My experience with Fitbit Sense

[DanGoWest]

I am very disappointed that my Sense is malfunctioning.  It started a couple months ago when it stopped displaying texts and notifications.  Now it won't connect to my android phone at all.  I have been on the customer service line twice and nothing works.  It is past the one year warranty, but I have serious apprehension about buying another one.  I have taken good care of this thing, but it is letting me down.  Just venting, I guess, but it stinks that the only solution is "buy a new one." 😒

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject.

[Odyssey13]

Hi @DanGoWest  yeah, it does stink. Sometimes the next one you buy is even better than the first. I had a printer and it broke right after the warranty, by eight days. The company couldn't do a thing for me, so I bought the identical printer. After almost eight and a half years that printer was replaced. It was still working, but sporadically. It exceeded my expectations. You might find the same happens with your next Fitbit. If possible, when you purchase the next one, go to squaretrade.com and get an extended warranty, just in case.

[NicholasKates]

I feel you.

[LLSmitty]

How long have you had it?

[DanGoWest]

Less than three years.  

I hate being skeptical, but the way it malfunctioned it was almost like it was planned to do so.  I'd pay more for something that had some longevity.  I won't buy an extended warranty.  Why can't a company just stand behind their product for more than a gratuitous year?  They just create a constant rotation of sales and we buy into needing the latest and greatest.

Just an old man ranting....

[flyingsod]

Mine never worked right. My heartrate could be off by 20 bpm in either direction. It would mysteriously loose time, a few minutes a day and a resynch wouldn't fix it. The microphone on it was so poor I had to yell to be heard, it was unusable. Its been in a drawer for a year. Judging by the posts here nothing has been fixed and since they now have sense2 I highly doubt it ever will be. Find a better brand is my vote.

[Guy_]

Hi @DanGoWest - it might not be a watch problem.

The new V4 Fitbit App has connection and syncing problems. When it's not connected/connectable your watch won't get notifications or calls. see Why won't my Fitbit device sync? 

Unless the watch has a fault this procedure for starters may help.

Logout of the Fitbit App and swipe off the active window and in Android clear the storage cache and force stop it and then restart the phone.

Make sure there are no other devices running the Fitbit App switched on or other watches.

Restart the watch by holding the button for 10 seconds till it vibrates and the logo appears and wait for it to start.

Login and wait for any pair, link or Fixit prompts and sync.

If this is still not working, remove both the watch Bluetooth entries from the phone and in the Fitbit App run the setup, Add more devices, select your Sense and replace.

Those steps will refresh the app, the watch and make new Bluetooth entries.

If you get it working afteward you can use the free SimpleCheckUp watch app to monitor on the the watch if it is connected at any time.

[DanGoWest]

I tried everything including these steps.  I think something happened to the Bluetooth on the device.  It wouldn't show as available. 

My wife and kids bought me a Sense 2 for my birthday.  I guess we'll give it another go.

[Guy_]

@DanGoWest- thanks, try placing on charge and do a restart carefully with the button, then see What should I do if I lose my Fitbit device? 

This uses a phone app to look for the watch - it can be at fault if it is not found.

Presumably a factory reset didn't help, it can be a good idea to remove both the Bluetooth entries when doing a factory reset, so they get remade during setup.

I hope you don't miss some of the features of your Sense that didn't make it to the Sense 2.

[Killroy-TM]

The decision to Fitbit or not to Fitbit will become ever so more important as time goes by. Had a Versa 2 than a Versa 3, battery was depleting too quick and pre-ordered a Sense 2. Returned that hot mess before the 45 days were up and went for a Sense in November 2022. Battery life is ever so slowly getting shorter but still do 4 to 5 days on a single charge.

However, my next wearable will NOT be a Fitbit/Google product for all the reasons listed in this thread and all over the forum. I periodically check in and see if anything new has developed and keeping an eye on what if my battery life drops drastically. Did a factory reset chose a different clock face and went back to 4 - 5 days on a single charge.

So, like everyone else who is disappointed after the Google take over with the direction the product is going, I also am not thrilled with my Fitbit and am hoping that one of the many other vendors will fill the void created since the Goggle take over.