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Anyone STILL having heart rate accuracy issues with their Fenix 6?

Former Member
Former Member over 5 years ago

Hi all,

Super frustrated, but I am still having issues with my Fenix 6S and heart rate accuracy even with the 4.20 software update. I'm wondering if it's just me or what the deal is? I had a 5S Plus before this and had no issues doing the same activities so I really don't think it's user error. My heart rate hardly reads over 110 during really vigorous exercise when my heart rate is closer to 160+. I have tried wearing on the inside of my wrist, tried my other wrist with no luck. It consistently reads 80-110 bpm the whole time. I wouldn't have bothered to upgrade if I knew this was going to be an issue. I know that wearing a chest strap is the most accurate, but I don't like to have to wear it for all of my work outs and my old Fenix was totally fine as well as my apple watch before that. Any suggestions? 

  • +1 over 5 years ago in reply to Steffen
    Steffen said:
    When the heartrate jumps down to 65-85 bpm, i turn off the sensor "cheststrap" and start an activity, f.e. cardio. I wait 10-20 sec. till my heartrate is measuered correct. Then i stop the activity and do not save. When the fenix 6 returns to the watchface the WHR is correct...

    Yes, thanks, I use that ‘trick’ too. Sometimes the HR sensor keeps up a while, sometimes it’s drops after a few minutes. In my opinion it should just work without any workarounds and be reliable 24/7.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to JeremyBlck

    I don't have the F6 but do have the FR945 (which has the same sensor) and I completely feel the same. Completely inconsistent. Sometimes 52 when couch-potatoing but out of nowhere suddently 110. In activity (running) was quite impressive when I first got the watch, but recently I ran again (twice) without a strap and after a relatively plausible 5-10 minutes, HR climbed to 180 and stayed there for the entire run. The older generation sensor on my FR645M never even gave me reason to doubt it. The minute I got my 945 I questioned it and started testing.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to talsela

    I moved from Fenix 5x and noticed that OHR accuracy is way lower on 6x than 5x. 5x wasn’t perfect but it didn’t give completely outlandish results that skewed all other downstream metrics. 

    FWIW, I just purchased the Polar OH1 optical HR sensor and wear it on my upper arm. It seems so far to be as accurate as a chest strap but much more comfortable. Good option for those who want to keep 6x but don’t like chest straps. Will set you back another $75.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to Steffen

    I've tested this workaround for 3 times and it works... Thanks a lot.

    However, F6X's OHR still sucks...

  • +1 over 5 years ago in reply to talsela
    talsela said:
    I don't have the F6 but do have the FR945 (which has the same sensor)

    I had the FR945 too, but couldn’t stand the complete lack of firmware updates so switched to the F6Pro. I got the FR945 when it was released and for the first few months the OHR was much better. In the summer they released a firmware update that broke the OHR for a lot of users. F6 is just as broken sadly.

  • Former Member
    +1 Former Member over 5 years ago

    First time chiming in and am incredibly frustrated with the OHR on the 6s Pro. It grossly overestimates my HR. I manually take my pulse on an easy run and the OHR reads 50-70 BPM higher every time. I get so frustrated that I turn it on and off to see if the OHR can "catch" my HR (which it will do once every 10 times) and then it ends up messing up my whole run. The interesting thing is, however, with the new update I can go to the running activity screen but NOT start it and the HR reads much more accurately (but then no run is tracked, obviously, and what is the point of that - NO POINT). But as soon as I start the activity, the HR skyrockets...nothing has changed other than me clicking that stupid button. I'm ready to chuck this watch in a freezing pond (not really, but you know what i mean).

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago

    Hi guys. I have done another comparison this morning between F6 WHR and H10 strap connected to Polar Beat app. Two hours of running in cool rythm with trail running activity launched. HR average, 136 with F6, 124 with H10. FC max, 160 with F6, 149 with H10. In each way down where I speed up, delirious high HR mesured by F6. Borded and tired to post grafics. Guys who don't have problems Inside activities with this watch are lucky because for me, this device is inaccurate and unreliable. Perhaps my whrist is not adapted to this watch. I am very light weight but with large veins. Of course, this morning, at the end of the training, she told me I was in poor condition ! Rhaaaa !!

  • +1 over 5 years ago

    Was 180 for straight 15 minutes on the heart strap, showed as 110 on the watch. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to aminoacids

    With or without starting an activity?

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    I am on a RMA replacement from Garmin - same issues as in this forum.  OHR is good when resting or walking but when running reflects crazy spikes - high and is so inconsistent that it is worthless and frustrating. I talked to support yesterday and requested that they send me the prior version of the watch as a replacement / downgrade.  They are sending me a Fenix 5+.  I had a Fenix 5 before and never had these issues running and my thought is that maybe this newer OHR design doesn't work for some people where the older system worked better.  I hate giving up some of the new features and hope that Garmin will add to the 5+ - like body battery but honestly the alternative was that I go to a different company.  I am a really long time Garmin watch and device owner - back to the original Forerunner