Irish people who bought Fitbit watches are being urged to immediately stop using their devices over concerns that the watch can overheat and cause burns.
Fitbit is offering refunds on its flagship Ionic smartwatch, saying that the device could cause a burn hazard and should not be worn anymore.
They said in a recall notice: "The battery in the Ionic smartwatch can overheat, posing a burn hazard.
“If you own a Fitbit Ionic, please stop using your device.”
The Ionic watch has proven remarkably popular in Ireland, with hundreds sold between 2017 to 2020 and around 1.7 million watches sold across the world.
Fitbit, whose European headquarters is in Dublin, says that owners of an Ionic should dispose of the watch themselves rather than returning it to the retailer it was purchased from.
The recall only applies to the Ionic model, and not other Fitbit smartwatches.
The watch was sold in a range of colours including a special edition that has Adidas branding and they also include the “FB503” model number on the back of the watch.
The Ionic was Fitbit’s first attempt at making a true smartwatch, and its features included a with built-in GPS, heart-rate sensor, and altimeter, as well as an Sp02 blood-oxygen sensor years before its competitors Apple and LG.
It also offered unsurpassed three-day battery life and on-device coaching and training
Meanwhile, Fitbit says it will offer a refund to Ionic owners who complete a registration form with the Fitbit account and email details.
However, it appears only to be offering a refund via Mastercard debit or Paypal.
The company also says that affected Ionic owners “can also receive access to a special discount on select Fitbit devices, bands, and services, if available in your region, for a limited time”.
It comes as Fitbit has taken action following a US regulatory report, citing second and third degree burns from reports of overheating Ionic batteries around the world.
In total, there have been 115 reports to Fitbit of the battery overheating in the US, and another 59 reports in the rest of the world.
There have been almost 120 reports of burn injuries from that overheating, with some sustaining third-degree burns.
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