No warning for low battery on Alta

[LACraig]

My Alta is no longer warning me when the battery is low. When I first got my Alta, it would warn me that the battery is low so I knew I needed to charge it. According to everything I've read, it is supposed to give a low battery indication which would mean I should have about one day's charge left (give or take). I have reset my Alta; limited my notifications; added the battery level into the display settings. Still, I only know it is low when it has died and I have the sad empty battery icon with the exclamation point. This seems to have started after one of the firmware updates. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem or know how to fix this?

[MaginB]

It's great to have you in the Fitbit Community @LACraig! I hope you're doing great!

Let me help you with this, you an edit the order of your stats on your device settings you can try setting the battery level to show first when you double tap your display. Try doing the restart just make sure to follow the instructions that @CindyFitbit shared and keep an eye on it. 

Keep me posted! 

[LACraig]

I have restarted it - every time I charge it (after it dies without warning). I don't want to change the order of the stats displayed when it seems like there is an issue with the Alta (or perhaps something stemming from an update?). What I'm trying to find out is if there is a solution to this or if anyone else is experiencing the same issue. I've already received one replacement Alta because my first one was faulty (only gave me 50-60% of actual steps) and now this. I'm honestly quite disappointed with my experience thus far with Fitbit as a whole.

[nessker]

I'm having the same issue except that it never has warned me that it is dead.

[SunsetRunner]

It just happened to me today. I wasn't able to sync or wake up the display so I started going through the steps to do a reset. That's when I found out the battery had died. I disliked the Alta almost immediately and still have a love hate relationship with it. The One never had all these issues.

[LucyAP]

It's great to see that you've visited the Fitbit Community @LACraig, @nessker and @SunsetRunner! If after following @MaginB's advice in the post above your tracker continues experiencing the same issue, please contact Support for further help. They can take a look at your tracker's information in the system and help further with this. 

Good luck, and keep me posted with the outcome! 😉 

[SunsetRunner]

Same here. I had a Charge and never had an issue with the battery just clapping out with no warning. I have lost days of activity due to this. Fix this with Alta!

[LucyAP]

Thanks for stopping by @SunsetRunner! If you already tried @MaginB's great advice in his post above, please get in touch with Support for further help. 

Keep me posted! 🙂 

[SunsetRunner]

OK I have done it...although it's not really the same as getting a warning proactively is it? It means I am primarily using my device as a battery status checker rather than a watch or activity tracker.

[LucyAP]

It's good to hear back from you @SunsetRunner! I wanted to thank you for your feedback about the Fitbit Alta. At the moment, you can opt to be notified via push notifications or email about several Fitbit topics, including low battery.

To enable this notification: 

1. Log into your dashboard at fitbit.com and click the gear icon in the upper right corner of your dashboard.
2. Choose Settings > Notifications and select Mobile or Email for Low Battery.
3. Don't forget to click Save.

I hope this helps, keep me posted! 😉 

[LR60]

I am having the same problem as reported by the other users on this feed.  When I first got my Alta, I did get warnings when my battery was getting low (on phone and in email).  In fact, the tracker would flash the battery status when I turned my wrist (instead of clock) when the battery was getting low, before showing me the time.  Now I only get the low battery warning in email (no phone notification) after I have the battery symbol with the exclamation point on my tracker.   This is especially annoying because I use the Alta as my watch.  I go to check the time and see the exclamation point and can't check the time!  

I suspect (as others have said) that something was changed in an update so subsequently the Alta has stopped warning us when battery is low.  

Is there an update for this problem?  Is it being addressed?  I really like my Alta, but will have to find a different tracker if I can't resolve this issue.  It's really annoying to lose steps, activity tracking, and watch functionality due to low battery when I could have addressed the problem had I only realized the battery was getting low.  

[LucyAP]

Thanks for stopping by @LR60! This is not the expected Alta behavior. However, the issue that you are experiencing may be cause by the tracker getting stuck on a Firmware update. 

To solve this, you need to restart your Alta and try to update your Alta's firmware. To update your tracker follow these steps: 

Fitbit App

1. Verify that the latest version of the Fitbit app is installed on your device. 
2. With your charged tracker nearby, open the Fitbit app.
3. Tap or click the Account icon 
4. Tap or click your tracker tile.
5. Tap or click the pink Update Tracker button. You'll only see an option to update your tracker if updates are available.
6. Follow the prompts onscreen and keep the tracker close to the mobile device during the update. If the update is slow, don't remove your tracker from your account as a troubleshooting measure.

Fitbit.com Dashboard

1. If your tracker came with a wireless sync dongle, make sure its plugged into a USB port on your computer. 
2. Unless you installed Fitbit Connect for the first time recently, verify that you're using the latest version:
   • Click the Fitbit Connect icon located near the date and time on your computer.
     

     If you cannot find the icon, you may need to reinstall Fitbit Connect from http://www.fitbit.com/setup.

   • Click Open Main Menu...
   • Click Troubleshooting.
   • Below the Fitbit Connect number, click Check for updates.
3. Go back to the main menu and click Check for device update.
4. When prompted, log in to your Fitbit account. Fitbit Connect will sync your tracker and then look for a firmware update. If an update is found, Fitbit Connect will display a progress bar until the update finishes. If your tracker has a screen, you'll also see a progress bar there.
5. Keep your tracker close to the computer during the update, which may take several minutes. When the update is done you'll see a confirmation message and your tracker will restart. You're all set.

If the update fails to complete, try again. If it fails a second time, see the help article Why can't I update my tracker?

The update that has recently rolled out, included bug fixes, stability improvements, and a low security update. And it's not mentioned any change to the battery level screen. However, you can check this post about Alta Firmware Release - 21.38.12 for more up to date information.

If you are having issues with your battery, check this posts about Battery Short Life and Battery Not Charging.

I hope this helps, keep me posted! 😉 

[revjoanne]

I'm having the same issue that my fitbit only holds a charge for a few days (when I first got it I could go almost two weeks) but the main problem for me is that I don't get any warning about low battery. If it dies at night I lose my sleep info, which is quite important to me.  Can anyone help?

[revjoanne]

I double checked and I have both mobile and email notification checked for low battery. But I'm still not getting a push notification.

[duckboxxer]

Was a resolution ever found?  My Alta is having the same issue.  Quite annoying.

[RHowe]

I just started having this issue within the last month. During this the same time, the charge is not lasting as long. 

[xrx44x]

Sad to see there’s no not really any fix about this. Mine’s been doing it since I got it. I have app and email notifications set up and the only time I get a low battery notification is if I just do happen to open the app when the batter is low. 

[PammieJo]

I am having the exact same issue. 

[xrx44x]

>From what I’m reading anywhere, that’s just how it is and they haven’t done
anything to fix it 😒
--
Rachel A. Orth

[RHowe]

Now, mine also shuts down every couple of days and even though their is still battery power, I have to charge it to get it to come back on. My next tracker will not be a FitBit.