The Fitbit Ionic smartwatch, withdrawn from the market. The company offers money back to users and warns of the risk of skin burns

Fitbit withdraws Ionic series smartwatches from the market. The company, a subsidiary of Google, has officially announced that all Ionic models produced and sold between 2017-2020 must be returned due to a battery problem. Over 100 users have reported problems with watches, many of which have even led to skin burns. It seems that the lithium battery is overheating.

All Fitbit Ionic watches are at risk of overheating

The Ionic was produced and sold prior to Google’s acquisition. In the three years it has been on the market, the Fitbit Ionic has exceeded one and a half million units sold worldwide, but most have been sold in the US. Of the 118 cases of injuries caused by Fitbit Ionic watches, 78 affected users in the United States, while the rest occurred in other regions.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were a total of 174 cases of overheating reported with Fitbit Ionic, but not all of them resulted in injuries. Most of those affected, however, say they suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

Fitbit has opened an official page for returning devices. All watches with the code number FB503 are eligible to receive US $ 299, or the local price of the watch at the time of sale. They can also receive a 40% discount code if they choose to send their watch back to the company. Romania is on the list of countries where the Ionic watch was officially sold, so if you have such a watch, even if you had no problems with it, you can still get your money back.

Even if you’re thinking of keeping it, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Given that Fitbit has acknowledged the problem, it is not clear how many devices are actually affected worldwide, nor what the conditions are for overheating. The safest way to avoid injuries and eliminate the risk of fire (as in the case of the Galaxy Note7) is to send the clocks back.

source: Engadget, Fitbit