Fitbit Alta turning off out of the charger

[Srishti97]

My fitbit alta has stopped working as soon as its being Unplugged from the charger.Even after tapping it multiple times,it is not reponding as if its dead and as soon as its plugged with charger,Its battery in fitbit app shows that its fully charged and synced but when unplugged,its not working at all.

Help me as soon as possible!

Moderator edit: Updated title for clarity, format

[hart95]

Thank you.  I did try deleting and reinstalling the phone app.  Same results.

Wish there were a method available to reinstall the firmware on the fitbit.   This all started when the fitbit did its last update.

[Guessohw]

Fitbit’s Customerservice hands-down was absolute garbage. As I noted in multiple posts on here as have countless others, they have zero intentions of assisting anybody and would rather insult you with a discount on a new unit. Just like I told them they might as well be in business with Apple because magically when a new device comes out their older still very reliable device is somehow stop working.

Fitbit’s Customerservice hands-down was absolute garbage. As I noted in multiple posts on here as have countless others, they have zero intentions of assisting anybody and would rather insult you with a discount on a new unit. Just like I told them they might as well be in business with Apple because magically when a new device comes out they’re older still very reliable device is somehow stop working.

I was on the other hand able to come up with a solution for this as I stated I would and now I have a Garmin unit and absolutely love this thing hands-down. It puts the Fitbit to absolute shame and is 100% waterproof and does more than I could possibly ever want. It monitors everything from my heart rate, water intake, my sleep as well as the different variances of sleep, and altimeter, you name it it literally has it. I will never use another Fitbit device after using this unit. It’s the Garmin Instinct MIL-STD-810G And costs roughly the same exact amount as a new Fitbit device. And does 100 things more than the Fitbit unit ever could and is incredibly simple to navigate.

[PJ66]

The battery if fully charged ... The Alta does not wake up unless in the charging clip.  There is a bug in the firmware and once the the Alta is removed from the charging clip and goes to sleep and it will not wake up until it sees external power again. 

I find it Fitbit's attitude disturbing as this is a well known issue that nobody seems to be working on fixing and moderators are not addressing honestly. Instead they are advising users to do something that seldom is successful and if not telling them to buy a new tracker.

Given that response by the company, I'm not likely to replace this Alta with another Fitbit device.  This is an issue that should have been resolved long ago ... I have little confidence that another device will not suffer from a similar design defect with an indifferent response from Fitbit.

[Lkemer]

I am having all of these problems and have tried all off the tricks suggested on this forum. What now? 

[PJ66]

You're most likely out of luck ... Based on their forum responses to
hundreds of identical failures posted here, Fitbit has no intention of
resolving this well documented problem technically. They've moved on to
their next generation of junk and you're left holding an expensive piece of
non-functional jewelry.

[Sawyer66]

I honestly believe Fitbit knows it’s on them and their answer is to buy a new product. That to me is really poor customer service and there are many other brands out there so there is choice!

I couldn’t agree more. I did get another one but because of their reaction to so many people having this issue and not taking it serious or standing by customers it will be my last one from them. Too many choices with better customer service.

Sent from my iPhone

Moderator edit: merged reply

[Pollybaby]

Thanks for the post. I will certainly have a go .
Most grateful for your help

[GMcI]

That’s great! It’s good to hear a happy ending. I had the “upgrade” they did last year and nothing worked. I eventually bought a Garmin, my repetitive strain injury from pressing the reset button 12,000 times is finally healed! 🙃

[angietp]

Well, it quit working again. Lol!

Sent from Angie's iPhone

[GMcI]

Ouch! I’m really sorry!

[Lkemer]

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

[SunsetRunner]

Had the same problem, usually means the battery is dead, I had to toss out my Alta.

[Miri28]

@Rich_Laue I am experiencing the same issue!

Mine did vibrate when plugged in, up til last night. I just plugged it in now and it did not vibrate. The display works when plugged into my laptop. Then once disconnected and I wear it for 20mins - 2hrs the display won't show and it won't speak to my phone. I had it on for 13hrs. I noticed after 20 mins the screen was unresponsive. It did not track my sleep, and it only tracked the 20mins worth of steps. 

I posted yesterday about my Alta. I didn't see this thread until now. Any help would be great! Thanks

[MarakiP]

Same here! Any help would be appreciated 

[Kdiane5]

My fit bit Alta is doing the same thing, as soon as I unplug the charger it turns off and I have only used it a week, I believe it's not under warranty.

[GMcI]

I really wish I could help. When my Alta did the same thing, I kept trying, using the suggestions that the moderator gave everyone. After getting absolutely nowhere, I gave up and bought a Garmin, which works perfectly. I wish I could have fixed my Alta, but I was so disgusted with their lack of honesty that I refused to give them more of my money. 

[Kaikhani]

Mine too from last few months. I gave up contacting and trying them to understand and aolve the problem. It seems they (Fitbit makers) doesn’t know the problem and its solution. So give up dear!!

[gmarie830]

<Mine is also having the same poor battery life after charging and fast drain once it is restarted. I don't know why the company can't just be straight with us and point out that ALL rechargeable batteries have a limited life span  a with finite number of charging cycles. I came here looking for information on how to replace what I am sure is a worn out battery. From what appears to be an avoidance of giving customers factual information about the battery life, I suspect the battery is NOT replicable, and I won't waste any more time (or money) on Fitbit products. It was nice while it lasted, but I won't put up with undisclosed planned obsolescence, and getting the run around from the company when the product life predictably ends. 

Spoiler

[SunsetRunner]

I've had mine since mid-2018, and now it is shutting down completely after two days. I already don't wear it at night, and have turned off all vibrating alarms and notifications. When it shuts down I plug it into the charger and it takes a while to react and show me that the battery is supposedly at half charged level. I guess the battery is slowly dying. I found instructions on how to replace the battery - if you find one and if it is okay and if you know how to carefully solder a very tiny connection.

I don't. So I am very angry that fitbit sold us an expensive essentially one-use piece of equipment without saying so. Once I cannot use it even for one day I will find a new fitness band and it is NOT going to be another fitbit! I am not impressed by this company any more!

[GMcI]

You and gmarie830 are right. I was surprised to see that the FitBit fails seem to come in waves. Thought my cohort of tens of thousands was the victim of a one-off firmware update over a year ago. The customer service at that time was to deny that it was their fault and offer a discount on the new model.

This must be their sales strategy.

I did buy a new model, and I’m very happy with my Garmin.