Fitbit Recalls Almost 2 Million Ionic Smartwatches Due To Burn Hazard

Google-owned wearables major Fitbit has recalled close to 2 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches as they pose a burn hazard.

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New Delhi: Google-owned wearables major Fitbit has recalled close to 2 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches as they pose a burn hazard. The lithium-ion battery in the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch can overheat, thus, posing a burn hazard, according to US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

As per the commission's recall notice, out of the 1.7 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches recalled, one million of the affected watches were sold in the US. The rest 693,000 Ionic smartwatches were sold globally.

The Ionic smartwatches sold in the US were at retailers that include Target, Best Buy, Kohl's and were also sold via e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com and Fitbit.com from September 2017 through December 2021 for between $200 and $330 each, according to a report published in CBS News. The San Francisco-based wearables company had discontinued production of Ionic two years back. Another 693,000 Ionic smartwatches were sold internationally, according to the company.

Fitbit has received at least 115 reports in the US and 59 reports globally of the battery in the Ionic smartwatch overheating, with 78 reports of burn injuries in the US and 40 internationally, according to the commission's recall notice. Those injuries include two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns. 

Meanwhile, Google that also owns Fitbit is reportedly working on its own in-house smartwatch, as per a popular tipster. The tipster revealed that the tech giant might release it on May 26 this year. Popular tipster Jon Prosser took to Twitter to provide details of the Google Pixel Watch.

"Pixel Watch. I have heard that Google is planning on launching it on Thursday, May 26, over a year since we leaked it. This is the first time we have seen a set date on the device behind the scenes. Google is known for pushing back dates, but if they do, we will know," he said.

This timeline syncs with the Google I/O developer conference where Google announces a sleuth of hardware and software upgrades.