise to ensure accurate heart rate 

defeats the purpose of having the sense 

seriously one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Irish57]

Any help us appreciated!

[IgorR11]

@t.parker That's what I'm afraid of. We spent so much to get a tracker but ended up buying something that is less accurate and more expensive than xiaomi smart watches. I am hopeful that they will release some update with the bug fixes for pure pulse 2.0, despite seeing complaints about this defect for almost 1 year.
Fitbit itself should pronounce or state whether or not it has correction

[SunsetRunner]

Those of us still interested on buying the new Fitbit watch that someday will be released to replace Sense should get a huuuuge discount on its price.

[Irish57]

Had not heard of that update or that watch! I’ll have to do some research!

[Irish57]

So that is what they use to track heart rate, I’d say wholeheartedly they
need to fine tune and update! Just didn’t know that’s what it was
called!🤦🏻‍:female_sign:

[SleepyxEquus]

I believe it does, yet because charge 4 is different technology set up. I am hoping, it might be able to work with it. If not, then it is going back to Fitbit and I will just use my Ionic till it dies. 

Funny thing is, they haven’t released the item ship date in the pre order and they just charged my credit card the balance. Which honestly they shouldn’t do, as they can try and screw you over that way. As most places don’t charge, unless the ship the product out. 

[SunsetRunner]

@Irish57 , I would say that if Fitbit has not yet fixed Sense heart rate, it is probably a hardware problem, so it can not be fixed on Sense. Or they just don't care, but as this problem exists since the beginning, one year ago, I think that's hard to believe.

Still concerning the resting heart rate:

• One thing I've learnt with Sense is never take its heart rate values too seriously. That can cause unnecessary stress.
• Anyway, I haven't read so far other complaints about resting HR. And as Sense heart rate is usually quite accurate when resting, I maybe would look at other possible causes.
• Like: changes in your daily routines, stress* or health, coinciding with that RHR change. Or wearing Sense on your sleep, or not.

Fitbit Help:

Look for "What's resting heart rate > WHAT FACTORS CAN AFFECT RESTING HEART RATE".*

This is as far as I can go. Good luck on solving that issue.

* Added later.

[Irish57]

Definitely some things that could contribute to RHR but truly less than
other times!! Thanks for you help, I’ll keep monitoring!

[VB278]

Agree 👍

[VB278]

I agree on both counts. I have had readings that correspond to my finger
tip device but the equality is short lived....like a clock...accurate twice
a day

[IgorR11]

I think Charge 5 doesn't have this problem, I just saw the video on "CNet" youtube and it seems to register the peaks and the AZM count well. I even feel a slight urge to test it, but I won't. I think that a manufacturer that doesn't look at customers who is having problems with their top of the line and doesn't help them or doesn't speak out doesn't deserve to sell new products.

video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXok9pG-5ww

[Irish57]

And I agree whole heartedly! Not sure what other watch to go with. With the
amount paid, guess I hold on till I recoup the cost!

[SunsetRunner]

@IgorR11 

This is a nice video, almost compelling to replace my Sense with the Charge 5. Thanks for sharing. 

Aside from the readiness score, the capability of a fitbit tracker to pair with an external heart rate monitor would be great. Yet, it might skew the values of data being used by the app to calculate fitbit's metrics. 

[VB278]

fully agree take the money and run.

[SunsetRunner]

I found it useful to compare the Charge 5 Cnet Review video you shared with us, @IgorR11 , with a similar video Cnet made 11 months ago about Sense. Always useful, but... I couldn't find any mention to the heart rate inaccuracies we have been mostly discussing and complaining about. Just mention some time lag, that at least some of us also noted... and which is also present on the Charge 5, according to that Cnet Review video.

Take your own conclusions:

https://youtu.be/ECmDhQn2Fbc

[SilviaFitbit]

Hi everyone, 

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with heart rate tracking on Sense. Your feedback and comments are appreciated, be sure that they are always reviewed and Fitbit strives to improve our products and services, and the input we receive from the Community is a big part of this process. 

For the ones that haven't followed the tips to improve the accuracy of a heart-rate reading, check them out here. Additional tips can be found in the following article What factors can affect my heart-rate reading on my Fitbit device? 

If the previous tips have been performed and still experiencing difficulties, let me share that we’re aware of it and are working to identify a resolution as quickly as possible. We're sorry for any trouble. We appreciate your patience and look forward to getting you back on track.

Hope this helps. 

[DeftClutz]

It's been almost a year since this thread was opened. What concrete steps has fitbit taken in that time?

[Therealone22]

Nope. It is not a wearability issue, it is obviously the device. I tested it today during my workout today and wore my Sense for half, then my Versa for half in the exact same position on my wrist. The Versa worked great, my Sense never went past 80BPM….during a HIIT workout. However, as soon as a sat down after my workout I got one of the heart rate milestone notifications. My BPM shot up to 120 after I sat down to rest. 
Folks, judging by the size of this thread, the heart rate monitor in Sense does not work as advertised. Definitely not the best yet. 

[Giampi71]

I can't believe that after 9 pages of discussion and tens of similar ones Fitbit is still playing the "how to wear" game with us rather than admitting the HR sensor has been designed very poorly and start to refund all users.

Because this would be the only solution Fitbit should be hard at work.

[Irish57]

I agree completely, or at least apply the cost to a new item although once
again the reliability is always a question!