When your smartwatch suddenly can’t even last a day on a single charge, it stops feeling like a convenience and starts feeling like a burden. Last month, Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense owners began receiving mandatory firmware update notifications—a fix intended to address a critical safety issue: overheating batteries. But as with many tech fixes, the cure might be worse than the disease.

In an official consumer notice, Google, which now owns Fitbit, explained that the update was meant to “reduce the risk of battery overheating and reduce battery capacity.” In plain terms, while the update aims to safeguard users from potentially dangerous battery malfunctions, it does so at the expense of the device’s battery life. Affected users—Google reassures us that they are “limited in number”—are even being offered a $50 credit as a token of goodwill.

From a technical standpoint, prioritizing safety is undoubtedly the right move. Nobody wants a device that could overheat and pose a risk to personal safety. However, this well-intentioned update has sparked a considerable backlash among long-time Fitbit users.

For many Fitbit aficionados, the promise of long-lasting battery life was a key selling point. Historically, these devices have been known to go anywhere between 2 to 6 days on a single charge. Post-update, however, reports are flooding in that some devices barely manage a full day. On forums and subreddits like r/Fitbit, users have voiced their frustrations: what once was a reliable companion now seems to have lost its endurance entirely.

Some users have gone as far as to say that the drastic reduction in battery life renders their devices nearly useless, with daily charging now a mandatory part of their routine. And while a $50 credit might soften the blow for some, for others it feels like a drop in the ocean compared to the inconvenience of having to charge their smartwatch every single day.

This isn’t the first time Fitbit has been under fire for battery issues. Remember the Ionic watches? A $12 million fine followed a series of incidents where overheating batteries reportedly burned 78 users. Although the Ionic is a different product line, it casts a long shadow over the brand’s reputation when it comes to battery safety and performance.

The controversy didn’t end there. A 2022 lawsuit alleged that battery problems weren’t exclusive to the Ionic model. Plaintiffs claimed that the Versa Lite, Versa 2, and even earlier models like the Fitbit Blaze and Inspire series had shown signs of battery overheating, with some users sharing unsettling photos of burn marks. The recent firmware update for the Versa 3 and Sense, then, seems to confirm long-standing concerns that have plagued Fitbit for years.

Interestingly, Fitbit isn’t alone in navigating the tricky terrain of balancing battery safety with performance. Google recently rolled out a similar firmware update for its Pixel 4a phones, capping battery performance in exchange for a $100 credit to affected users. This pattern suggests a broader industry challenge: when safety issues force a reduction in battery capacity, the cost is borne directly by consumers who trusted these devices for their endurance.

For now, the updated firmware stands as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it significantly reduces the risk of battery overheating—a necessary move from a safety perspective. On the other, it diminishes one of Fitbit’s core strengths: long battery life. The hope is that this will be a temporary patch, and future updates might find a better balance between safety and performance.

However, the current sentiment among users is one of disappointment and frustration. The chatter on online forums paints a picture of a community that feels sidelined—caught in the middle of a transition period since Google’s acquisition of Fitbit. As more users weigh in on social platforms, it remains to be seen whether Fitbit (and Google) will step up their efforts to restore confidence and deliver on the promise of long-lasting performance without compromising on safety.

In the meantime, if you’re one of the affected users, it might be time to rethink how you manage your charging routine—or even whether it’s worth holding on to a device that seems to be part of a much larger issue with battery management.