Fitbit Ionic Smartwatch Recalled Globally Over Burn Risk

Fitbit Ionic has been recalled by the Google-owned firm because of overheating points that might doubtlessly trigger a burn hazard, a US regulator mentioned on Wednesday. The recalling resolution comes after Fitbit acquired greater than 100 experiences of burn accidents owing to overheating of the smartwatch. Launched again in September 2017, the Fitbit Ionic supplied options together with exercise monitoring in addition to coronary heart and sleep monitoring. About a million items of the Ionic smartwatch had been bought within the US till December 2021, with a further 693,000 bought globally together with India.

As a results of the recalling, Fitbit will problem a refund of $299 (roughly Rs. 22,700) as soon as homeowners will return their Ionic watch to the corporate. It can even present shoppers with a reduction code to supply 40 % off on choose Fitbit gadgets, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission noted in its announcement.

Fitbit acquired at the least 174 experiences of the watch’s overheating, with 118 experiences of burn accidents that embrace two circumstances of third-degree burns and 4 of second-degree burns, the US fee mentioned.

“We received a very limited number of reports — the totals in the US regulator announcement represent less than 0.01 percent of units sold — of the battery in Fitbit Ionic smartwatches overheating, posing a burn hazard,” Fitbit mentioned in an announcement emailed to Gadgets 360.

The firm said that the recall didn’t impression different Fitbit smartwatches or trackers.

Fitbit stopped the manufacturing of Ionic in 2020. The smartwatch was launched in India at Rs. 22,990 in January 2018.

Gadgets 360 requested Fitbit to verify how Indian shoppers can avail the refund. The firm is but to reply, although.

The recall is proscribed to 4 variants of the Fitbit Ionic which have the next mannequin numbers: FB503CPBU, FB503GYBK, FB503WTGY, and FB503WTNV.

Eligible shoppers within the US can proceed for the refund by contacting Fitbit helpline at 888-925-1764 or visiting the assistance part on the corporate’s web site.

User experiences on the Fitbit Community boards suggest that the overheating points with the Ionic watch started to emerge shortly after its launch in 2017.

“Today my Fitbit Ionic burnt my wrist. I noticed I had a stinging feeling,” one of many affected customers said in a discussion board put up.

This is notably not the primary time when Fitbit is recalling certainly one of its common wearables. In 2014, the corporate recalled its Force wristband after going through complaints of pores and skin rashes and irritation. Fitbit additionally averted recalling the Flex wristband regardless of getting related pores and skin irritation experiences and mentioned that it made some changes and put a warning that it might trigger allergic reactions because of nickel.