Fitbit’s got a battery problem

Some users accidental artillery capableness has dropped from aggregate days to little than one.

Last month, Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense owners started getting notifications to download a mandatory firmware update. The problem? Overheating batteries. In an official user notice, Google (which owns Fitbit) notes that the firmware update would “reduce the hazard of artillery overheating and trim artillery capacity.” Affected users, of which Google says determination is simply a “limited number,” were besides eligible to use for a $50 credit.

Technically, fixing this benignant of occupation is simply a bully thing. You don’t privation batteries to overheat and pain a lawsuit — and the authoritative announcement besides notes that this contented doesn’t interaction each Versa 3 oregon Sense devices. However, affected users person reported connected Fitbit’s forums and subreddit that the update dramatically reduced their devices’ artillery life.

Multiple users person complained that devices that utilized to past anyplace betwixt 2-6 days present hardly past a azygous time aft updating to the caller firmware. Some person said the simplification has present made their devices useless. Others are upset that Fitbit is lone offering $50 arsenic an appeasement.

In its notice, Google does enactment that the firmware update volition effect successful the artillery lasting “for shorter periods betwixt charges and [users] whitethorn request to complaint [their] devices much frequently.” However, to smartwatch users, there’s a large quality betwixt charging much often and charging daily. Many radical who opt for Fitbits bash truthful precisely due to the fact that the brand’s smartwatches are known to past longer than a azygous day. The Verge reached retired to Google for further details, but the institution declined to adhd immoderate further commentary beyond the authoritative notice.

It’d beryllium 1 happening if this was a uncommon one-off. However, Fitbit was conscionable fined $12 million aft its Ionic watches’ batteries overheated and burned 78 users. And portion it’s unrelated to overheating wearables, it surely doesn’t assistance that Google precocious issued a akin firmware update capping artillery show tied to a $100 recognition for its Pixel 4A phones.

Meanwhile, a suit filed successful 2022 alleges that Fitbit’s occupation wasn’t constricted to the Ionic. The plaintiffs claimed the contented besides impacted the Versa Lite and a Versa 2. The suit besides included photos of burns that radical said came from their Fitbit Blaze, Inspire, Inspire 2, Sense, and Versa 3 devices. The latest firmware update seems to validate that artillery overheating astatine slightest was a occupation with the Versa 3 and Sense.

These sorts of artillery complaints with Fitbits aren’t new. Peruse the r/Fitbit subreddit, and you’ll find years’ worthy of Fitbit owners questioning if their devices are burning them oregon conscionable causing tegument irritation. There are besides galore threads of users pondering sudden, accelerated artillery drain. Almost each these threads besides item hard experiences with lawsuit support. In different words, this astir caller lawsuit conscionable underscores however this has been a occupation for rather immoderate clip — an contented exacerbated for longtime Fitbit users by a messy modulation period since Google acquired Fitbit.