Heart rate monitor slightly dislodged?

[JohnApples]

I searched and didn't see a thread that addressed this yet, although honestly I didn't really know what to look for!

Every night when I remove my Watch, I clean the front and back with a microfiber cloth to get the sweat and smudges off of it before I place it on my charger. Last night, however, I immediately noticed something a little different with the back of my Sport.

The right LED on the back looks slightly dislodged or "moved over" from the inside. Although it's a bit difficult to see in the pictures, you should be able to notice how the left LED is a perfect white circle, while the right one is not. I had trouble getting my iPhone's camera to focus on it, but it really does look more severe in person.

I do not recall bumping my watch into anything yesterday, or doing anything out of the ordinary that could have caused this. I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this in their watch, and if it could somehow affect the heart rate monitor? Do you think it's worth taking it to the Apple Store for? I do have AC+ if that means anything.

Thank you!!

 

[BlueMoon63]

With AC, I wouldn't even hesitate and bring it back. It's something I don't want to have happen even if it didn't impact the heart rate - the fact that it has moved is enough reason for me to bring it back.

 

[FellaMeLad]

With AC, I wouldn't even hesitate and bring it back. It's something I don't want to have happen even if it didn't impact the heart rate - the fact that it has moved is enough reason for me to bring it back.

+1. Even if the heart rate monitor function is working now, if that thing is moving it's only a matter of time before the readings start becoming unreliable/inaccurate/temperamental, etc.

That seems like a manufacturing defect to me and so I'd bring it into a specialist at an Apple store asking for a replacement. They'll see the Watch hasn't been dropped as there's no impact damage, and so I would not want it taken care of with one of my Apple Care incidents. I'd push for a free of charge replacement.

Good luck!

Fella.

 

[JohnApples]

Thanks guys for the input!

I agree with both of you, I really don't feel comfortable knowing that parts are moving around in there, even if it is just a little bit. My watch is flawless except for that, because I treat it like a baby. I really have no clue how that even happened.

Unfortunately I'll have to wait till next week before I can find some time to go to the nearest Apple Store. It better be covered as a manufacturer defect.

Thanks again!

 

[JohnApples]

So here's an update almost a month later:

I brought my Watch into the nearest Apple Store (not exactly "near") and had a genius look at my dislodged sensor. He seemed very intrigued by it and called several other geniuses over to inspect it and compare it to their own watches. After agreeing that it was a manufacturer defect, I handed my Watch over to them and they boxed it up for repair.

Fast forward to 3 days later, I get an email saying that my Watch is ready for pickup, and that repair was declined. Furious, I drove all the way back to the Apple Store and received my watch, still defected. I was told that they "weren't sure why it was declined, and after speaking to several different employees with no answer, I was told to call Apple Support from home and ship it from there instead so I wouldn't have to come out to the Apple Store again.

So I call Apple Support to find out why it was declined, and was on the phone for 1 hour and 15 minutes (90% of the time was on hold). I was transferred to several different people, only to be told that no one could figure out why my repair was declined. I was transferred to a higher-up and she apologized and said they would replace my Watch with a new one for free for my troubles.

Fast forward to a week later, and I receive my new watch. Sensors are all in place and perfect. Today, upon removing my watch, I discovered that once again, the heart rate LEDs are beginning to shift from the inside, albeit slightly less this time.

This has been a huge headache for me, and I really have no idea why this is happening. I treated my new watch with even MORE care than before, and it is still shifting. I'm really wondering if I'm alone on this and I'm just having really bad luck. Has ANYONE else noticed any anomalies with their heart rate sensors on the back?

Thanks!

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

To be honest, I think you're being rather anal retentive. If it works keep using it.

 

[Night Spring]

Could it be related to this problem?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/back-fell-out-of-apple-watch.1906205/#post-21681798

 

[JohnApples]

Could it be related to this problem?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/back-fell-out-of-apple-watch.1906205/#post-21681798

That's interesting. I don't know if the two are related but I guess it's possible. I'll have to do some more digging.

To be honest, I think you're being rather anal retentive. If it works keep using it.

You know, I though the same thing too. But then 2 things occurred to me. One, I was always very lenient on defects before. For example, I currently have an iPhone 6 with one of those "crescent moon" shifted front facing cameras. With my iPhone 5, I had a "loose" lock button that moved around too much. My Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard had a slight arch to it out of the box. I'm just tired of putting up with these defects in "premium" products.

The second, bigger reason though, is that it doesn't make me comfortable at all knowing that parts can, and are, shifting inside my watch. There shouldn't be any reason for that, and what if it affects the Watch later on?

Lon story short, yes I may be a bit anal on this, but I think I deserve to be considering what I paid for it.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

You know, I though the same thing too. But then 2 things occurred to me. One, I was always very lenient on defects before. For example, I currently have an iPhone 6 with one of those "crescent moon" shifted front facing cameras. With my iPhone 5, I had a "loose" lock button that moved around too much. My Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard had a slight arch to it out of the box. I'm just tired of putting up with these defects in "premium" products.

The second, bigger reason though, is that it doesn't make me comfortable at all knowing that parts can, and are, shifting inside my watch. There shouldn't be any reason for that, and what if it affects the Watch later on?

Lon story short, yes I may be a bit anal on this, but I think I deserve to be considering what I paid for it.

Just take it easy. I also have the crescent moon issue on my launch day iPhone 6, but rather than replacing it right away only to see it appear again, I plan to replace it right before the warranty ends. If Apple finds a permanent fix at that time, great. If not, nothing I can do if it surfaces again because any replacement I get would do the same thing.

Same thing with the Black and Slate iPhone 5 units finding their way into retail boxes full of nicks and scrapes from factory. I simply called Apple and informed them of my intention to replace it at a later date, and they annotated it in their system. They eventually corrected this issue. Much better and easier than blasting through multiple units in the beginning because they all suffered the same thing.

 

[JohnApples]

Just take it easy. I also have the crescent moon issue on my launch day iPhone 6, but rather than replacing it right away only to see it appear again, I plan to replace it right before the warranty ends. If Apple finds a permanent fix at that time, great. If not, nothing I can do if it surfaces again because any replacement I get would do the same thing.

Same thing with the Black and Slate iPhone 5 units finding their way into retail boxes full of nicks and scrapes from factory. I simply called Apple and informed them of my intention to replace it at a later date, and they annotated it in their system. They eventually corrected this issue. Much better and easier than blasting through multiple units in the beginning because they all suffered the same thing.

That is true, I hadn't thought of that. Would be much easier on me as well especially if the replacement process is as frustrating as last time. I'll wait it out a bit before taking action.

Thanks!