UPDATE (5:26PM – 8 December 2020): Fitbit has released an official statement regarding the issue, clarifying that only few hundred of its Sense smartwatch are affected. We have included the company’s statement in this article.
ORIGINAL STORY (11:05PM – 6 December 2020):
Fitbit has identified an issue with its new Sense smartwatch that is affecting its electrocardiogram (ECG) readings. The company has recalled a small number of the product present with this issue and has also sent out emails to affected customers. The watch was launched in Malaysia in August of this year, with a retail price starting at RM1,498.
The Fitbit Sense is the first smartwatch from the brand to offer ECG, albeit the fact that the update to activate the feature only went live a month after the watch’s release. For those unfamiliar with the technology, ECG is capable of determining a user’s heart rhythm to identify health risks such as atrial fibrillation.
“We have found an issue in a very limited subset of our initial Fitbit Sense shipments – a few hundred devices globally – that could cause the ECG App to default to an ‘Inconclusive’ result during readings,” wrote Fitbit in a statement that was provided to us. “We are able to identify the impacted devices upon set up and are immediately reaching out to these users to provide them with a new replacement device free of charge.”
“No other Fitbit devices are impacted, and future shipments of Sense devices will not be affected by this issue,” the company added.
So far there have not been any reports of Fitbit Sense users in Malaysia that have experienced the ECG glitch. However, if you happen to own an affected Fitbit Sense unit, you should be receiving an email (if not already) from the company to request the return of your device. Upon confirmation, you are then eligible to receive a new replacement unit of the same model for free.
(Source: Fitbit [Official forum] via The Verge)
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