Overheating Fitbit smartwatches can cause injuries: Google offers update and $50 compensation to affected users

Two Fitbit wearables are affected by a relatively serious issue. According to Google, both the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 smartwatches are affected as their lithium-ion batteries, which can be found in practically all modern mobile devices, may overheat under certain circumstances. In a worst case scenario, this could cause burns on the wrist, although Google explicitly states that the overall risk of such severe overheating is fairly low.

Google has further indicated that this issue can be resolved via software changes, which is why a corresponding update has already started to roll out. While this software update is supposed to reduce the risk of overheating, it will also decrease the usable battery capacity, which will reduce battery life and require more frequent recharging of these Fitbit wearables. The search-engine giant also notes that the update must be installed manually.

However, users who do not install the update on their smartwatch will soon face an automatic reset to factory settings, which will delete all personal data from the device. During the subsequent setup process, the new firmware will be applied automatically, which appears to be Google’s approach to force this critical update.

Additionally, owners of a Fitbit Sense or Fitbit Versa 3 can visit a specific landing page in order to figure out whether or not their smartwatch is affected. Users who are in fact affected by this issue will be offered a compensation of $50 or the equivalent in their local currency. That being said, it remains unclear how much of an impact the new software update will have on the battery life of these Google smartwatches. Neither the Fitbit Sense nor Versa 3 are officially available for purchase anymore, but the unaffected Fitbit Sense 2 can be ordered for $149 on Amazon.