Charge 5 Won't Charge

[CFPhoto]

My Charge 5 will no longer charge (anyone else see the irony here).  I have cleaned the contacts on both the Fitbit and the charging cradle/cable.  I have tried several different USB power adapters and yet the Charge 5 does not take a charge.  It is still running, but the battery is down to just 7%. So it won't be long before it dies.  Any troubleshooting suggestions?  Unfortunately, I do not know anyone with a Charge 5 to be able to try their charger.  

[alohapapa]

Worked like charm.  My watch was 100% charged

[JaBra67]

I’m done with Fitbit. I have several Fitbits for years and they always worked fine, but since the “great update” my Fitbit has big problems with charging. I am trying to connect to the charger for almost half an hour, then I finally get a buzz and I am happy, but my Fitbit isn’t charging!! I’ve tried al the options to make it work again but nothing is working!! I’m totally done😡😡 I ordered another smartwatch today and it isn’t a Fitbit😝

[Farrah_K]

Hi Trev, 

my issue is with charging. I’m saying that the hardwear problem of charging came up, I believe, as a result of the app & after syncing. 

[Farrah_K]

I’m happy to say I am done with Fitbit too. Wasted too much time and headache on that trash. 
I got a new smartwatch from a company that has never let me down. It was pricey, but 110% worth it! 

[ADOMI01]

happened recently with my charge 5. after it drained few days back, it wont carge anymore. is the reason they named this product Charge because down the line, we will see charging issue wit it 🙂 i am just waiting for my Sense to die then I think, I am done with Fitbit. glad that even before my charge 5 died, i already switched to garmin which worked flawlessly helping me track my fitness activities.

[Vateacher]

I am also finished with Fitbit. I liked it but every one I had quit after a year.
Sent from my iPhone

[Kjhex]

It appears the recent update means our charge 5 will no longer work. And Fitbit isn't taking accountability. https://bbc.com/news/technology-68140297

[Trev72]

I purchased mine in January 2022 and can only say I had the update done and haven' t experienced any change in the battery operation. I have mentioned before a potential issue with battery management if it is not cycled enough. I still manage the battery by not recharging until it shows sub 20% and then leaving on it charge for at least 2 hours.
I last recharged it when it was showing 19% remaining, left it on charge for 3 hours, it has been running 74 hours and it is currently showing 70% battery remaining. I take it off for 2 hours each day (piano practise time) so the heart rate monitor stops, which will save some battery, but that is all.

Further update - I left it until there was 17% left before charging it again. It had run from 10:00 on Jan 28th to 17:00 on Feb 5th on a single charge.

[ZenaK]

I am exactly the same. Emblem flashes and passes. No battery energy. This is an issue for so many users since the last update they did. UNaccetable and we need to let Fitbit know. Mine is 4 weeks old.

[Farrah_K]

Wow, Kjhex! This all makes a lot of sense! My issue happened in December 2023. I've since purchased a new device and threw out my Fitbit. Wish I would have kept it now that I know it was, in fact, an update issue (even though they are denying that explanation). And for the record, that's a far better explanation than the alternative - that the actual device is garbage & in a matter of months, will no longer charge or hold a charge.

It irks me that they aren't taking any accountability. People misuse and overuse the term "gaslight," but it's entirely appropriate and accurate in this situation. Fitbit is lying to us and giving us all these time sucking and energy draining troubleshooting directives, fully knowing none of them work! I spent hours tinkering around with the device and even wasted money on purchasing various charging docs and cords shared on forums.

Wish they had the integrity to be honest and upfront about what was going on. I would have stuck it out until they figured out a solution if they were forthright, saying something to the effect of "we hear your concerns and are looking into the matter."

I appreciate you sharing the link to this news story!

[Dolfan650]

 Fitbit figured the best thing for sales was to put in a firmware bug that killed off our devices. This is my third and final Fitbit. Time for a change. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68140297

[katgogo]

Nothing happens when I push that button. I sisna reset on the charge 5 itself but it just keeps discharging. I have cleaned the contacts, but it just keeps dying.

[SassyTX]

12/22 is about the time mine stopped holding a week long charge. Slowly the use time became shorter and shorter. All through 2023, it would barely last one day. Now it's less than 8 hours. I uninstalled the app thinking I could use it for daily steps, maybe. I forgot the sync also corrects the time on the Charge 5. It's taken me a long time to seek support. It's good, not really, to see I'm not the only one with this problem.

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I did try the 3 step reset with the charging cable. Still didn't last 1 day 

[Rose1933]

I had mine a month and it's dead. This company does not stand behind it's products.  Waste of money 

[s14realm4]

My charge 5 just stop charging too. It drains quickly and I cleaned the contacts and did the button reset 3x but still won't work

[Rose1933]

Strange part on mine when that happened I went to my app on my phone my location I had off and when I turned the location on my fitbit started working.  They want to know your every move and where you are. Not a fan of people knowing my location Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, an AT&T 5G smartphone

[ccg01]

This solution worked for me. Would have never figured it out without this forum. Thanks.

[Docesq]

I have the same problem except it is still vibrating. Tried all of these steps. Spent 15 minutes on chat with support who told me to do all the things I already did. Nothing worked. Also waiting for the email now. 

[Bill_Mac]

Woke up this morning and my Charge 5 will not sync or charge.  It is keeping correct time and the battery percent has shown 51% for the past 8 hours.  I have tried everything I can find, including pushing the button on the charging cord, many times, but nothing is working.  HELP!!!  I have an iPhone 10 with iOS 17.4.1.

[Bill_Mac]

Checked the Fitbit again this morning.  It was keeping correct time and still displayed 51% battery on the Fitbit device, but it would still not sync or charge.  I tried the procedure where you press the button on the charging cord 3 times, and HALLELUJAH!!!  it is finally charging!!!!!  I strapped it on my wrist and had to reconnect the device, and Shazam, it syncs!  The only good thing that came out of this frustrating event is that Fitbit thinks I now have a new device, so I get 3 months of Premium for free.  Small price to pay for what I experienced.  I have no faith in this device or app now and will seriously consider dumping this for something more reliable.  But I'll just carry on from here.