Fitbit recalls almost 2 million smart watches after overheating battery burn reports

Fitbit is recalling its Ionic smartwatch following reports of burn injuries caused by the lithium-ion battery overheating, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

About 1 million of the watches, which track body metrics like heart rate, activity and sleep, were sold in the US and 693,000 internationally since Fitbit introduced the Ionic in September 2017.

Fitbit, owned by Alphabet’s Google, is asking consumers to contact the company in order to ship back their devices and receive a $299 refund and 40% discount on a new purchase.

The Ionic smartwatch caused 118 reported burn injuries worldwide. Owners have been told to "immediately stop" wearing them.

Of the injuries in the US, there were two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns.

The company’s first smartwatch, the Ionic and allowed for contactless payments, access to music and GPS-tracking and a variety of apps.

Fitbit stopped production of the Ionic in 2020.