Charge 5 alarm doesn't work

[JoKeWilkins]

I preordered the Fitbit Charge 5 and eagerly awaited its arrival.  After I finally received it, the alarm did not work.  The silent alarm is a huge factor for me.  I spoke with Fitbit Support and they said it's a known issue they are working on and didn't know when a fix would be available.  A friend bought one too, her alarm works, so I exchanged my Fitbit 5 for another device.

When I set up the second device, the alarm worked; however, after the firmware update the alarm no longer works.  I went through this for months with the Fitbit Charge 3.  I guess I'll return this one and try a different model.  Totally bummed.

Moderator edit: subject for clarity 

[LiliyaFitbit]

It’s good to see you in the community, @JoKeWilkins.

I appreciate your participation in the Forums and sharing your experience. I am sorry to hear about the frustration this situation has caused. Thank you for your efforts to resolve this and for contacting our Support team. Our team is always working on improving our devices and user experiences, and your comments are always welcome. I apologize for any disappointment and hope to keep you in the Fitbit family. You can compare Fitbit devices here. 

See you around.

[JoKeWilkins]

I the exchanged the original Fitbit Charge 5 for another one.  The alarm worked until I updated the Firmware, then it stopped working.  I contacted customer support and went through several steps to try to restore the alarm to no avail.  They told me they were working on a fix but didn't have a timeline as to when the issue might be resolved.  I decided to turn on smart alarm, and guess what? The alarm works now!  Although it's not ideal, it will get me by until Fitbit figures out the remedy to the initial issue.

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing that you've been in touch with the Customer Support team about this, @JoKeWilkins. 

It's good to know that the alarms are working now after you turned on smart alarms. 

Have a great day. 

[CinDB]

JoKe,

Same here. 
I can set the timer to count down minutes/seconds and it will vibrate, but every alarm I have tried to set does not function!  It's frustrating because this is the third FitBit brand tracker I have purchased, and I have heard THIS "They told me they were working on a fix but didn't have a timeline as to when the issue might be resolved." many times before. 

I had such high hopes for the Charge 5.  At least I am getting more battery life than others.

[Emilea]

I’ve been experiencing the same issue with the alarms not buzzing. This was also at least half the reason for my purchase of this new Fitbit (the Charge 3’s screen died on me after just over a year so I’d hoped for better from this new). The sleep tracking is also hit and miss although I wear it exactly the same way each night. Sad to hear the alarm issue is common and there doesn’t appear to be a fix for it. I’ve had the watch for just over a month now so I’m not sure the store will return it. 

[JoKeWilkins]

Setting the smart alarm worked for a while, but now it is no longer working.  Looks like I will be returning my second Fitbit Charge 5 and getting something different.  ☹️

Moderator edit: format

[Knuty]

Alarm seem to be working for me, but after i snoozed the alarm 2 times it just vibrated 2times then turned off the alarm even tho I never turned it off. Hope it get fixed over time with firmware updates

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to share all your feedback about this inconvenience with the Charge 5. 

As you mentioned earlier, there are other users who have been experiencing this inconvenience with the alarms not always working. The team is aware of this and they're working to find a solution as quickly as possible, but we haven't received other updates about this for the moment. 

In the meantime, it is recommended to try removing and re-add the alarm, or even restarting the device; this has been useful for other users. 

Thank you again for sharing all your feedback and comments about this. 

Have a good day. 

[CinDB]

Emilea,

That was exactly my experience too.  Had the Fitbit Charge 3 for several years, and with pages and pages of problems never resolved in this Fitbit Community.  I paid for the 2 year warranty (and replaced it twice) and eventually just used the third one as a watch, until it no longer charged or showed the face.  I do NOT want to do what @JoKeWilkins has already done, and go through the hassle of returns and replacements, especially since @DavideFitbit has mentioned below that they are aware of the problem.

@DavideFitbit @LiliyaFitbit I am very disappointed by FitBit.  I am not usually an early adopter, but for the Charge 5 I was so excited to finally see a color face and some more great options.  If this takes more than a year to "fix" and never really does, I will not invest in FitBit again.  Please tell your engineers to DO BETTER!!!

[DavideFitbit]

@CinDB Thank you for your response and for sharing all your feedback about this. 

The team of developers continues to work to improve the quality of products and services, so all feedback from users is greatly appreciated. I hope too that this can be resolved and any information will be shared as soon as it's available, but we haven't received other updates about this for the moment. 

Thanks again for all the feedback provided. 

Have a good day. 

[C00b]

At first I thought this was the case with me too: thought I'd set an alarm and it didn't work ...  while actually I hadn't set it!

After setting the time for a new alarm (without repeats or smart alarm), it says "alarm set" (well, mine speaks Dutch, but something like this). It also gives a check-sign in a green circle, which makes you think you've set an alarm. But you haven't!

Not until you swipe right to confirm the alarm.

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing the steps that you took, @C00b! 

This issue I mentioned is not affecting all users, so it's not always the cause of any problems with the alarms. Sometimes there are other reasons why an alarm may not be working. Thanks again for sharing your experience. 

Have a great day. 

[VisaM]

I think you hit the nail on the head with that; at least it seems to work for me. Yes, the directions are kind of silly; as you said the big green check makes you THINK you've set the alarm,  but you're not done. Thanks! 

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing your feedback about this as well, @VisaM. 

It's good to know that this work for you. 

Have a good day.