Charge 5 Firmware Update 194.91

[LizzyFitbit]

We’re excited to announce that a firmware update version 194.91 for Charge 5 is now available! If you installed it, let us know what you think!

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.

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.

[rjforster]

> All exercise modes are now available in the Exercise app, and your most recently used modes appear at the top.

I'd like to know how many people this actually benefits (fitbit must know how many people do what kind of exercise variety after all). I regularly do two different types of exercise, one at lunchtime and a different kind in the evening. So currently half the time the exercise I'm about to do is at the top of the list, but with this change the exercise I'm about to do is never going to normally be at the top of the list. Am I the only one who considers this a UI bug?

[Horszi]

Its obvious that Fitbit kills off slowly the older devices. Previous update killed some of the charge 5, now this one kills more. Happend to us. First my my wifes with older fw, now mine. Sell it and run as far as you can from this companys products

[SunsetRunner]

Fitbit is doing what apple just got busted for.  "SLOWING OR STOPPING DEVICES TO WORK WITH FIRMWARE UPDATES"  

[deeeeekun]

I have had my brand new device only for a little over a week and it was working fine until I updated the firmware and then all of a sudden it couldn't hold a charge. Won't even last an hour. They're bricking devices using firmware updates that can't be uninstalled.

[DC2570]

I stupidly updated 4 days ago, before reading the comments.  My Charge 5 displays my sleep score and sleep data for about 3 hours and then it disappears.  The sleep information is still available on the app on my phone but not on the actual device.  Before the update, my Fitbit showed my sleep score all day.  I have restarted, rebooted, signed out and in to the app, fully charged both the device and phone with no luck.  Does anyone have a solution for this issue?  Many thanks.

[CHCHAN]

Not all exercise modes are available. Ice skating and rollerblading/inline skating, paddle boarding don’t show up and somehow kayaking stays at the top which I selected by accident and is very annoying. Not necessarily a bug but maybe not the best functionality when you can order the exercises you typically do anyway

[Bryanh1]

Wow, the layoff article highlights another likely scenario.  Disgruntled employees involved in the firmware development clearly have a good understanding of how to cause these issues from where the same thing happened last year.  Either way, those left at Fitbit aren't communicating a desire to fix the issue.  I'm already now 0-for-2 with fitbit charge devices in the last two years.  The devices were great when they worked, but the responses from Fitbit have not been reassuring.  It looks like it's time to cut losses and find a replacement from a reputable company.  

[RyGuy8]

Purchased Charge 5 in Dec 2022. This firmware update destroyed battery life. Did a reset as instructed by support. Charged to 100% at 2:20 pm. By 4:14 pm that same day it was already at 10% charge. Steps, Distance, Calories, etc. are all 0 and aren't being tracked as well. Support just says "hey our fix didn't work oh and you are 1 month out of warranty, here is a link to go buy another device!" I literally laughed out loud. This is wild.

[SunsetRunner]

Did you guys ever test this code?

This update BRICKED my watch. It just kept looping and crashing. I had to drain the battery to recover. Couldn't reset or anything. Then once I drained it so it lost its memory, I was able to reinstall, but now it's draining the battery to the point that I have to charge it twice a day. 100% to 89% in 75 minutes....

Please fix this.

[BYMY3]

Anyone else having issues with low heart rate notification alerts coming up on Charge 5 but not logging in the app? Troubleshooted everything recommended by customer support, but nothing works. I’m updated to latest version of software.

[AnnaFZ]

My heart rate sensor has given up completely since the update. There must
be some seriously disgruntled former employee out there gloating over this
mess. I've given up and ordered a £23 smart watch from Amazon. If that
fails after a year at least I can just shrug it off. Not so much for one
costing almost 8 times the price.

[SunsetRunner]

@SunsetRunner your questions fall on deaf ears. This has been an ongoing issue since July 2023 with zero acknowledgment of THEIR firmware bricking thousands of fitness bands. Too much liability if they publicly acknowledge it. Best offer you will get if you are out of warranty is a 50% discount on another product that may just brick again with a firmware update. Cut your losses and move on to another company if that's the case. 

[Daveleeander2]

If you updated and it works at all you’re lucky. Better be glad

[AnnaFZ]

Has anyone had any success in reporting them to trading standards? I'm
tempted to try.

[Plainswoman]

I keep getting notifications that I have been exercising/elevated heart rate. It doesn't reset. For example, the 2nd screen (down from clock face) shows 779 zone minutes. My watch keeps buzzing and just said I'm at 4500 zone minutes. It has accumulated over the past 3 days, since I updated the firmware to this version.

I have reset the watch. I have rebooted it while attached to the cable. I'm afraid to do the factory reset, since I've read about the bricking. It at least still tells time. What's going on?

(BTW, I couldn't figure out why my sleep score wasn't on the watch - reading these comments explained why.)

[Kat456p]

My Fitbit 5 stopped working and holding a charge after installing this update. Customer service was kind. He walked me through a reset using the charging cord. That didn't help. The watch was out of warranty. A discount was offered for a small percent off a full priced Fitbit 5 only to be used within a month. Now, I am using the the Fitbit 5 that I had given my mother. She wasn't using it. I'm not installing the update on this watch. I was considering getting a Pixel watch, but now I'm not sure if like to do that. 

[MargSi55]

I have exactly the same problem! Dead Charge 5 within 10 days of upgrade! No matter where I try to charge the device, it gets extremely hot within 5 minutes.

[ASmith3]

Charge 5 bricked with the update. Fitbit support told me it's not a known issue and did nothing to try to keep me as a customer. Hopefully google refunds the fitbit premium subscription that auto-billed last week.

[Ashleyien]

I noticed yesterday that there was an update and I did it last night. It seemed to be okay at first. Now, looking at this thread, I'm wondering if updating was a mistake.
This morning, my sleep data isn't showing on the device, but it's in the app.  My cycle on the device is incorrect too. Everything else seems to be syncing, but not those two things.
So far, it doesn't seem to be draining fast and I haven't tried to charge it, so I don't know if that is working. [Last charged it Friday night and it's at 76% - update was around midnight last night, currently Sunday afternoon.]
It's not critical that my sleep and cycle don't show up/are incorrect on the device, but it's kind of annoying since it was working just fine until the update. I think everything else is working okay, but just wanted to mention those two things. I haven't read the whole thread, but I have seen a mention of sleep not being on the tracker, but I haven't seen anyone mention the "Menstrual Health" not working too. [Both seem fine on the app, but not on the tracker].

[honglong1976]

Firmware updated - installed perfectly fine

google wallet - pending

New watch faces - showing up ok