Fitbit’s got a battery problem

is a senior reporter focusing on wearables, health tech, and more with 13 years of experience. Before coming to The Verge, she worked for Gizmodo and PC Magazine. 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 t ... Read full article.