- Real-Life Experiment Shows Insect Repellent Can Kill Fitbit Airs
- It has to do with the chemicals within the repellent.
- Spray carefully as it will not be covered under warranty.
Here at TechRadar we’re pretty impressed with what the Fitbit Air has to offer, but one unfortunate user found out the hard way that you shouldn’t wear bug spray when the fitness tracker is around your wrist.
The problematic incident was recorded on Reddit (via Phandroid), and it appears that a thorough, protective application of insect repellent has eaten away at the Fitbit Air’s plastic component, preventing it from working.
“I went for a hike this weekend with my Fitbit Air,” the original Reddit post reads. “I’ve had it for 14 days and discovered that bug spray will destroy it. I put some on the cuffs of my hiking shirt and it transferred to the device and broke down the plastic.”
To make matters worse, the user reports that the same fate also befell his wife’s Fitbit (although it’s unclear if it’s also a Fitbit Air). The original post ends with a recommendation to “save money for something built better.”
Little sympathy
Fitbit air and bug spray don’t mix from r/fitbit
Reddit sleuths got to work and determined that it was likely the chemical DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) causing the problem. It is widely used in insect repellents and is quite harsh on both plastics and insects.
And sympathy seems to be in short supply in the Reddit thread. “The documentation states very clearly that you should not come into contact with sunscreen or insect repellents,” writes one poster, while another says, “This is up to you, buddy.”
Google is also not particularly understanding and tells the affected user that the damage counts as environmental or accidental damage and is therefore not covered by the warranty. In this case, no replacement Fitbit Air will be delivered.
There have been other stories like this in recent days, so it seems that a considerable number of people are not aware of the damage that insect repellent can cause. As always, always read the fine print, both on your fitness trackers and your bug sprays.
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