electronics
Risk of overheating: Fitbit is recalling smartwatches
The battery of Fitbit’s Iconic Smartwatch can overheat, and the company has voluntarily recalled 1.7 million devices. Photo: picture alliance / Britta Pedersen/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
If the battery overheats, there is an acute risk of burns. Over a hundred cases have already been documented. Fitbit is recalling 1.7 million of its fitness bracelets.
The fitness bracelet company Fitbit is recalling almost 1.7 million Ionic smartwatches worldwide.
Fitbit has received reports of injuries where the battery has overheated and posed a risk of burns, the company said on Wednesday. Users in Germany who own an affected device should stop using it and contact customer service, the release said.
According to the US consumer protection CPSC, the majority of the recall is attributable to the US market with around one million smartwatches. According to the agency, there have been 118 reports of burn injuries – including second and third degree burn injuries – from overheated batteries worldwide. According to Fitbit, the Ionic Smartwatch has been out of production since 2020. The company, which has belonged to the US Internet giant Google since the beginning of last year, emphasized that the recall was voluntary.