Versa 4 Heartrate Inaccurate During Exercise

[Amdryl]

Has anyone had any luck getting this issue resolved? It's so frustrating. The heartrate monitor seems fairly accurate during rest and sleep, but wildly inaccurate during a workout. This is regardless of position on my wrist/arm. I've cleaned the sensors and I've done a factory reset. Still the same. I wore both the Versa 4 and a Luxe during my last workout, and the Versa 4 was 30+ BPM lower than the Luxe and manual measurements during cardio. Will Fitbit replace with another model if it's been past the 45 days? This is the most important metric for me. I've seen other posts that say this is a known issue. Why does Fitbit/Google keep selling a known defective device?

[Guy_]

Hi @Amdryl - the Versa 4 uses a new technology sensor which can under read [or over read] during exercise. Past the 45 days there isn't any refund option AFAIK.

[Amdryl]

Clearly the "new technology sensor" doesn't work, and it's insane to me that they're selling a product that they know is defective and leaving it to the customer to work things out. Horrible.

[Podenco]

Hi @Amdryl , I share your feelings. I have got a Versa 3 with the same "new technology sensor". As you've might have read in this community this issue has been going on for more than 2 years without being acknowledged by Fitbit. They still keep selling these devices with the inaccurate sensor!!! As a sportwatch the V3, V4 and Sense, Sense 2 are unfortunate useless. 

[Sriver]

My Versa 4 shows a lower heartrate for the same exercise as my Versa 1 showed.  Fitbit claims that the sensor and algorithm are different.  They both can't be right.  Which one is correct?  I got the Versa 4 free for being part of a research study.  The info being sent to the study may now be incorrect. Or maybe the previous info was incorrect?  This can't be good and I don't know what to believe.  Should I go back to the Versa 1 or keep using the 4?

[Guy_]

Hi @Sriver - if you need more accurate HR during exercise use the Versa 1, you'll probably get better results.

[Biceboca]

I have an old Alta HR (it's like 4-5 years old) and I wore it at the same time as my new Versa 4 (different wrist, different FitBit accounts that were active on different phones) for a ~2.5 mile fast/hilly walk and they were essentially identical. I got my Versa 4 about 3 weeks ago so maybe whatever the issue was, it was fixed? I have thin light skin in case that matters. I have not tested this on a run yet but speed-walking up a steep hill should be similar. So, I haven't noticed issues with HR monitor.

One thing I noticed is the Alta HR has two green lights for heart rate monitoring and the Versa 4 has only one. So it is possible that the two-sensor trackers were more accurate but again I got the same results with Versa 4. And ~same step counts, too (just a single step off). Mostly I was impressed that my old Alta HR is still functioning perfectly.

[Biceboca]

@Sriver I also got the Versa 4 for the research and the main thing they are probably interested in is activity tracking, plus resting heart rate and sleep data (maybe sleep stages?). Those are the most critical for health monitoring. For sleep, FitBit is unbeatable. And since all of us (pun intended 🙂 ) are using the same 2 trackers (Versa 4, Charge 5) with the same algo, the study is accurate because it makes the participants' data comparable. If you switch to your old tracker with old algo, then it is no longer comparable data. So definitely you should use the new tracker. The only issue I know of is that for some people, for high intensity exercise, it can't keep up, especially if it is not tight enough on your wrist. But as far as I know it is working perfectly for me.

[Triletics]

@Sriver they both can't be right but also both can be wrong. Without a reference device like a chest strap, you can't tell and I guarantee you'll find it to be the case when both Fitbits are wrong more often than you'd like.