With fitness becoming trendy, every other person you see probably has some sort of a fitness tracker on their hands. These trackers have replaced watches in many people’s lives, and give much more helpful information daily.
You might be thinking of getting one or you might already have one. One question is common among users: how long should a fitness tracker last?
Most quality fitness trackers should last you up to 5 years. However, these might be more expensive. For your average fitness tracker, they will honestly start acting up after 2 years or so of usage. The time can vary depending on your usage and the quality of the product as well.
You might be able to get the most out of your fitness tracker if you know how to take care of it properly.
Before going to buy a new one, there might be even ways to change the battery or fix some parts and get it working for a few more months.
So, check out all you need to know about your fitness tracker’s lifespan along with how long does a fitness tracker last in general.
How long do fitness trackers last in general?
Like with any other electronic device, how long your tracker will last depend on which brand it is, how you use it, and how much you use it. Though lifespan can usually vary user-to-user, most mid-range fitness trackers will last about 2-3 years, and if you’re really lucky and you’re using a great quality fitness tracker they might even last up to 5 years.
We are talking about overall lifespan and not battery life. What usually happens is, once you get a new fitness tracker the battery lasts a long time for the first few months.
Then it slowly starts to deteriorate and starts dying on you faster and faster.
Not all of them are rechargeable either, so it depends on the battery. Most problems usually involve either the battery or the strap, which contains the sensors.
There are brands on the market that claim that you can go 25-45 days with a single charge.
What is most likely to happen is that the more you use it, the timespan will slowly start to reduce.
You might even end up not lasting a full day with one charge cycle. All batteries die out eventually, even if they are rechargeable.
The sensors might also stop working eventually. This might be due to damage, or just it slowly deteriorating over time.
You will see your tracker unable to pick up on certain activities, or showing wrong numbers. This is when you know your fitness tracker is probably dying out.
When to Get a New Fitness Tracker?
Instead of just rushing to buy a new fitness tracker as soon as you encounter some problems, try to do some troubleshooting on your own. Fitness tracker problems are quite common, and not all problems mean that your tracker has died. Maybe there’s a small issue that you can fix yourself. Think of buying a new one, only when you’re certain that your tracker is dead.
Depending on what kind of issues you are facing your game plan will differ. First things first, if your fitness tracker is still relatively new, i.e., it hasn’t even been a year yet, then it’s probably not dead yet.
You can get some use out of it if you just do some tinkling. If you have a warranty, then you can just take it to the store and they’ll fix/replace it for you.
Sometimes just replacing the battery can fix all your problems. You don’t have to switch out your entire tracker. There are plenty of tutorials online and you can change it yourself pretty easily.
Changing the battery is worth a try since it’ll be much cheaper than getting a new fitness tracker. If your tracker won’t even turn on, that’s usually a battery-related issue.
You might also have connectivity issues or update issues. Your tracker might not be recognizing your taps or not logging proper data into your account.
These kinds of things are usually software-related, and can usually be fixed by changing some settings. A quick search on the web should tell you exactly what to do, depending on your specific issue.
If your problems are sensor-related, i.e., your tracker isn’t picking up on your vitals correctly or there’s visible damage on the band, then you might consider changing the band. Again, this is much cheaper than changing the entire unit and worth a try.
If all of this fails, and it has been quite a few years since you bought this fitness tracker, it’s time to bid farewell to your old friend. Like with smartphones, fitness trackers also get new updates and features every few years.
So, you might even consider switching to a new model with better features, even if your old one is still working properly.
How to Extend Your Fitness Tracker’s Lifespan?
Fitness trackers are something that you probably will wear all day, every day. So, it can be easy to take it for granted and not take care of it.
But just by being a little bit more careful with how you use your tracker, you can extend its lifespan significantly. Here, are some tips to extending the life of your fitness tracker:
Keep it away from water
Even though most fitness trackers claim to be waterproof, extensive contact with water will surely deteriorate its lifespan.
Let’s face it, technology and water just don’t mix well. Even if you need to track your vitals while you’re swimming, consider taking it off before and check your vitals after.
Use it when you need
Another way to increase battery life and overall lifespan is to use it only when you need it. Turn off Bluetooth connections, Wi-Fi connections, GPS, etc. when you don’t need it. You can sync all your data once a day, instead of keeping it always connected to your smartphone.
You can even consider switching it off completely when you’re sitting idly or sleeping (If you don’t need to track anything in your sleep). Use it only when you’re working out or taking a walk or doing some intense activity.
Some fitness trackers may have a wake feature that allows it to auto wake up when you shake your wrist. When working out you are going to be doing a lot of movements. So, it is best to turn off this feature.
Store it properly
If you’re planning on not using it for a while, you can also store it properly to keep the battery working well. Charge the battery to 100% and then switch it off and store it in a cool, moisture-free place.
This should last you for about 6 months before you should charge your device again just to keep things in check.
Charge your device properly
Try not to drain your battery to zero. Lithium based batteries work better when kept adequately charged. Remember to charge your fitness tracker as soon as it hits 15% if possible.
Also, be sure to not keep it plugged for too long after the battery reaches 100%. It’s best to plug it in after its 98% charged.
It shouldn’t be an issue for the most part, but giving your battery some breathing room is a good practice. Even though many consider it to be a misconception.
Conclusion
The problem with most tech devices is that they aren’t that long-lasting and you need to replace them after a few years.
Now that you know how long should a fitness tracker last, you can probably tell when your fitness tracker has lived up to its lifespan.
Thanks for reading till the end and have a nice day.
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