Charge 5 Won't Swipe Left or Right

[Tete_360]

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently encountered an issue with my Fitbit Charge 5 where it won’t respond to left/right swipes, preventing me from accessing built-in apps like Notifications, Exercise, Alarms, etc. (up/down swipes work fine). Apart from that, everything seems to work fine.

I reached out to Fitbit support, but since I’m out of warranty, the only solution they offered was a 35% discount on my next Fitbit purchase... not exactly helpful. Is this some sort of planned obsolescence? It seems that the watch does this after a certain time (typically a few months after the expiry of the warranty) for many people. I have been a loyal Fitbit customer for almost 3 years now. I would rather stick to my Charge 5 and do not want to feel forced to buy the newer model. I'm very disappointed.

I've tried all the suggested solutions from earlier threads with the same problem:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Charge-5-won-t-swipe-left-or-right-anymore/td-p/5568585

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Charge-5-screen-won-t-swipe/td-p/5298618

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Charge-5-not-swiping/td-p/5612939

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Charge-5-won-t-swipe-left-right-since-firmware-update/td-p/...

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Charge-5-will-not-swipe/td-p/5274086

(None has worked for me, as they never have for the original posters of these threads)

I’ve been exploring options to force reinstall the firmware, but I haven’t been able to find any detailed guides or solutions. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[Tete_360 · Accepted solution]

Update: My Charge 5 has completely died; the battery suddenly dropped from 100% to 18%. I tried restarting it, but it won't turn back on. Thanks, Fitbit.

I won't be purchasing the Charge 6, even with the 35% discount. I suspect it may also have planned obsolescence, and I don't want to make the same mistake again.

I’m switching to a more sustainable and future-proof brand.