Charge 5 Unresponsive

[LLisaa]

Hello Fitbit community, 

I've only been using Fitbit for the last year, so still not up to speed with all things fitbit. I got my fitbit Charge 5 in July 2023, have went a full year using it and really like it. On 7 Sept 2024 my fitbit looked like it had ran out of charge, so after a day out I got home to charge it. I thought it was odd cause normally I see the warnings that battery is low, this time didn't. 

I placed it on charge, the Fitbit logo appeared but it didn't show the charging screen it normally does. I look it off and wiped it down, placed it back on. It normally buzzes once when connected, it kept buzzing twice but not showing the charge screen. I thought it must of been really low so left it for a while to power up. Went back to it being not responsive at all. Decided as it was late to take it off and leave it until next day to try figure out what's going on. 

After checking forms and calling the tech help centre it appears my only option is to buy a new one. This is cause my charging cable does not have a factory reset button on the USB part, it didn't come like this and as the tech help said I've had it for more than two years it's out of warranty, but it was only bought in 2023. 

Anyone else have this issue or ideas over how I can get the unit back working as I feel only getting a year and couple months wear is poor. 

Thank you for your help.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @LLisaa welcome to the community, it's a sad fact that small-form wearables do have a limited lifespan caused by the number of discharge/charge cycles which in time degrade the battery. Under normal circumstances, I would suggest restarting your Charge 5 using the button on the charging cable but I note yours does not have a button. This video demonstrates the process at 1:30. You might consider buying a replacement cable such as this one

Note the button on the USB socket. Bearing in mind the age of your device there's no guarantee it will revive your Charge 5. It may well be worthwhile contacting "Customer Support" again pointing out that the original packaging did not contain a standard charging cable (with the button) and you were not aware of this until the warranty period had expired.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

[LLisaa]

Thank you for your help and links, I will look into a new cable. I mentioned to customer support about the botton and cable but they advised I would still need to buy a full new device. 

How long are people getting use out of fitbit watches? 

The customer support said 3-4 years, I've had mines for 14 months with wearing for 13 months. 

Thank you