- Fitbit has issued a battery overheating warning to customers
- They say Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 devices are at risk of overheating
- The company has issues a firmware update and could pay $50 to some affected users
Google is rolling out a battery performance program for two of its best Fitbits, the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3, over concerns they pose a potential risk to users due to overheating.
The company says “a limited number” of devices are at risk of their batteries overheating “which poses a potential risk for users and requires an immediate firmware update.”
Reassuringly, the update has already started rolling out, and will continue to do so over the next month.
Google says the firmware will “reduce the risk of the battery overheating,” unfortunately this comes at the cost of reduced capacity. If your device isn’t impacted (and not all Sense and Versa 3 devices are) your battery performance won’t change. If you own either of the affected devices, you should fill out this form to find out whether you need to do the update.
Fitbit battery disaster
As you can imagine, this battery debacle is the last thing Fitbit needs to start 2025. Having to issue a firmware update to reduce the battery capacity of some devices because they could pose a risk to users, is a tough break and one that’s sure to annoy affected customers.
To that end, Fitbit says those who do need the update “may be eligible for appeasement” to the tune of $50 (converted to your local currency) as compensation.
So, if you’ve got a device that needs this firmware update, you should definitely install that right away. Then you should register for potential compensation using this form.
You’ve got one year to do this, so there’s no rush, but why wait?
Users who need the firmware update and who regularly sync their device with the Fitbit app should get a notification on their watch and an email from Google confirming its availability.
“The update will improve the stability of the device’s battery performance and reduce the risk of the battery overheating,” Google says. However, “As a result, the battery will last for shorter periods between charges and you may need to charge your device more frequently.”
Users will need to manually update their firmware; if they don’t, the device will automatically factory-reset after a few days, sending your data into the abyss with it (all the data you haven’t synced anyway).
Unfortunately, the more you read into it, the worse it gets for affected Fitbit customers. With Fitbit sunsetting its smartwatch range in favor of the Google Pixel line, this episode might be a sign that it’s time to take that $50 payout and buy a new cheap smartwatch, be it a Pixel or an alternative model.
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