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.

[mattmotyl]

Same. My current profile on here goes back to 2016, but I bought my first fitbit in 2008. I suppose it's easier to pretend that customer issues are "fake" rather than actually recognize the problem and take corrective action.

[fargonia]

I actually feel like the problem has identified, recognized, and a decision has been made to cut their losses...of customers.  We will be characterized as Mad People Online because our fitness trackers died a few months after the warranty expired

Not going to talk about what device I may or may not be using, but I can say I wasn't going to wait on a resolution to this issue.  I still visit the forum because I'm still following the discussion in hopes that someone in the hierarchy makes a decision to about-face. 

But I'm not holding my breath, and my fitness still needs to be tracked so...

[cfa.Jeffs]

"It turns out that the problem is with version 188. Some people received 194 and had the device completely freeze and become inoperative" - sy20011966

Y do u say that? I've upgraded to 188 & have not had any battery issues? The 2 biggest change I've made is the green watch face that always displays the ❤️ rate and turning off gps. I've also stopped manually start activity tracking the auto detection is sensitive enough for me.

[MrCredible]

Just b/c you do not have a problem and others do, does not necessarily mean that there isn't an issue.
My girlfriend has the same fitbit as I do and she doesn't have any issues. She also has version 188. The difference being, she didnt have to upgrade to that version, hers came with 188.

Her device is from a different batch that was manufactured.

For all we know, there could be variations in the hardware system configurations that Fitbit is not informing us about.

The issues still remain with quick battery draining on MANY users charge 5 and they all had the same issue immediately after the firmware upgrade. Going from the battery lasting nearly a week to all of a sudden lasting less than a day.

When changing firmware of an embedded device, there could be legacy settings or residual data left in the device registers/memory that affect power management and battery level estimations that may only be apparent when a user upgrades their firmware rather than on the production line when the device starts with that specific firmware.

There is no way to know for sure what the issue is, but the fact remains that the Fitbit released unreliable firmware and refuses to help the community beyond a 35% discount.

[MorselA]

Software updates will not fix your battery drain issue. Once that happens
you might as well throw the watch away.

[mattmotyl]

My battery was fine immediately before the firmware update. The only thing that changed was the update, and this has been the case for many users. If the battery was failing, it is highly unlikely that it would go from lasting 6 days to 6 seconds immediately (unless there was some trauma to the device in that time).

[MrCredible]

Please, no one listen to MorselA... 

Software updates are able to fix power management and battery algorithm issues.
Software updates will not fix hardware specific issues.

If your battery was running fine before the update then no longer runs fine after the update... Then most likely, its a software update issue.

Moderator edit: format

[karand]

I haven't read through all of the comments since 6/27, but the most recent ones seem to be about the battery drain issues. My issue is different: ever since I got the Charge 5 some time ago, there's been a problem with recording sleep correctly. The device often fails to record the first hour--or more--making it look as if I fell asleep much later than I actually did. There have been complaints about this problem for years. One person suggested synching the device with the app just before bed, and that works some of the time. But now the problem seems to be getting worse again, occurring almost every other night. I don't see any mention of this in the current update. Why has this not been fixed?

[mattmotyl]

So, after 3 hours on the line with support today, they only offered me a free band to go with my Charge 5, which no longer works post-firmware update. Time to export my data and move to Garmin, I suppose.

[MrCredible]

3 hours . And did you speak to management at all?

[Steve667]

Einstein was reported to have said

“ Insanity is doing the same this over and over again, and expecting a different result”

So why are people updating their CH5’s and expecting not to have issues????

Don’t update !

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Sorry that should read Don’t update in original post before edit…

My 142.37 firmware works fine.

[karand]

Hi Steve, you might want to edit your original post. People might not see this one.

[Steve667]

Tks… just found out how to edit..,

[SistahSJB]

My Charge 5 (18 months old) stopped holding a charge two weeks ago. 😢 I read the forums and called customer support and couldn't find any solution.  So I canceled my Premium subscription and disconnected my Charge 5. I hooked up my old Charge 2 and it worked fine. Then I went on ebay and bought a Charge 5 pebble. The pebble works fine. Question: Should I get the update?? So far I'm thinking no.

[SunsetRunner]

"Y do u say that? I've upgraded to 188 & have not had any battery issues? The 2 biggest change I've made is the green watch face that always displays the 

 rate and turning off gps. I've also stopped manually start activity tracking the auto detection is sensitive enough for me". cfa. Jeffs

But my FB5 is already on 188, I didn't need to update, it already came like this, how can I explain this problem appearing out of nowhere? Does he have a day, hour and minute to start causing problems?  I can't accept this. The moderators' messages only say that it will reach 194, but it is a repost, and they do not talk about fixing the problem, of course, they will never admit this problem.

[UlrikeDG]

@SistahSJB, since you purchased on eBay, it won't have a warranty, so I would hold off on updating the firmware until/unless Fitbit fixes the current firmware issue(s).

If you'd gotten it from an "authorized dealer," my advice would be the reverse: update ASAP, so if it crashes Fitbit will replace it.

[PAdel]

My FB Charge 5 bricked a couple days ago. Purchased July 2022. I tried the pulse reset numerous times, didn't work. I re-installed the app on my phone. I got the notification that a firmware update is available. I was able to install the update while the FB was on the charger. When the update process completed the update page indicated that the update failed, but when I returned to the account page of the app it said the firmware is up to date. The FB is now working, showing version 57.20001.188.58. Before the update the version was 188, not sure if the last two digits changed. The battery reached 100% before I took it off the charger. The FB logo is appearing when the FB is tap activated (this is new behavior). I am monitoring the battery drain. 

12:30 pm (34 minutes) - 64%

2:00 pm (90 minutes) - red circle and X

[matdob]

57.20001.188.58 - current version of FB Charge 5, bought in December 2022. I do not remember if I made any updates to the firmware since I bought it.-
App version on Android - 3.89.fitbit-mobile-.........
Android version: 13
FB 5 works fine, no battery issues, no any other issues.
I've read all the comments, and I think it would not be wise to install firmware, however I do not see any notification about version 194.61

So it looks like the issue (this is what I understand) happened around 1 year ago with firmware 188.58 - and does it mean since then there was no update at all? And "now" - starting in June 2023 - version 194.61 is available (rollout) and it causes problems. Really creepy.
I am waiting (as many others) for some official statement before touching this software.

[kerrieBBOZ]

@matdob good move, but if yours is still working I’d avoid any more Fitbit app updates as well, because people are getting problems without having the firmware offered yet and my guess is that starts with a Fitbit app update, because my loss of onboard gps started straight after an app update and I have had no further loss of function since turning off automatic app updates on my phone and am now manually  updating all my other apps EXCEPT the Fitbit one.

[FitnessJunkie22]

@LizzyFitbit So in case anyone from Fitbit is reading this. . . hopefully you've already identified the problem and are working on a solution... but sharing a data point just in case it matters.

I've noticed that when I had the RunLiner clock face on my Charge 5, my Fitbit got ok battery performance -- like, lasted a few days between charges -- but was still performant enough that I could train for distance running and use the heart rate monitor for a few hours, long enough to get through my long runs and still have significant battery life left over.  When I switched back to the default clock face (Continuum) - and tried one other since then (Split) - my battery life got demolished. Like deep discharge in an hour or less that required a full day of recharge just to turn the device back on.  Could just be coincidental that the battery issue showed up at the same time I made the change, but wondering if this is a line of thinking that's been investigated by your devs.

Is it possible that certain clocks or apps are chewing up the battery life because they either have leaky code or just don't play well with the current firmware version?  If so, identifying specific clocks and apps to avoid should be a straightforward activity that takes a dev a day or two to figure out.  I'm reverting to the RunLiner clock face to see if that fixes things.  If so, that's at least one data point.  Will share my experience with the group, stay tuned.

If others experiment with changing their clock faces or removing apps and seeing if that helps, I'd be curious.  While we're waiting for Fitbit to get off the X on this, maybe we can crowdsource some insights about what specifically might be causing the issue.