Final month, Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense homeowners began getting notifications to obtain a compulsory firmware replace. The issue? Overheating batteries. In an official shopper discover, Google (which owns Fitbit) notes that the firmware replace would “cut back the chance of battery overheating and cut back battery capability.” Affected customers, of which Google says there’s a “restricted quantity,” have been additionally eligible to use for a $50 credit score.
Technically, fixing this type of drawback is an effective factor. You don’t need batteries to overheat and burn a buyer — and the official discover additionally notes that this difficulty doesn’t affect all Versa 3 or Sense units. Nevertheless, affected customers have reported on Fitbit’s boards and subreddit that the replace dramatically diminished their units’ battery life.
A number of customers have complained that units that used to final wherever between 2-6 days now barely final a single day after updating to the brand new firmware. Some have mentioned the discount has now made their units ineffective. Others are upset that Fitbit is just providing $50 as an appeasement.
In its discover, Google does word that the firmware replace will consequence within the battery lasting “for shorter durations between fees and [users] might have to cost [their] units extra regularly.” Nevertheless, to smartwatch customers, there’s an enormous distinction between charging extra regularly and charging each day. Many individuals who go for Fitbits achieve this exactly as a result of the model’s smartwatches are identified to last more than a single day. The Verge reached out to Google for additional particulars, however the firm declined so as to add any further commentary past the official discover.
In the meantime, a lawsuit filed in 2022 alleges that Fitbit’s drawback wasn’t restricted to the Ionic. The plaintiffs claimed the problem additionally impacted the Versa Lite and a Versa 2. The lawsuit additionally included photographs of burns that folks mentioned got here from their Fitbit Blaze, Encourage, Encourage 2, Sense, and Versa 3 units. The most recent firmware replace appears to validate that battery overheating at the very least was an issue with the Versa 3 and Sense.
These kinds of battery complaints with Fitbits aren’t new. Peruse the r/Fitbit subreddit, and also you’ll discover years’ value of Fitbit homeowners questioning if their units are burning them or simply inflicting pores and skin irritation. There are additionally quite a few threads of customers pondering sudden, speedy battery drain. Every one of these threads additionally spotlight troublesome experiences with buyer help. In different phrases, this most up-to-date case simply underscores how this has been an issue for fairly a while — a difficulty exacerbated for longtime Fitbit customers by a messy transition interval since Google acquired Fitbit.
