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cmn32480 [soylentnews.org] writes:

From the attorneys who filed the lawsuit [lieffcabraser.com]:

On January 5, 2016, Lieff Cabraser and co-counsel filed a fraud class action lawsuit on behalf of consumers nationwide against Fitbit, Inc. over complaints that heart rate monitors sold by Fitbit -- the Fitbit Charge HR and the Fitbit Surge -- fail to accurately measure user heart rates. You can read a copy of the Press Release on the Fitbit fraud suit's filing [lieffcabraser.com] or read a copy of the Fitbit class action complaint [lchbdocs.com].

Fitbit advertises its heart monitors as the most accurate wrist-worn wireless tracking devices on the market. Fitbit claims to have conducted "multiple internal studies to rigorously test" the accuracy of the wrist-mounted monitors.

The Fitbit Charge HR is an enhanced version of the Fitbit Charge activity tracker wristband that adds continuous heart-rate monitoring. Fitbit claims the Charge HR allows users to "maintain workout intensity, maximize training, and optimize health."

This was also covered on The Verge [theverge.com].

An article in the Berkeley Science Review from October 7, 2014 [berkeleysciencereview.com] suggests that the step counts are within a tolerable margin for the Fitbit trackers.

First of all, are they accurate? Do Fitbits measure what they claim to?  Research suggests that for some measures, yes. All models of Fitbits tested showed high accuracy when it came to the number of steps taken. One study had folks wear a Fitbit and a research-grade accelerometer, the Acti-Graph, while walking on a treadmill. The Fitbit showed high correlation with steps recorded by the ActiGraph [benthamopen.com]. A comparison with the Yamax, the "Gold Standard" pedometer, also showed high accuracy of the Fitbit even when people took just 20 steps [sciencedirect.com]. Another study found a high validity, with resulting step count by the Fitbit being within 9% of the actual steps taken, unless the accelerometer was placed in a pocket, in which case accuracy was significantly decreased. This decrease in accuracy in the pocket was especially strong at high running speeds [europepmc.org] (greater than 8 km/hour).

I have a Fitbit. I have found that while it may or may not be accurate in getting an exact step count, it forces me to think about it and get up and move to prevent me from just sitting behind my desk all day. As for the heart rate, I'm not sure how accurate it really is. I don't have access to other medical devices that would allow for an accurate beat count for comparison.

Original Submission