Fitbit Unfit?

[Corazon17]

I have a Fitbit Charge 6.

It's enormously annoying in a number of ways that I have beaten into submission or overcome by strength and wisdom.

But one phenomenon perplexes me: Why does the watch sometimes report much *higher* pulse rates than are actually occurring?

For example, the watch may report 112, when my Kardia monitor and my own finger-on-wrist suggest the number is 60.

I can understand the oft-seen phenomenon of the Fitbit reporting 60 when I'm having afib-120, but the opposite problem baffles me. I have waited several weeks to post this, but now believe that I'm not crazy.

[frazeej]

You’re not crazy, my Fitbit does this all the time and I don’t know if it’s because it’s too loose or too tight. When I take it off to charge or shower it will usually freak out. One time ( and this sounds crazy), it was a little loose and light reflections from my medical alert bracelet was causing a prolonged very high HR readout-this was in a restaurant with “funny” lighting-of course when I took my very normal and very regular pulse, I felt better. To be honest, the things a “pain in the ass”!

[Peacefulneedshelp]

Google bought fit bit so who knows if they are even trying to make it a better product. I have the Apple Watch and so far no issues

[Corazon17 in reply to Peacefulneedshelp]

It's a bit creepy to get emails telling me that my watch needs to be recharged; and weekly emails with data on my indolence and sloth. And surely the health data is sent to companies and agencies who have my best interests in mind. I knew that was coming.

But the operation of the watch is what surprises me. So so many times the thing gets into some kind of menu-loop hellscape, when all I want is the time of day.

I am often told to give it a card number, making me think that someone somewhere is trying to get me to pay for something he or she is buying.

At other times when I glance at the watch, it wants to play music of some sort. I haven't touched it.

Yet I keep it on, because lots of the time I have a belief that it *might* be correct about my heart rate.

[Peacefulneedshelp]

call me paranoid but I do not trust Google at all. I won’t even use Google to search anything i use DuckDuckGo. Not sure if it’s any better. but so far Apple isn’t owned by a government entity. But who knows, all these devices are keeping track of more than we know. I watched a you tube video from a clip from The View and the guy is talking about a movie called Surveillance. The spy ware created to spy on everyone is coming to all countries. It is not that we are doing anything wrong, it is just creepy. To know devices will be listening. My son gifted us with an Echo show. I was near it in my kitchen when i pulled a muscle so I was making loud groans and told my husband that i pulled a muscle. Well Alexa piped up told me what to do with a pulled muscle. Now that was creepy. I didn’t call her name to wake her up either.

[Corazon17 in reply to Peacefulneedshelp]

Yup, I've been using Duck for years, and Firefox forever. I resist Windows updates and upgrades. I finally left DOS behind in 2002. Thank you for your support!

[eagle-eye]

My Charge 6 can be inappropriate when my heart rate is very high, I feel terrible and I'm short of breath. It sends me congratulations for my workout.😁

[Corazon17 in reply to eagle-eye]

I can sympathize *somewhat* with Fitbit's struggle to understand afib, but the other burdens really are too much. I couldn't in good conscience sell it, unless the buyer wanted to see it only to satisfy morbid curiosity and to save money. Yet sending it off might expose my data to other people, and throwing it away releases nanoplastics that will get into the brain of a child in Argentina. It's a problem!