How to set high and low heart rate notifications on your Fitbit Sense or Versa 3

Yes, you can now set heart rate alerts on your Fitbit for high and low heart rates, just like the Apple Watch! Plus, you can even customize and edit the threshold ranges for your personal high or low heart rate.

Setting these types of alerts is an important way you can passively monitor your health.

And best of all, once you set up these alerts, you do not have to do anything else! You can set it and forget it–until you receive a notification.

When you turn these alerts on, your Fitbit notifies you when your heart rate goes above or below your personal heart-rate threshold, even if for a short time. And then you decide if action is required, i.e., calling your doctor, going to the ER, try some deep breathing exercises for a few minutes, or taking another measurement.

So let’s get to it and show you how to set these alerts up and customize them!

Related reading

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How Fitbit checks for high or low heart rates

Your Fitbit only looks at your heart rate data for high or low states when your body is at rest for at least 10 minutes.

That’s because it is normal for your heart rate to exceed its normal range when you are active, particularly when you are working out or engaged in strenuous activity. 

So it’s important that you only receive these notifications when you are sedentary. Otherwise, you’d get a lot of unnecessary notifications!

So let’s jump in on how you set these notifications and how you customize them for your own body and health!

Only certain models support heart rate notifications

At this time, only the Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 smartwatches support these types of alerts. 

We expect Fitbit to roll out support for other models in the future. But for now, it’s limited to Fitbit’s newest models of smartwatches.

Your Fitbit must run at least Fitbit OS 5.2 to access these features on the Versa 3 and Fitbit OS 5.1 for the Sense.

How to set up high and low heart rate notifications

1. Open the Fitbit app on your paired phone.
2. Go to the Today tab and tap your profile picture or icon.
3. Choose your Fitbit image from the list of account options (Fitbit Sense or Versa 3 tile.)
4. Scroll down and tap High & Low Heart Rate.
   1. If you don’t see that, go to the Activity & Wellness section and tap Heart Settings > High & Low Heart Rate.
      
5. At the top, take a look at your heart rate thresholds for high and low heart rates.
   1. These numbers are different for everyone and based on your age, gender, and your personal resting heart rate (as collected by your Fitbit.)
   2. If you think these numbers are not accurate for you or your doctor/healthcare team has provided you with a range, you can customize these thresholds.
6. Toggle on High heart rate notification and Low heart rate notification.
   1. Once you turn these on, you will receive a notification anytime your heart rate exceeds or falls below the thresholds listed at the top when you are at rest for at least 10 minutes or more.

How to customize your high and low rate thresholds for Fitbit heart rate notifications

If you want to change the thresholds Fitbit determined for you; it’s easy!

1. Go to the Fitbit app’s setting for High & Low Heart Rate.
2. Scroll down to the high heart rate section and toggle on Custom.
3. Set your high threshold by tapping on the current bpm and choosing another option from the ones available.
   1. At this time, you can only choose from a limited set of options. You cannot type in your own threshold limit.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the low heart rate section.
   1. Choose Custom and select your low threshold from the list of options.

If you decide you’d rather use the default thresholds determined by your Fitbit heart data, toggle the custom thresholds off.

High or low heart rate notifications not working?

If you are not getting notifications for high or low heart rates, try the following tips.

• Check that your Fitbit measures your heart rate by swiping up on your clock face then scrolling to the Advanced Stats section to see your current heart rate.
  • Tap on it and scroll down to see more details like your heart-rate range, resting heart rate, and heart rate zones.
  • If you don’t see any heart rate information, see this article: Fitbit heart rate not working or inaccurate? Let’s fix it
• Make sure your Fitbit is comfortable and snug on your wrist and above the wristbone. Check that the back is in contact with your skin. 
  • You can also try wearing the Fitbit on the inside of your wrist, which often has better contact with the sensors than the front.

Remember that you only see these notifications when you’re not active (sedentary) for at least 10 minutes. If you confirm that, then follow these steps.

1. Open the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and see if there is an update for the Fitbit app. If so, update the app.
2. Open the Fitbit app, choose the Today tab. Then, tap your profile picture or icon and choose your Fitbit device from the list.
3. Scroll down and tap High & Low Heart Rate.
4. Turn off both the High and Low Notifications and any custom threshold setting you created.
5. Sync your Fitbit manually by tapping the Sync Now option on your device’s main menu.
6. Return to the High & Low Heart Rate setting and toggle the notifications back on.
   1. For now, do NOT set a custom threshold for either.
7. Sync your Fitbit again by tapping the Sync Now option on your device’s main menu.
8. Wear your Fitbit and see if it now notifies you.
9. If it now works, return to the High & Low Heart Rate settings and choose a custom threshold, if desired.

If you continue not to get high or low notifications when you should have, try these additional troubleshooting tips.

1. Open the Fitbit app and toggle off all the notification settings for High & Low Heart Rate, including any custom thresholds.
2. Restart your Fitbit by pressing and holding the side button for approximately 10 seconds until you see the Fitbit logo on-screen, then release the button and wait for your Fitbit to reboot.
3. Open the Fitbit app, select your Fitbit device, and tap High & Low Heart Rate.
4. Toggle back on High heart rate notification and Low heart rate notification.
5. Sync your Fitbit manually by tapping the Sync Now option on your device’s main menu.

If nothing worked to get heart notifications working, try factory resetting it to clear your Fitbit’s user data

When you factory reset your Fitbit, it removes its pairing from your phone and clears all your user data and any customizations you made to your Fitbit, including apps, watch faces, and other personalizations.

After you reset, you will also need to re-pair your Fitbit to your phone.

1. Open the Fitbit app and wait for it to sync or press Sync Now to manually sync. Performing a sync prevents any data loss.
2. On your Fitbit, open the Settings app.
3. Scroll down and tap About.
4. Choose Factory Reset and confirm.
5. Once reset, open the Fitbit app and wait for your phone to start the re-pairing process. You should see notifications to walk you through this process.

Received a high or low heart rate notification on your Fitbit? Now what?

You only get a notification when your Fitbit detects that your heart rate went above or below your personal heart rate threshold when you’ve been inactive for at least 10 minutes.

1. First, review the notification and take note of the heart rate listed at the top. Also, look at when your Fitbit detected the abnormality.
2. Then, tap Open and tap the notification in the Fitbit app to learn more on your paired phone.
3. If appropriate, there’s also a survey to complete where you can log any potential factors, medications, and symptoms. This survey helps you track your heart health trends and provides valuable information to share with your doctor or healthcare provider.
   1. It’s important to note if you felt stressed, had recently completed a workout or any other strenuous activity, eaten, consumed alcohol or caffeine, was excited, scared, surprised, and any other things that you suspect may have influenced your heart rate.

After receiving a high or low heart rate notification, it’s always a good idea to let your doctor know. Remember that your Fitbit is not a substitute for medical care!

Getting heart rate notifications while exercising?