Charge 5 Firmware Update 194.61

[LizzyFitbit]

7/13 Update: We’re continuing to roll out this firmware for the Charge 5 Firmware Update 194.61, and expect more customers are able to update their devices. This is a progressive rollout and all customers can expect to have it within a few weeks. We release updates in phases so that we can monitor performance closely and make adjustments if needed. If you don't see the option to update, don't worry - you'll have it soon!

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We’re excited to announce that a firmware update version 194.61 for Charge 5 will be available soon! Some of you might already have this update available. If you installed it, let us know what you think!

We release updates to customers in phases. If you don’t see it, check the Fitbit app in a few days, and you’ll see a message when you can install the update. We appreciate your patience while we get this update to all of our customers.

*Firmware releases are not distributed based on region or location and can reach anyone no matter where you reside. We do not recommend performing a factory reset to force the update to your device as your data will be lost and you may not get the update. Please be patient and wait until you see the update banner inside of the Fitbit app to begin the firmware download.

WHAT’S NEW AND FIXED

• All exercise modes are now available in the Exercise app, and your most recently used modes appear at the top. For more information, see How do I track my workouts with my Fitbit device?
• Find new clock faces in the Fitbit Gallery in the Fitbit app. For more information, see How do I change the clock face on my Fitbit device?
• View your daily readiness score on your tracker (Premium feature only). For more information, see What’s my daily readiness score in the Fitbit app?
• Support for global characters and right-to-left text notifications:
  Arabic
  Hebrew
  Thai
  Hindi
  Vietnamese
• This release includes bug fixes and improvements.

Full release notes can be found here. For more details, please see this Community Blog post.

HOW DO I UPDATE?
See How do I update my Fitbit device? for step by step instructions for updating your Charge 5. If you run into difficulty updating, review these Why can't I update my Fitbit device?

We’re interested in hearing your feedback on this update! Let us know what you like! If you encounter unexpected behavior during or after your update, please post the details below.

[Loleo]

Agree!
But I haven’t heard a thing
Sent from my iPhone

[bulloo]

That is what everyone of is crying they are not feeling any responsibility.

Sadajewat Kaul

[TomS34]

Final Update: Well it died a week or so after my previous post and have still not heard from Fitbit with any help whatsoever. No response to trouble tickets, emails or posts Seems they have their head in the sand hoping this problem will go away. I have been a loyal customer since the first band came out and this is how they treat me so I'm moving on. I have found many bands and watches that do as much if not more and in many ways are far more convenient. Do your selves a favor and leave this google megacorp behind.

[JohnTheBrave]

You say "I’m not updating anything" Have you found a magic button to stop the updates? I do not get a choice - every week or so the app says you have an update available and it seems to have downloaded something to the C5 because the battery runs down very quickly. Press update and  a screen comes up and says - updating this will take about 40 minutes. A few seconds later it says update completed but it is still on the old version- nothing has happened. If I choose not to update by resetting the watch, the update message goes away but just comes up again a week later.Round and round.

[kerrieBBOZ]

@GaetanoVB  It isn’t the battery manufacturing that is the problem. It is the design of the software. When their faulty app updates break the ability of the device to synch or communicate with the app, devices go into an endless battery draining loop trying and failing to complete various processes. They then can’t restart and get bricked because they need to communicate with the app to do so. This starts with app updates even before the firmware gets offered to you. And then installing the firmware on the device fails, also due to the broken synching/communication with the app. So most people can’t progress to getting the new firmware because it won’t complete the installation. And for those whose clock face goes black in the process of all of this, if they try to fix it by unpairing and re-pairing with the app, it dies completely due to the fatal flaw of requiring a code on the black device screen to pair properly, which is also a design flaw.

[JohnTheBrave]

Interesting twist on this last night. My C5 started having problems - couldn't get the screen to activate. It occasionally flashed something briefly then blank. I checked the app and the dreaded 'an update is available' was showing. For over an hour I tried an unknown sequence of "Change clock" - lots of different ones and "Reset via the cradle button" Through all these the display either flashed briefly or blank. At all times the app was still able to communicate with the C5. When the display did breifly reappear I was able to set it to "always on" and "Max brightness" until it went blank again. During one brief recovery I was able to reset the C5 via the screen menu. Eventually it came back to life again - did futher clock changes and resets (menu  and button) just to make sure and it is still working over 12 hours later. Don't know if my persistence actually kicked something back to life or just coincidence. The other thing, when the display was blank there was no activity from the green led on the back at all. Looking at it now, when the C5 is off my wrist the green LED is off. It only comes on when it is close to my wrist. I seem to remember some time back the LED was on all the while even when not wearing it and thinking 'that must run the battery down'. Either I am misremembering or this is a change. It is still on the old 188.58 firmware according to the App.

Update : Just in case the behaviour of some clock faces affects all of this - I am changing mine for now from 'Runliner' (the one I've always used) to 'Symphony' - a basic analog clock. Runliner must be a fairly intensive app - Time, date, HR and three stats displayed - could this clash with the update process???. More later ...........

[Widdershins]

@JohnTheBrave  I just took off my C5 and the green light rapidly flashes brightly for two or three seconds and then goes out until the back of the watch is touched against skin.

[SunsetRunner]

I'm not sure why at this point any logical person would continue wasting time on Fitbit when they have amply demonstrated they are not interested in fixing their issue that bricked so many devices. My Charge 5 is still a boat anchor.

Nothing but crickets from Fitbit/Google. Cut your losses and move on to another of the numerous fitness band companies. Voting with your dollars and letting a company know why is all one can do as a consumer. 

[GaetanoVB]

@kerrieBBOZ

I won't disagree, especially since we have to do our own research because
the company would rather delete our posts instead of actually helping us.

[bulloo]

Your analysis is 100 % perfect this what has been happening with most of
the devices which has been talked about by most of with same experience
hope the company tries to understand the common flaw and recall back the
pieces as being done by most of the companies for their deffective products
due to technical flaws at production level. Hope to get an official
statement from the company in the interest of the consumers.

Sadajewat Kaul

[diz202311]

My C5 has now died again. Can't get it to respond to the button on the charger and battery critical so it also won't allow me to change the clockface. The support team have been very happy to replace it but this is the shortest gap between replacements yet. I don't think I'll get another one.  

[kerrieBBOZ]

@JohnTheBrave  not sure if you mentioning that your app never lost connectivity to your device was building on what I said about connectivity being broken, but I obviously wasn’t clear enough about what I meant. I didn’t mean that ALL connectivity gets broken entirely, just various critical processes, which it can’t get past and hence it drains the battery. And from reading this thread and others, the process that becomes the final straw seems to vary. One person deleted one of the health apps from their device (while attached to the charger) which stopped the battery drain problem for them. But my theory is that it depends what apps you actually use so it might vary as to what the culprit is…..which actually might fit with the dodgy clock face theory you are following, if some clock faces need to synch different data than others. I just use a simple clock face but it does display 5 data fields which you cycle through to see one at a time….zone minutes, heart rate, step count, distance and calories.

But i have only lost the onboard GPS and dynamic gps mode (straight after a minor app update) which drew me to the community forum posts on the charge 5. But when I saw what was happening to others with bricked devices I turned off app auto update on my iPhone (I now manually update all apps EXCEPT the Fitbit app) so I still have an app version from a few minor updates prior to the new app update fail, and I have not been offered the new firmware. Not sure whether I would have needed to update the Fitbit iOS app to be offered the new firmware in my region or whether they just eventually stopped offering it altogether. So I am still able to do everything I need to (I use phine app GPS to track walks) and still have several days battery life, but I’ve been following the forum updates in anticipation that my device will eventually get bricked like everyone else’s, maybe when I am required to update iOS to something that doesn’t support the old Fitbit app I’m still using.

[AlanBFit]

I do not see the point of these subs now. I dont see even how these people are employed since the do NOTHING here except delete posts. 

[DamisaSarki]

That's what they're employed to do!

[Megmeltz]

Thanks KerrieBBOZ for your close analysis of the problem(s). As you obviously know, that's the only way to really understand the problem and maybe fix it. I'd love to think there are some IT folks at Fitbit who say "Oh good! Look! One of the users has clearly written about what is happening." Unfortunately I don't believe any such thing. 😞   But thanks a lot for your work. Meg

[fuksi]

My Fitbit has not yet updated 

[Runforestrun1]

Wise decision. There are many customers who have lost faith in this company. Sad.
Sent from my iPad

[MACMU]

"Firmware releases are not distributed based on region or location and can reach anyone no matter where you reside." Hello, if this is true, I'm wondering why chat support asked for my location before letting me know that my fitbit app does not have the latest update yet? Chat support also said the rollout will be completed tomorrow. I was advised to wait and check if the issue with my fitbit not recording steps will be fixed after this rollout. 

[JLBExercIse]

 Have not updated my device and ensured my devices do not update automatically. I have read so many people have had their device brick from the 194.61 update, it is not a fix!  I had trouble several months ago that my device was not connecting to my devices and spent many hours trying to reset. I’ve had charge 3 and 4, and the 4 was under warranty could not be replaced, so received a Charge 5 as replacement.

Under the Consumer Credit Act 2015 in the U.K. goods should be of reasonable quality, fit for purpose and last a reasonable amount of time. Under law it’s hard to determine a reasonable amount of time, but if the goods are premium, which I would have said FitBit is then the time is longer than a cheaper alternative.  I had a replacement in June 2023 from my original purchase of Charge 4. I can’t find the orders as I’ve since changed to log in with my gmail and it only has replacement order. Under the act any firmware updates that effect the use of the item would be covered. You need to consider this when people contact you about  their devices not working from the U.K. The fact that you are not replacing any Charge 5 within warranty and offering discount off Charge 6, the same as you did for me from Charge 3 to 4, there is obviously an issue with some older devices not being of merchantable quality and fit for purpose.

I feel that if I update to the new version I will loose the use of the FitBit and it’s only 5 months old.  I hope my device with run ok on 188 and that I will not get any update as I have said to ask first. If anything happens I’m not sure I would want another FitBit, I will look for an alternative. 

[mchili]

@MACMU are you saying the rest of the latest firmware updates are going to be completed today? Or are you referring to the app? Seems the latest posts are talking about the app not the firmware?? My charge 5 is still on 188 and app on 4.04.