Sense issues reported by reviewers

[Rinopopo]

I've read 7 different reviews and every single one says that this device is half-baked. I'm really worried about this. Anyone at fitbit could tell me if they are aware of those issues and if are going to be fixed in a day one firmware update?

- slow OS

- slow animations

- not so accurate HR readings when exercising.

- no spo2 readings if you don't enable the spo2 watchface (WTF FITBIT!!)

- no voice responses from alexa
- no voice calls at all.

- Lack of information about stress management data.

[Tristannyc]

@TheNightSkyGuy The Apple watch may be more for you then.

[imjrode]

FWIW, the Whoop strap has plenty of inaccuracies per DCRainmaker.

[imjrode]

---

@Tristannyc wrote:
Bluetooth calling was not marketed as coming soon. Offline music was not
marketed as GONE.

And premium features were not marketed as indecipherable.

This whole launch is a mess.

---

These are fair critiques. No one is saying the launch was flawless.

I personally can't speak to the first two, as these matter little to me, so I had no expectations one way or another.

I think some of the data could be presented better, but can you elaborate on what you would like to see? 

[mperry9701]

My heart rate is WAY too low during exercising.  My Ionic was much more accurate.  I think I am going to return it.  Very disappointing.

[mperry9701]

I too am disappointed.  I've had the Flex, Blaze, Ionic and not the Sense and the heart rate is way off on the Sense.  I am taking it back and switching back to my Ionic. 

Mark 

[TheNightSkyGuy]

No go for the Apple Watch - they need to seriously work on beefing up their health metrics, especially sleep data - which is an absolute joke -  and of course their battery life stinks. They don't come close to what Sense offers - for me at least 😉

Maybe by Apple Watch series 8 or 10 or 12 who knows... 

[Tristannyc]

@TheNightSkyGuy Fun fact.. the Versa all the way to the Charge 4 has EVERY function as the sense EXCEPT the following:

• No ECG
• No EDA
• HAS Music Storage
• No GPS (versa 1 only ALL OTHERS have it.)
• No Fitbit Pay (versa 1 only ALL OTHERS have it.)

EVERYTHING ELSE is there. Including night time sleeping temp, SpO2, Breathing Rate, HRV, etc. 

Just something to think about.

[imjrode]

Much like @TheNightSkyGuy, I'm happy with my Sense so far.

As with any piece of tech, there are going to be some minor issues at launch. I admittedly don't know Fitbit's history of rolling out firmware updates, as I haven't had a Fitbit since the Alta, but I would recommend at least giving them time to sort some things out. I'm not an engineer, but I haven't seen any complaints that are major hardware flaws. Hardware issues are typically few and far between.

To the comment about the differences from Versa to Charge 4, I hate to say it, but that's not exactly something unique to Fitbit. Like, there's little difference between the Garmin Vivoactive 4 and the Forerunner 745, for example, but you're going to pay $150 more. And, for example, you'll pay an extra $50 on the Garmin Venu Sq if you want music. That's just the general state of tech we're in. Not saying it's right, but it's not just Fitbit doing it.

[Tristannyc]

Yes but Garmin let's you know what you are buying versus Fitbit who is
saying this "NEW AND IMPROVED" experience, when their new and improved
experience is issue after issue and the features are on all the old watches
but with better sensors, even though they claim to have better ones on
this... Also @imjrode fitbit's history of updates is HORRID. Maybe with
next years watches.

This was a rushed product, end of story. And as consumers we shouldn't be
buying Beta.

[imjrode]

Eh, as someone who has used Garmin for a lot of things, they have significant issues as well. Cyclists started flocking to Wahoo in herds because of issues they had with the Edge lineup. Apple has had issues at launch. Samsung has had issues at launch. Google has had issues at launch. Etc.

Perhaps it was rushed. But we're not even a week post-launch, so I'm going to give Fitbit a chance to address some of the concerns (of which I personally haven't experienced too many of). You are free to return the product if you don't like it. You're well within the time frame. And if you decide to keep it, many credit cards offer an additional year of warranties on a product and it's relatively easy to get reimbursed that way in my experience.

[Swdecord]

I've noticed that my heart rate is much more accurate after wearing the watch for awhile, so maybe it adjusts over time to your heart rate...The swiping is much smoother and I'm now used to the recessed button...Besides the wait for some features, my only gripe is the limited apps and clock faces available for the Sense...A developer told me that they must start from scratch when updating their apps or clock faces for the Sense rather than tweaking it because of the new Fitbit OS 5.0...This may be a disincentive for them to upgrade any existing Versa apps and clock faces for the Sense...

[Vic33]

@mperry9701I have an android phone and did 2 runs with my tomtom gps cardio 2 watch witch is like more than 5 years old but still a good watch.

So from both 35 runs, I had the same calories burned and the same average bpm from both watches. So I can confirm that for me it, regarding the heart rate it works well

[Vic33]

@TristannycI agree it was overmarketed to make you buy.

Personally I am disappointed with these things :

1. The step counter records steps when I am sleeping in my bed or when I am at the desk or when I turn my arm more agressively to look at my watch because the watch does not activate the screen all the time when I am turning my arm.

2. It's related to nr 1, the watch does not activate all the time when turning my arm wittch is really annoying and what is annoing also is that when i tap it a few times, it won't activate either so I must tap it like 6-7 times before it activates!

3. The app is a little bit complicated at first glance but I got the hang of it in a couple o days, there is a lot of information like that is difficult to understand but we must read and learn.

4. The watch software seem like unfinished, sometimes it lags.

5. No freedom to add your own music to the watch -> obligation to have deezer or spotify!

[Christieloo]

I have an Android and did update the firmware, and it won't sync. Really disappointed,  and will start my return today. 

[Laszlo123]

@TristannycI yes, after reading in all the reviews about new features like skin temp monitoring and breathing rate, I was a bit shocked to discover that my Versa (1) is doing the same thing and providing me stats about both skin temp and breathing rate after recent firmware and app updates.

I'd correct you on Fitbit Pay, I have been happily using Fitbit Pay with my Versa 1 for about a year now.

At this point I am concluding that the new features compared to my Versa 1 are ECG, stress monitoring, GPS and Alexa/Google Assistant.

I did not use the connected GPS much with my Versa so I don't know how much use I will get out of the GPS.

As far as music storage goes, I tried it with the Versa 1 a few times, but I am more of a podcast person, and found it cumbersome to get podcasts regularly onto the watch compared to just carry a phone around. That does not seems to be getting solved any time soon, and it is not a feature I care about in its current form.

I am still beating myself up trying to justify an upgrade with the Versa 1 being old and all, and I am interested in health features in general, but still undecided:-)

[Tristannyc]

@Laszlo123 

Yes the special edition had fitbit pay I forgot as I wanted the black/black version.

Also it does stress managing too which I found funny. It is using HRV not EDC.

EDC is some weird thing we will never stop everyday and do because it isn't automated. So to me it is just a gimmick. So at this point all we have on the Sense is ECG. 

As for those saying "this brand and that brand also have issues"... so? I won't buy their crap either lol. Why are we making excuses for these companies who WE PAY. We should be demanding better and they should be worried to release a half baked item not the other way around. We shouldn't be stressed due to their inability to do a proper release. WE ARE THE CONSUMERS not the beta testers. Stop making excuses and having so much "brand loyalty" if a company in plain sight rips you off.

This way the companies WORK FOR US, as they should since WE ARE PAYING THEM. People have lost their minds when it comes to quality control and what it means to be a customer these days (sans the crazy karens not meaning go that far lol). 

I've done a more comprehensive breakdown here: xx

moderator edit: removed URL 

[SunsetRunner]

@Tristannyc 

They deleted my comments too.

They do it silently. They don't even notify you when it happens.

I complained about the side "touch sensitive" button that gets activated on many workouts. It activated Alexa the whole time and was trolling the functions. 

I ended up deactivating Alexa for good and deactivated any function this side button has.

It keeps vibrating during workouts with weights but now it just vibrates uncontrollably without any functionality.

There is no way I am going to activate Google's voice assistance and have to go through the same. It makes me wonder if they ever tested it on someone before they create this product. The people who pass the online assessments and get employed.

[selcukn]

I am an android user. I sent it back today, and won't buy it again. Apps are not downloading or upgrading (sliders constantly moving from left to right), watch is not syncing either. OS is extremely sluggish and laggy. I personally don't like the touch button on the side as it was responding too slow. Installation took me about 2 hours through Bluetooth somehow watch was unable to connect wifi. Got stucked at switching watchface through mobile app therefore unable to change watch face as well. Well, i was not able to test other features (heart rate, spo level, stress management,..etc) due to frustration. Google assistant and ecg not available yet btw. I paid a premium price for it (£300) and don't think it deserves it.

[supercad79]

Android user here. I just got my Sense today, and got one for the wife. So far, the setup was painless and it's been easy to use. Very responsive. The only lag that I've noticed is when accessing the "Today" section. It hangs for a few seconds, but it's not a big deal to me, but might be annoying to those who don't have a few seconds to wait built into their daily schedules.

It updated with a download right away, and I've installed a few different clock faces to see how they work. It's much faster with connections and downloads compared to my Ionic. My only real issue is that I'm getting a "Slowly charging" warning with it plugged into a USB on my laptop, but I keep checking the charge percentage and it's going up rapidly, so I don't know what's going on there.

Not sure if I'll be using the Premium stuff, but I'm running through the trial now to see if I like it. I'm a pretty chill dude so I doubt I would gain much by the stress tracking. My HR is somewhere between 50-58 BPM as it is and is rarely above 70 unless I'm working out. Speaking of HR, the watch seems to be right on the money because it's the same as I was getting on my Ionic (and my last Dr. visit confirmed it).

I'm going to give it a better test with some weight lifting and walking tomorrow. I'll report back if anything weird happens.

[Lazywalker]

I’ve just got the sense and after using it for a week I’m quite disappointed

it looks better than the ionic but as a fitness watch it seems rather glitchy:

- it keeps pausing/ freezing during workouts and I am losing 10 to 20 minutes during most workouts as I can’t keep watching the sense to see whether I have to resume the workout.  It does this during both low and high intensity workouts. Several times in spinning, HIIT and bodypump.  Just stops recording completely for low intensity workouts such as Pilates, fitstep, yoga and bodybalance

- also keeps restarting randomly 

- heart rate seems lower than recorded for same workouts in ionic. I’ve worn both sense and myzone chest strap; and sense consistently registers 20 to 30bpm lower 

I have Fitbit’s mainly for fitness tracking and the sense doesn’t seem to perform this reliably