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Fitbit Alta suddenly turning off

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‎08-31-2018 12:14 - last edited on ‎08-20-2020 18:17 by Fitbit Moderator

‎08-31-2018 12:14 - last edited on ‎08-20-2020 18:17 by Fitbit Moderator

Ever since I did the update  I've noticed my Alta all of a sudden shuts off with no warning. Every time the battery is on yellow but not dead. I get nothing on the screen and it stops syncing. I mainly use it for phone or text notifications so not having it working with no warning is a problem. I am able to restart it by plugging it in. But that option is not always available. It never did that before the update. Now I regret doing the update. 

 

Moderator edit: Updated title for clarity

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589 REPLIES 589

‎07-06-2019 10:39

In response to Padmagirison

‎07-06-2019 10:39

Sounds about right...still planning on putting it back on the charger tomorrow...super classy that we still don't have an actual reason for the problems...

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‎07-06-2019 12:46

In response to huker325

‎07-06-2019 12:46

I've had some success--unpaired my Alta and re-paired it. Seems to have stopped turning off (for now).

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‎07-06-2019 12:59

In response to avknow

‎07-06-2019 12:59

I chatted with Fitbit tech and they had me reset my Alta using the button on the plug end of the charger (didn't know it was there).  I had to plug my Alta into the charger then push the reset button 3 times within a few seconds.  Then they wanted me to sync it several times over the next few hours which I did.  It lasted more than a day before it turned itself off.  I charged it for a full day and it has been on going 2 days now.Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S7, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone
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‎07-07-2019 05:06

In response to avknow

‎07-07-2019 05:06

What did you do exactly?

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‎07-07-2019 05:29

‎07-07-2019 05:29

I am having the same issue.   Now I can't even to get it to charge.   And I've ony had my Alta for about 6 months.   There has to be a reason for this.  Help!

 

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‎07-07-2019 11:07

In response to smiller832

‎07-07-2019 11:07

Yes, there is a reason...no...Fitbit hasn't told us...I left me off for days to no avail...going to call and see what they say...again...

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‎07-07-2019 17:08

In response to ValNA

‎07-07-2019 17:08

I contacted the manufacturer yesterday (7/06/19. They told me to do all the things I learned on here. I explained the problem to them a dozen times, I felt that he was reading from a script, and couldn't answer any questions. My Fitbit was a gift in March, I never had this problem with my last one. They told me to call when it happens again, it died last night after hours (of course). I'm sure I will be calling them again soon. The phone number is: 1(877)623-4997.

 

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‎07-10-2019 14:48

In response to Alison3122

‎07-10-2019 14:48

Fitbit is least bothered,the only action taken by fitbit is to  take Alta from their production range.if it is less than six months old is it not under warranty for a replacement?

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
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‎07-10-2019 18:41 - last edited on ‎07-23-2019 13:12 by

In response to Padmagirison

‎07-10-2019 18:41 - last edited on ‎07-23-2019 13:12 by

No it's 15 months old but should last longer disappointed with the company bad after sales team not really come up with any solution just want to carry on selling rubbish


Moderator edit: personal info removed

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‎07-10-2019 23:17

In response to Padmagirison

‎07-10-2019 23:17

Right now I'm stuck...I sort of want another Alta because it's still rated higher than most...BUT...I won't until I know what the problem is...If it's a battery thing, it is off the table.  If it's a firmware issue, I'll have to find an older model and just not update it...

 

Pretty much the only real problem I see at this point is the fact that Fitbit can't/won't come clean about that the actual problem is.

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‎07-11-2019 19:42

In response to huker325

‎07-11-2019 19:42

I'm almost there...going to try one last time to see if they will tell me what is wrong or what went wrong.  I would say wish me luck but we're all adults here.  If they haven't told anyone at this point I'm going to get stock answers and silence...

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‎07-27-2019 16:37

In response to huker325

‎07-27-2019 16:37

So, I tried following this advice and it didn't help. We also tried resetting, no change, the Alta powers off on its own shortly after we remove it from a charging cable.

 

Then we got aggressive. We bought a new lithium ion battery, tore the screen off the Alta (pretty easy, pry it from the ends near where the band attaches and the clips pop out), and soldered a new lithium battery to the Alta's board. Sadly, there was no change – even with the new battery, the Alta powers off within a minute of being removed from its charging cable.

 

I'm not sure what else to try at this point, except maybe probe some parts on the board. It sure seems like a board component has failed for all of us or something was hard-coded to fail after a certain age.

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‎07-27-2019 21:30

In response to Ellabella2007

‎07-27-2019 21:30

Wow, so it doesn't sound like a battery issue after all. My husband has been thinking of tearing mine apart since it's useless anyway and playing around. 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
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‎07-28-2019 03:55

In response to Ellabella2007

‎07-28-2019 03:55

Me too feel this is board problem,must be defying the technical team of fitbit too hence they are keeping quite despite so many complaints

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
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‎08-10-2019 06:37

In response to huker325

‎08-10-2019 06:37

Well, I did another chat...with the FItbit on the charger right next to me.  We went through all the "fixes" and I did all I was asked to do...while letting them know it hadn't worked before.  Long and short of it was that he sort of acknowledged the fact the Fitbit knows of the problem (I mentioned the community forums several times) and he stated that there had been a recent update that may have addresses the issue.  I took mine off the charger and went to bed.  Well, it was off when I got up...says I slept til 5:26am..at least I have an idea of how long it'll work, right?

 

I told the guy that I have no plans to buy another device.  I like the Alta, it's still rated above their Inspire...so I think my next move is ebay...

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‎08-10-2019 18:36

‎08-10-2019 18:36

My Alta is having the same issue. My software updated this morning, and now it will not remain on unless connected to the charger! Extremely unhappy as I’m sure I’m also out of warranty. Is this a way to force us to upgrade devices?!

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‎08-10-2019 20:34

In response to huker325

‎08-10-2019 20:34

I think they're confused that we're are just shifting over to the newer stuff...it is troubling that they don't/won't realize we have no reason to have any confidence in a different model.  I'm not the type of person to go "oh well, this sucker died for no reason, I'm sure the next one will be better."  

 

I had my Alta for a long time.  If it's toast because of it's age, I would accept that.  But from what I've seen in this forum that isn't the case.  

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‎08-10-2019 20:36

In response to hollsa

‎08-10-2019 20:36

Seems like...they offered me a 25% discount but I only had a limited amount of time to use it...hard pass for me.  Not buying another new device til I know what killed this one...

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‎08-11-2019 04:45

In response to huker325

‎08-11-2019 04:45

As another data point that indicates that this is not an aging device issue, my new Alta has been out of the box less than a month and it stopped working...mid-workout, no less. 
I've been a Fitbit customer for over 5 years and feel their customer support has seriously eroded over the years. Their failure to acknowledge the Alta issue and inability to resolve the issue does not reflect well on the company. 
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
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‎08-11-2019 09:32

In response to HokieDeb

‎08-11-2019 09:32

Less than a month...that's completely unacceptable.  Did they offer a refurbished replacement?  That's apparently what they are doing for people still in warranty.  This is insanity...

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