Fitbit’s got a battery problem

Last month, Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense owners started getting notifications to download a mandatory firmware update. The problem? Overheating batteries. In an official consumer notice, Google (which owns Fitbit) notes that the firmware update would “reduce the risk of battery overheating and reduce battery capacity.” Affected users, of which Google says there is a “limited number,” were also eligible to apply for a $50 credit.

Technically, fixing this kind of problem is a good thing. You don’t want batteries to overheat and burn a customer — and the official notice also notes that this issue doesn’t impact all Versa 3 or Sense devices. However, affected users have reported on Fitbit’s forums and subreddit that the update dramatically reduced their devices’ battery life.

Multiple users have complained that devices that used to last anywhere between 2-6 days now barely last a single day after updating to the new firmware. Some have said the reduction has now made their devices useless. Others are upset that Fitbit is only offering $50 as an appeasement.

In its notice, Google does note that the firmware update will result in the battery lasting “for shorter periods between charges and [users] may need to charge [their] devices more frequently.” However, to smartwatch users, there’s a big difference between charging more frequently and charging daily. Many people who opt for Fitbits do so precisely because the brand’s smartwatches are known to last longer than a single day. The Verge reached out to Google for further details, but the company declined to add any additional commentary beyond the official notice.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed in 2022 alleges that Fitbit’s problem wasn’t limited to the Ionic. The plaintiffs claimed the issue also impacted the Versa Lite and a Versa 2. The lawsuit also included photos of burns that people said came from their Fitbit Blaze, Inspire, Inspire 2, Sense, and Versa 3 devices. The latest firmware update seems to validate that battery overheating at least was a problem with the Versa 3 and Sense.

These sorts of battery complaints with Fitbits aren’t new. Peruse the r/Fitbit subreddit, and you’ll find years’ worth of Fitbit owners questioning if their devices are burning them or just causing skin irritation. There are also numerous threads of users pondering sudden, rapid battery drain. Almost all these threads also highlight difficult experiences with customer support. In other words, this most recent case just underscores how this has been a problem for quite some time — an issue exacerbated for longtime Fitbit users by a messy transition period since Google acquired Fitbit.