(Credit: Whoop)
Health tech company Whoop is dealing with another headache this week, as some who purchased its new premium Whoop MG fitness tracker report that the device is dying almost immediately.
As Tech Issues Today reports, the "medical grade" version of Whoop's newest gadgets are shutting down without warning. They "fail to display any LED lights, refuse to pair with the mobile app, and remain unresponsive even when fully charged," the site says.
Some report that Whoop is sending replacement devices, though others say they got the less expensive Whoop 5.0, not the MG. "The sheer volume of complaints suggests a potentially larger quality control issue with the initial batch of 5.0 MG trackers" Tech Issues Today notes.
A Whoop spokesperson told PCMag in a statement that the reports misrepresent “the overall performance and reliability of our new Whoop devices.”
“The scenarios described are rare and isolated, impacting a small number of members,” they said. “These anecdotes do not reflect the experience of the vast majority of our members.
“For the small subset of members who have reported performance issues since launch, we’ve promptly replaced their devices. If a replacement takes more than a day to arrive, we ensure the member is not charged for any time without a working device.”
The Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG add new features like hormone tracking for women, irregular heart activity detection, and revamped sleep tracking, alongside a bigger battery.
The company offers its devices via a subscription service; users pay from $199 to $359 a year, and receive free hardware updates when new models are released. However, following the launch of its newest devices, Whoop faced accusations that it failed to honor a promise for device upgrades for those who had been members for at least six months. It required users to pay a $49 to $79 upgrade fee, or extend their subscription by 12 months, to get a newer device.
Following backlash, Whoop said it would honor the free upgrade promise for those with more than a year left on their membership. Those with less than a year can extend their membership to receive an upgrade at no additional cost, or pay the one-time upgrade fee. Whoop says the blog post that promised free upgrades after six months was posted in error.