Polar V800 Troubleshooting

No matter how long you hold down the power button, the device will not power on.

The watch needs to be charged. A charging clip is provided with the Polar V800. The charging cable uses a male USB adapter to plug into a wall adapter or a computer with a USB port. If the watch does not charge, ensure that the power source works by testing another device. If the power source is in working order, then the charging cable may be broken.

In conditions below 14 °F (-10 °C) or exceeding 122 °F (50 °C), the watch will not operate. Ensure the watch is within the operating temperature guidelines. Do not allow the watch to sit in direct sunlight, as this may cause overheating.

The watch will not gain a charge or turn on when plugged into a power source.

If the watch fails to charge, the charging cable may not be properly clamped to the charging port. Ensure the charging port cover is not covering the port or caught between the clamp and the charging port contacts. It may take some tinkering to align the charging clamp with the contact points of the charging port.

Exposure to sweat and water corrodes the metal parts of the charging port. To prevent corrosion, ensure the charging port cover is over the charging port when the watch is not charging. If the charging port cover is broken or missing, please refer to the Polar V800 Charging Port Replacement Guide for help in replacing the cover. After activity, always thoroughly dry the charging port with a microfiber cloth. Store the Polar V800 in a dry place when it is not in use. If the charging port is highly corroded, replacement or repair is needed.

When the connector cavity captures dust, hair, or dirt, the contact pins become covered. Wipe the contact pins of the charging port with a dry, microfiber cloth (like those for glass surfaces). Clean the charging cavity with a toothpick to remove any other dirt from cavity.

If the cable’s wiring is over-bent or experienced a high-pressure load on any part of the cable, the wiring may be damaged or split within the coated insulator. To prevent stressing the charging cable, neatly wrap the cable when it is not in use. Keep the charging cable off the ground as much as possible, as this opens opportunity for stepping-on or running-over the charging cable.

The screen is displaying odd colors, a black screen, or nothing at all.

If the battery runs out, the watch will automatically power off. Try connecting the device to the charger. If it seems the watch won’t charge, refer to the charging troubleshooting portion of this guide.

If the Polar V800 is dropped or experiences a high impact collision, the display may experience issues. Avoid using the watch in high-impact sports or in situations where the watch runs the risk of being hit. When not in use, keep the Polar V800 in a safe place away from animals and children. If the display needs to be replaced, please refer to the Polar V800 Display Replacement Guide.

If the watch is taken below 30 meters, the water seal may break and water may enter the housing of the watch. Water inside the watch may cause the screen to exhibit odd colors or not function. Try placing the watch in a container of rice for a day to dry the watch out internally. If the screen does not operate after drying, then the display may need to be replaced. Please refer to the Polar V800 Display Replacement Guide for help in replacing your display.

When pressing buttons on the watch, the watch will not respond.

A soft reset restarts your device without erasing any of the data stored on the watch. To perform a soft reset, hold down all of the buttons (the UP, DOWN, BACK, and LIGHT buttons) simultaneously for five seconds until the Polar animation is shown on the display.

You may have accidentally turned on button lock, or forgotten to turn it off. You can find this setting under General Settings > Button Lock. If Manual Lock is enabled, you can unlock the buttons manually under the quick menu. In Automatic Lock, the buttons will automatically lock itself after 60 seconds of activity. Make sure both are turned off if the problem persists.

To factory reset, plug the watch into the computer’s USB port and go to FlowSync software. Click Settings > FACTORY RESET. It may take awhile to restore the factory settings. Unplug the watch and plug it back in. When the Flow web service landing page opens, sign in using your existing credentials, accept the settings, and press done in the end. Note, doing a factory reset disconnects the user account from the watch and deletes all data on the device, so make sure that all data is synced to your Flow account.

If none of the above solutions have worked, there may be a hardware issue with your buttons. Try cleaning the watch to make sure no dirt or dust is preventing the buttons from working properly. Refer to the cleaning portion below for more details.

Data such as time, altitude, and activity metrics are not accurate.

Sensors on the watch, such as the thermometer and the pressure gauges, detect conditions in the surroundings to calculate many metrics. Let the Polar V800 adapt to outside temperature for at least 15 minutes before starting training if there is a great temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. Pressure variations due to weather conditions or indoor air-conditioning may affect to barometric altitude readings.

Sweat and dirt may block air pressure sensor holes causing erratic values. If you sweat a lot wear the unit on top of your sleeve while training. After each usage, clean the air pressure sensor holes with a toothpick so that the watch can recalibrate and display accurate altitude.

You can wash the training device with a mild soap and water solution under running water. Remember not to press any buttons while washing. Check visually that there is no hair, dust or other dirt in the screw holes of the back case (barometer sensor is located in the upper part of the back case in the screw holes on right). A toothbrush can be used to remove any dirt. Do not use alcohol or any abrasive material such as steel wool or cleaning chemicals.

It is common that the hole for the barometer is filled with dirt/salt/fat. The result is barometer showing wrong altitude. To fix this, remove the casing and motherboard. You will see a red round rubber thingy, it is the barometer. The hole starts from one of the screws under the watch. Use a needle ore something else to clean the hole. And check the little hole in the sensor too.

A firmware update may be needed to keep the watch compatible with Polar’s services and to resolve any bugs the watch may have. Plug the watch into the computer via the USB cable. Make sure Polar FlowSync software is installed on your computer.

The Polar V800 receives data, such as the time, from a satellite connection. After a time without GPS usage, the watch’s displayed time may be inaccurate. To update the internal clock, allow the watch to make a full satellite connection and wait a minute for the watch to update its settings.

Altitude is automatically calibrated with GPS, but the Polar V800 also uses barometric pressure gauges to detect the altitude. To get the most accurate altitude readings, it is recommended to always manually calibrate altitude when you know the current altitude. To do this, press and hold the LIGHT button in pre-training mode or during training.

During running, walking, or cycling, the watch is not displaying the total distance and speed of the user.

The watch has a GPS data file that contains the information necessary to make a satellite connection. It is not uncommon for the GPS file to expire. An expired GPS file means the watch’s software is due for an update. To check if the GPS file has expired, navigate through the following path on the Polar V800: Settings > General Settings > About Your Product > A GPS exp. If the GPS data file has expired, connect the watch to your computer and update the software through the Polar FlowSync application on your computer. To install the Polar FlowSync software on your computer, go to the following link: http://flow.polar.com/start

If the device is in a location with a lot of tall objects (trees, buildings, etc.), it may have trouble establishing a GPS connection in order to report your data. To establish a connection, stand still with the watch outwards on the wrist, holding your arm above your head. There will be a percentage value next to the GPS icon indicating how strong your connection is. Once this reaches 100%, a full connection has been established.

The watch will not maintain a GPS connection when needing to record GPS data during a workout.

The location of the GPS antenna makes it more difficult to record GPS when the watch is not worn with the display facing outwards. If the display is on the inside of the wrist, the GPS could have a harder time establishing connection.

To establish a proper connection, go outdoors and away from buildings and trees. Wear the watch outwards on the wrist, horizontally in front or above the chest. Stand still and keep the arm stationary while the watch tries to find the connection. There will be a percentage value next to the GPS icon to show how much of a connection has been established. A full connection is established once it reaches 100%.

The watch will not detect or connect to other bluetooth accessories such as a phone.

To reset both the watch and the device, turn off bluetooth on the device, log out of the Polar app on the device and then log back in. Then turn the watch off and then on again. Turn on bluetooth on the device and a pairing confirmation number should appear on the watch. Type the confirmation number into the pop up which will appear on the Polar app and the connection should be established.

Flight mode turns off all wireless communications to and from the watch. If this is turned on, the V800 will not be able to connect to a separate device. To ensure this setting is turned off, follow this path: General Settings > Flight Mode and select off.

A firmware update may be needed to keep the watch compatible with Polar’s services and to resolve any bugs the watch may have. Plug the watch into the computer via the USB cable. Make sure Polar FlowSync software is installed on your computer. To install the Polar FlowSync software on your computer, go to the following link: http://flow.polar.com/start

The watch may be trying to connect to a local heart rate monitor. Remove the heart rate sensor from the chest strap or move the heart rate monitor away from the watch. A heart rate sensor can interfere with pairing if close by. By removing the sensor from the strap, bluetooth signal transmission from the sensor is ended.