Uh oh, not another one...
Polar has released an email to owners of its A36o fitness tracker to confirm that it’s causing some users to have an allergic skin reaction.
The Finnish company said there’s only been a small number of reports (four, to be precise) but has been able to identify what’s causing it. Apparently it’s to do with the non-hardened glue in the optical heart rate sensor.
Essential reading: Does the Apple Watch have a skin rash problem?
If you’re worried you might have a defective A360, Polar states that you should check your skin before continuing to use the tracker. You should be okay if the glue has been properly cured and hardened. But if you’re noticing issues, stop wearing it obviously and contact Polar Customer Care.
This isn’t the first time a fitness tracker has rubbed its users up the wrong way. The Fitbit Charge has been dogged by skin irritation complaints and we have forum thread filled with disgruntled Fitbit owners to prove it. Those issues were being levelled at the elastomer band it uses on its tracker.
Allegedly, the Apple Watch is suffering from similar issues, but the jury is still out if that’s as widespread a problem as the Fitbit one.
The Polar’s A360 problem is an admission that there’s an issue with the hardware and that’s not a good thing. What’s more surprising is that it’s a problem with the tracker’s key feature. Hopefully it remains a small number of cases, otherwise it might have to start recalling them Fitbit-style.
We reviewed the Polar A360 recently and can’t say we had any issues during our testing, but it’s disappointing to see Polar’s tracker somehow slip through the quality control net.
