Why Fitbit Limits Battery Performance on Some Smartwatch Models
This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Fitbit has agreed to pay $12.25 million in damages for one of its older smartwatches that had a battery defect that left some users with serious burns. Meanwhile, Fitbit itself has announced that some of its latest smartwatches – the Sense and Versa 3 – may also have an issue with batteries overheating , which could pose a danger to users, and is updating its software to address the issue.
What’s the problem with Sense and Versa 3?
According to a notice posted on the Fitbit Help Center , some (not all) Sense and Versa 3 devices have a defective battery that can overheat and cause burns. Both of these watches were released in 2020. To date, Fitbit has not identified any new watches as having this issue.
What to do if you have Sense or Versa 3
Fitbit says they are rolling out an update for the affected watches (again, not all Sense or Versa 3) that will limit their battery capabilities. Fitbit says: “The update will improve device battery stability and reduce the risk of battery overheating. As a result, the battery will last less time between charges, and you may have to charge your device more often.”
If you don’t want to update your device, it’s a shame. According to this notification, your device will automatically restore to factory settings after a few days. This means that any data that was not synced to your phone will be deleted and you will have to go through the setup process all over again. The installation process will install a new firmware update. There seems to be no option to continue using the device without updating.
You’ll know when your device needs an update with notifications sent to your phone, device, and email.
You can get $50 if you have an affected Sense or Versa 3.
To soften the blow, Fitbit has developed a form you can fill out to “determine eligibility” for a $50 “appeasement” if your device was one of those forced to upgrade. Fitbit says it may take a week to check if you’re eligible, during which time they may ask you for more information, and then another three weeks to process your payment.
Fitbit also agreed to pay a fine for an earlier dangerous battery problem.
While this shouldn’t affect current Fitbit users, the company also agreed to pay a $12.25 million settlement to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for an earlier battery issue. The Ionic smartwatch, released in 2017, started burning people’s wrists as early as 2018, according to reports received by the company.
In 2020, the same year the Ionic was discontinued, Fitbit released a battery update to reduce the risk of overheating (hmm, sounds familiar) but continued to receive reports of burns. They have been working with the CPSC towards a full recall in 2022. Additional information about this recall can be found here .
The compensation that Fitbit is now paying out is not directed at consumers who had the damaged watch (that compensation was supposed to be paid out along with the recall), but at the CPSC itself for failing to notify a government agency about such a seriously dangerous product. There were 78 burn reports, including two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns, according to the CPSC. The company is also required to “maintain internal controls and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).”
Upgrading your battery isn’t necessarily an ideal solution for consumers. For example, Fitbit’s parent company Google recently released a battery update for its older Pixel 4a phones (released in 2020) that some users say makes the devices unusable. I’ve reached out to Fitbit to see if the Sense and Versa 3 update is related to the CPSC agreement, and will update this article if I hear back.