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.  

[Justharry]

Same problem just materialized on my Charge 5.  Have tried every recommended fix .. including the bets solution of holding the button down on the charging cable three times for one second within 8 seconds. Nothing works .. the Fitbit is not sensing presence of charging device at all.

[Iqbal.sanjib]

I am not even getting the logo

[jmotormouth5]

I am having the same problem with mine. I tried the reset thing but mine was completely dead when I plugged it in. I didn't get any kind of picture on the front of my Fitbit and there's no sign of life at all.

[Justharry]

Well … when I finally got a Fitbit rep on the phone and told him all the methods I tried, he said I need to contact warranty dept … … so, essentially there was nothing more they could do … and of course the watch was out of warranty.

So I went out and got a Charge 6 … and - be aware - you must switch to Google based Fitbit platform in order to set up the Charge 6 (Google bought them out for 2.1 billion).

Good luck
Harris
Sent from my iPad

[Purpledog]

Mine is under 2 years old, same issue. It was a discounted replacement for a Charge 4 that failed, and in under 2 years the Charge 5 has now failed. 

I've restarted many times, both via the watch itself and via the cable. It tells me random numbers between 3% and 16%, jumping up and down in that range, always asking me to charge it as it's criticaly low. It recognises the charger is attached, but doesn't charge. It'll doubtless be dead my morning.

Given that history, how do I feel about a Charge 6? Well, the 4 was rubbish, the 5 is rubbish, so €160 for a Charge 6 seems a dumb idea. 
Far better to go for a Huawei (or Xiaomi, cheaper but I prefer the Huawei offering) for less than a third of that. I can afford three Huawei Band 9 for the price of the Charge 6, so if they last 7 months each I break even, any more is a win. 

Wish me luck.

[Justharry]

Well .. I’ve had a Charge 3, 4 and 5 … the 5 was the only one that failed … … and now I have the 6. If the 6 fails .. I’ll move on … to another try her brand.

Good luck.
Sent from my iPhone

[simplyalli]

i'm abandoning ship. this is the 3rd fitbit that's given me issues & i'm not spending another dime using their "discount" for another faulty product. #byefitbit

[Justharry]

Understand … they didnt even offer me a discount … although I did get a mailing from Google to pay more for extended warranty … I responded that they must engineer the watch to last two years first.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone

[SDK04]

Agreed. After my third Charge 5 in a row broke just after one year of
wearing, I switched to an Apple Watch. Hear that, FitBit/ Google? I am
switching platforms after 12 years as a loyal FitBit user. Your inferior
product durability combined with selling out to Google has finally lost my
business. Another gain for Apple…

[Dazi0831]

I’m having the same problem. I will be moving on as well. I have been with them since 2014 and they aren’t replacing my charge 5 that I got in May 2023. Offered 50% off. No thank you! 

[Justharry]

Well … they offered me ooogatz when I called for help and was told there was nothing more they could do …

Got an email offer for a discount way later after I already purchased the Charge 6.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone

[Rogered]

I’ve been having the same issue. Mine is about 14 months old. no warranty coverage. I tried all the fixes to get it to charge, but nothing worked. This is also my third Fitbit, none of them lasted more than a year and a half. So I’m like some other users… I’m will not buy Fitbit product anymore. 

[Justharry]

Well … I had my Charge 5 for about a year and a half .. maybe .. and a 3 and 4 before that. I went out and bought the Charge 6 and if it dies prematurely it will - likewise - be my last Fitbitoogle watch.

Sent from my iPad

[TheCreek]

You’re my hero

[delsolcruz]

My Fitbit quit charging.  I tried the above steps after cleaning the contacts. The Fitbit is not charging.  A coupe of times, I did get the blue dotted start-up icon, but then the screen goes blank.  These Fitbits seem to quit working too quickly.  I think it is time to switch to a new brand of fitness watch.  I am so frustrated.

[Redrosesy]

Also same this a above. I was working out this morning, checked charge 5 at 9:06 it worked, by 9:15 black screen. Came home wiped sensors and tried charging and syncing it no vibration no lights. I did the button pushing trick several times and no response. Both me and my daughter can't keep a fitbit working for more than 2 years. Seems like they aren't built to last more than that. Very frustrated!

[Massaranduba25]

your product support is a joke. This has happened yet again. I will never buy another device from Fitbit again and I will sure that everyone within my circle knows how incompetent and careless your support team is.   

[Huckleberry234]

Both my wife and my Charge 5's died in the last week and a half. Coincidence? I don't think so. Something is definitely going on with the firmware update.

We both ended up getting a Fitbit 6's with 50% off coupons. But this is our last go around to with Fitbit as well, if they don't last. She had two replacements and only had the device for 18 months total, including those replacements. And mine is less than 2 years old.

To see all these posts at the same time and think that it wasn't caused by the update is insane.

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you so much for this how to advice. This is day five of me looking for a button that I assumed was on the screen of the watch itself. LOL I never would have seen that bugger and I have plugged this thing in 18 times. Thank you again this is just great! 

[searcherjv]

This solution does not work.