It's about that time again, "new year, new me." For many people that "new me" includes losing weight. After all, summer bodies are made in the winter. With that being said, fitness trackers have become the new it accessory to help with that journey. There are several accessories on the market that help you count calories, steps, and inform you of your heart rate when working out. Even the Apple Watch has a fitness component to it. But what happens when you purchase a watch and it doesn't work because there's too much melanin in your skin? This is the case with the Xiaomi Mi Band2.

The Xiaomi Mi Band2 can be found at major retailers like Walmart and online retailers like Amazon.com. The tracker, which retails between $17 and $25, seems to be a cheap alternative to the cost of other fitness trackers that can run you into the high hundreds. It may sound like a great deal, but that deal only turns out to be great if you're not black.

Black users of the device have complained that the device can't depict their heart rate with its sensor. In order to get it to work, you have to put it on a lighter part of your body such as the palm of your hand, or you can place a white sheet of paper under it. Black users have experienced problems with the device since October 2016 and are fed up with the lack of improvements to the current models. More than one black user has experienced these issues, and that's evidenced by a forum created on the company's website where black people have vented their frustrations with the device. Still, the company has not fixed the issue.

Hopefully, MIUI Global can get it together and recognize that there's more than one shade to the human race. Until then, let's get fit with accessories that acknowledge our melanin.

Loving Blavity’s content? Sign up for our newsletter!

xiaomi mi band2

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week