Fitbit Blaze won't charge

[croadz]

I have been noticing issues with the Fitbit blaze recently. A month back it got stuck on the Fitbit logo but that got resolved after waiting for the battery to drain out completely and charging it again. However, yesterday, the Blaze just would not charge. I currently have it flashing the battery icon with one red bar on it. Please provide me with a solution to get the Blaze back to life.

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[Julia_G]

Hi, @croadz, it would be a good idea to start by cleaning the charging contacts.  Instructions here.  Then I wouod suggest plugging it in to charge, even if it does not seem to be charging.  Give it a couple if hours charge and then try the restart procedure.

With luck that will get you back going again.

Let us know how it goes.

[croadz]

I attempted the steps you mentioned but still nothing. The battery icon comes up with one red bar and goes off then comes back and goes off.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @croadz, in that case the next step would be to get in touch with Fitbit Customer Support on contact.fitbit.com.  They will advise you of your options.

[PCSBOB]

More than likely your Lipo battery is failing.  

Every Fitbit my family and friend have had has failed prematurely due to battery issues. The batteries they use are only good for about 150 charges.  150 charge X 3 days per charge mean about 450 days useful life of the device.   They will often replace the device under warranty during the first year.  The problem with this is the replacement will also fail.  It is shameful that so many of us are facing the same problem and now have Fitbit devices that are worthless  

You spend about $200 for a fitness device that is only usable for a bit more than a years  Shame on you Fitbit

[Julia_G]

@PCSBOB, your calculation of the useful life of a Fitbit is simply untrue.  For example, in all countries in the European Economic Area, Fitbits are guaranteed for 2 years = a minimum of 730 days.  I have Fitbits that have been going a lot longer than that.

Much depends on how you have treated your batteries.  You are, of course, correct in noting that all rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles.  You can maximise your overall battery life by avoiding deep discharges wherever possible.  Charging little and often is the best advice and ideally a modern lithium ion battery should be kept in a state of charge between 30-80 %

[PCSBOB]

The numbers I used were taken from some published reports I read. I also used my personal experience. Where did you get your information?

Wouldn't it be nice if Fitbit offered US customers the same warranty!  My family and I have a history of getting long life out of our electronics.  We do not upgrade each year to the newest and best.  We upgrade when the product breaks or is technically obsolete.

Are you saying that the battery issues so many people are writing about are the users fault?

[croadz]

I have to agree with @PCSBOB on this. We tend to upgrade devices when they are obsolete. However, the Fitbit going out of battery cannot be termed as obsolete when so many users are mentioning the same. From, personal experience, my Fitbit Blaze had been running well with about 3 days of battery life just last week and suddenly it's not even charging. I see other forum reports of members mentioning the same. I expect better from the Fitbit engineering team especially since I have recommended them to my friends and clients for the last 3 years.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @PCSBOB, I am not ascribing "fault" to anyone.  I am saying that if you repeatedly allow a lithium ion battery to discharge deeply, you will shorten its over all life.

You can read more about this in batteryuniversity.com and specifically this article

The basic take away is keeping it in a charge state between 30-80% is ideal, although deep discharge is much more damaging than charging above 80%.

Little and often charging your Fitbit is the best way to keep it going for as long as possible.

My personal experience also bears this out.

[koendb12]

i have my Fitbit little over 2 years now ..and guess what - it went suddenly down from 5 to 2 days, now not even 24hrs or less 😞

completely frustrated with this , such a good product, love the app but this kind of such short lifespan for such a device ? Makes me feel very uncomfortable - i just go back to swatch then.

[PCSBOB]

Consider yourself lucky!

Your Fitbit lasted a lot longer than ours did.

I like Fitbit's functions and easy of use. I do not like the reliability and life span.  People I know who have other brands do not seem to have this problem.  My neighbor has a Garmin that the has had for 3 years without any issues.  Apple watches dont fail like this

Why are these premature failures happening to so many people?

[croadz]

I feel the pain @koendb12. Mine had been going on with 3 days of battery life and then all of a sudden went on to not charge at all. I am hoping that Fitbit provides a good solution to this issue and also I hope it comes in fast.

[PCSBOB]

They may just send you a replacement if it is still under warranty.  The problem is that the replacement will likely fail in the same manner.

Sad isn't it!

[Julia_G]

@PCSBOB, this is general information for how to maximise the life of all modern lithium ion batteries. If you follow the Fitbit forums here regularly you will find that the Moderators consistently recommend these charging practices.  The suggestion to charge each day while you take it off to shower has been repeated over and over again in these forums.

Fitbit, like other manufacturers, want to emphasize their maximum battery life, and frankly Fitbits have about the best in the industry, far as I know,  Apple watches need to be charged every day.  So their headline information is that the battery can last up to 5 days -- so it can, and it is fine to use it that way, but if you ALWAYS use it that way, it may not last much longer than the warranty period (the minimum expected life).

If you use it to its maximum life of up to 5 days week after week, and only recharge when you get the battery critically low message, over a period of a year or more you may very well find that your battery's performance deteriorates.  That's just physics.  Fitbits warrant the battery for a year in the USA (or two years in the EEA and Australia) -- so even if you push it to the limit it should last that long and Fitbit will replace it if it does not.  But it probably won't last longer than 1-2 years if you do push it this way, hence the warranty period.

Modern cell phones are exactly the same these days (because they use the same lithium ion battery technology) -- cell phones cost a lot more!  Phone contracts are typically 18 months to 2 years, rarely longer, precisely because most people find their batteries are deteriorating about then.

What I am telling you, and I have provided you with the scientific explanation via the link that I have shared, is that you can get the BEST life by avoiding deep discharges as much as possible (obviously an occasional deep discharge may be inevitable).  It will NEVER be forever.  ALL rechargeable batteries deteriorate over time.  How fast they deteriorate will partly depend on how they are used.

I repeat: for maximum life, avoid deep discharges and ideally, as often as you can, keep it between 30-80 % charged.

Push it to the limit when you have to, but otherwise little and often is ideal.  That's worth repeating!  

[mrsspanish]

i am trying to get a replacement. mine is only 5 months old.... sad to hear that the replacement will do the same

[croadz]

Fitbit has contacted me via email. Hopefully, this should be sorted out soon. I really am not sure about how long the warranty is but I look forward to Fitbit doing justice to a longtime user of their products.

[PCSBOB]

Good luck!

Hope they send you a replacement that provides you with a long useful like!

Bob

[mrsspanish]

Ty. They are sending a replacement

Sent from my iPhone

[PCSBOB]

Good luck!

Hope they send you a replacement that provides you with a long useful like!

Bob

[AlejandraFitbit]

Hi everyone!

I am sorry to hear about the battery issues you are experiencing, but it's also great to hear that some of you resolved this.

For the ones that keep having this problem, if you have already tried the instructions provide in this post and keep having issues, feel free to get in touch with our support team, I know they will be glad to help you out. For a faster response you can contact them via chat.

See you later.