My Alta turns itself off.

[Celticsfan]

My Alta turns itself off and won’t turn back on till placed on charger. I just took it off charge this morning and it has a medium battery life any suggestions? It was working fine till the beginning of April and now it keeps turning off. i am not sure if the update has anything to do with this? it is very frustrating.

Moderator edit: format

[SunsetRunner]

Mine does the same thing!!! Ugh!!! I bought it second hand so I’m sure I’m just out the money I spent 

[CJmica]

Same here---customer support offers no help or idea as to why this is happening.  I find it very odd and extremely suspicious that  so many ALTA people are having this similar issue.

[DaraAJ]

I am having the same issue. The last time it shut off, it even stopped counting time. By the time I got to a charging cable, it was 10 minutes behind. I restarted it, but it still won't refresh. The restarting doesn't help with it shutting off randomly. Is there anything else I can do?

[BartVA]

To DaraAJ and all others with a defective fitbit product:

Throw it in the garbage and promise yourself to never buy another fitbit product.  Put a wrist watch on and go for a 30 minute walk; at a moderate pace you'll do at least 3000 steps; if you want 10K steps a day, walk for an hour and 40 minutes.  Oh, and if you want to lose weight, stop eating so much.

If that's your best answer, we're all screwed.

To LiliyaFitbit (@Best Answer)

There needs to be a "- Did Not Work For Me" button.  That's the one most of us would be clicking.

Moderator edit: merged replies

[ADGOLDS]

I've given up on fitbit. I've had 3 now of different types over the years.. not one has lasted longer than 2 years..

Have changed to a Samsung fit e.   For £35 it seems better than the Alta hr.  

[TerpGirl13]

So I finally contacted Customer Service because I was so annoyed about the situation, and as was previously mentioned (and I suspected) it was out of warranty.  Although, when I first contacted them, I had to do a battery test, to see if there was a problem with it (answer was yes, without doing the battery test, but I did it).  The next day, I had to contact them again, so they could see that there was a problem with the battery.  They confirmed that it was "defective," but the only thing that they could do for me was give me a % off of a new Fitbit device.  I have loved Fitbit and the concept, but I have just invested in the new Apple Watch, and this was the push that I needed to make the change.  Thanks, but no thanks Fitbit.

[Ambulas19]

I am having the exact same issue with my fitbit working perfectly fine, barely used it and now it is shutting off around 75% charge and will not come back on unless I plug it in.  I have updated my app, re-synced it and also restarted it via the charging cord.  I have called fitbit a couple times and since it is out of warranty they will do nothing for me other than the 35% discount.  Why should I have to spend 65% on a new fitbit when this one was perfectly fine until this issue started?  The issue is obviously something on fitbit's end or due to a software update or something since so many people are having the exact same issue. To not take are of it simply because it's out of warranty is very disheartening a major turn off to fitbit as a company.  Why would I want to buy a new one if it can just randomly stop working and the company won't stand behind their product because it's out of warranty.  I will not remain a fitbit customer if this is unresolved and will make sure everyone I know is aware of the pathetic customer service experience I have had.  Fitbit needs to do the right thing here.

[CJmica]

I completely agree----this had to be a result of a software update and I most certainly will not buy a new unit.

[Kimbeiro]

I'm also having this issue with my fitbit.. Fitbit turns off every two days I have to put my fitbit on the charge for it to work. I have pressed the black button on the charger.. Why does it continue to do this.. Does it need a new battery? Help I love my fitbit.

[Muchaddo]

Mine is doing the exact same thing . I’ve contacted the support team and they keep telling me to restart the device . The only way it does now is by pressing the black reset button multiple times ( more than 3)..at which point it gives me a 4digit code to finally sync. 
This keeps happening about every second day as well . Super annoying . Fit Bit needs to recognize and admit there is a major flaw with the ALTA HR

[dunca]

I gave up and though it out and bought Nee one.?this will be the last time I purchase

Sent from my iPhone

[GoGoJoJo]

This happens to my Alta Hr at least 5 times a week, 50% battery and just switches off. It takes the three press boost button on the charger to bring it back. 

what is the answer here? This has been for the past 6 weeks or so now. 
thanks. 

[Matisidro]

Same issue here, I’ve had my Alta HR around 18 months and it seems the latest update has killed it. It keeps switching off even though it still has plenty of battery. I notice the Alta is no longer available from Fitbit and they’ve just released the Inspire 2 which is basically a newer version of it. It does look like they’re trying to get you to upgrade. Or like Apple was doing slowing down your phone dramatically to “protect the battery” when it got older...consumerism at its worst. It’s disappointing if that is the strategy when a device isn’t even two years old. This isn’t sustainable or environmentally friendly at all. 

[PAHead]

I would be so bummed to learn this issue was just a matter of software. I’ve had my Alta HR for close to three years. To be fare, I put it through a good amount of wear and tear but never once had an issue until now. Same as all the others here. It will just randomly turn off. Sometimes will reset, sometimes won’t. The worst part is that I purchased the limited edition black model with the corresponding designer collaboration parachute strap which cost as much as the device itself. I actually purchased the strap twice as I broke the first one. A hardware issue I could live with but if it’s a software problem, that just adds insult to injury 

[Muchaddo]

They offered a 35% discount only only a few models . I hadn’t even had the device for two years!! Multiple straps purchased etc .

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[SmilingSuey]

So dissappointed in Fitbit now! Out of warranty so they only offer discount on newer, more expensive models. This is my 4th fitbit and love this Alta, and have invested in several bands and chargers. So if their software upgrade broke it, then why should I buy another from them? They'll just out-mode it whenever they want! 

[me10lee83]

Same problem here! I had a Alta HR but it stopped working (water damage I think) so I switched back to my old non-HR Alta and started having this issue right away! It seems if I keep it fully charged (so, charge it every single day) it works better. If I forget a night it doesn't always die the next day, but often. So annoying and I'm missing so many steps because I don't discover it's died right away, or I don't always have time to charge it right away.

[kimberleyabbott]

Mine also does this and i am so sad. Loads of battery life but after a day of wearing just turns off and fails to record anything 😔

[alistokes]

I have the same problem - I have good battery life but have to consistently connect the Alta as it switches itself off. I have tried the restart option using the charger pushing the button 3 times but no response.  Any suggestions?

[MFJ711]

Yes, I too suffer from this issue. Once my Alta hit a year and a half old, this issue started up. After trying to reset it, it would be fine til the next day, then again and so on. This was a year or two ago, my frustration was high a I moved it to the deck of the shelf, giving up on it. Beginning of the year, COVID caught me and had breathing issues which landed me in the hospital. They got me stabilized where I could breath again, only my COVID pneumonia continued. A week ago, I ran across my Alta and charged it up, having forgotten what the issue that sidelined it. Two days later, it decided to remind me. Spent hours trying to come up with an answer and ran into this post several  times. It got so bad that I rebooted it one minute, looking good, only to be unresponsive an hour later, repeat, no good 10 minutes, ten down to less than 5.

After reading further into the replies, no new insights seemed  to appear. Then, I had a thought. Even though the battery was reading  at 70 % +, I wondered if this was a deteriorating battery issue. Recharged the Alta to 100% and it lasted through the night and not an issue all day. Going to see how it does overnight and on down the battery scale.

If you have an issue, try charging to 100 %, see if that works for you. Still complain to tech support, with the number of replies, and I am sure that many go unreported, this sounds like a poor product design.  

Hope this helps my fellow Altians. Stay healthy!!