Charge 5 battery drain fix

[Cdaddy80]

I will share what worked for me.

Since the restarting didnt seem to affect anything

On version 188.58 removing the SP02 app in gallery/apps fixed the battery drain.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity. 

[ManuFitbit]

A warm welcome to the community @Cdaddy80.

Thanks for sharing the feedback regarding your Charge 5, I'm sure that this will be helpful for other users.

I'd like to invite you to visit our Health & Wellness board where you can share your experiences, meet people and create new topics.

[GaetanoVB]

The issue is definitely app/software related. I tried your fix, my charge went from 50% to 53% at 3pm. At 6:30pm it was 28%. I reinstalled the SP02 and my battery charge dropped automatically to 15%. I uninstalled it, the ECG, and the EDA and my charge went up to 19%. I installed the ECA again after a couple of seconds and the charge dropped to 5%.

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I uninstalled the 3 again, restarted the Charge 5 and the level went to 17%.

[Cdaddy80]

Sure looks like the apps are causing memory leaks or the fitbit os update broke the apps

[RiekoC]

Hello @Cdaddy80 & @GaetanoVB 

Thank you for sharing your tips on the battery drain issue. I'm glad to see turning off certain apps on the Charge 5 worked for you and will be recommending your tip to others experiencing a similar issue. 

When my Charge 5 had rapid battery drain, I restarted and recharged my device multiple times over several days. This process seemed to get my Charge 5 "unstuck" and the battery went back to lasting 6-7 days. 

[GaetanoVB]

Just right now, 9% battery left. I connected to charger, hit the button 3 times so that it could restart. Once it did, battery was at 23%. Same thing last night, 19% left, connected it to charger and restarted it. The level jumped to 43%. I'm posting these updates in the event someone at Fitbit is reading it.

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I can confirm that customer service isn't any help. I gave my case number, and they said they exhausted all the troubleshooting steps so I will receive an email about the next steps to take, which means the out of warranty, 35% off crap.  I tried to bring up the issue with the firmware and asked if they could somehow push the new firmware update, but they ignored my comments and experiences over the last week and they insisted that all troubleshooting steps have been exhausted. 

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I'm still having trouble with the fast discharge. It doesn't charge past 99% and I still don't have the SP02, ECG, or EDA installed. I'll keep restarting it and charging it several times a day. Maybe some day they release a software fix, hopefully before they are completely swallowed and abandoned by Google. 

[Cdaddy80]

I have been running the full week on my fix without any issues. There's should be options for users to roll back versions of Fitbit if they can't fix their Software.

[GaetanoVB]

I added back the SP02, ECG, and EDA apps.  It wasn't making much of a difference anymore as I'm still charging my FitBit two or three times a day. I connect and restart it just before bed. Once it reaches 99%, the maximum it will charge, I put it back on to track my sleep. After 7 hours of sleep, it's around 35%.  I charge (and restart it) it again for a few minutes until I leave the house. I then fully charge it (to 99%) once I get to work.  I've used the exercise function three times in the last week and it doesn't kill the battery.  I'm not interested in free or 35% replacements. I want the new firmware update (still at 188.58) or some kind of software fix by FitBit because I really do enjoy the Charge 5. I've been using the company since Charge I, but if they don't do anything about this problem, once my Charge 5 completely dies, I will move on to a new company.

Moderator Edit: Word choice

[Cdaddy80]

With no battery replacement possible the battery drain is getting through a lot of battery charging cycles. At some point it will become a battery problem because the battery life will be at its end.

[sychelsea]

It works! I ended up uninstalling all the APPs that I rarely used. Uninstalling only spo2 was not enough.

My charge 5 battery started draining on July 25/26. It could last only about 1.5h. Turning off some display settings enhanced it to about 2.5h. After uninstall apps, it works quite normal now.

I also noticed the gap on the displayed battery level as others mentioned. The battery was stuck on 80% when charging, but jumped to 100% when I took off the charger. Once it showed 90%, but turned to 98% after a restart.

[Cdaddy80]

Happy it could help.

[GilesBr]

My FitBit Charge 5 basically died yesterday - battery draining - needs charging almost every hour! Useless!

This is my 5th FitBit, 2 have been replaced due to serious malfunctions, but this is my LAST - none have survived more than approx 18 months!  This one has lasted since 8 September 2022, so less than 12 months! 

VERY disappointing - poor investment - will now look at Garmin as FitBit are clearly flawed and I see from this Forum that FitBit suggest I could buy a new Charge 5 with a 35% discount - what a great business model!

[KMCGMOM]

good day,

after - 

On version 188.58 removing the SP02 app in gallery/apps 

then what do I need to do

[RiekoC]

Hello @KMCGMOM 

I recommend that you restart your Charge 5 either from the Settings menu on the device itself or by using the charging cable that came with your Fitbit. Then, leave it on the charger for awhile. Hopefully, when you disconnect it from the charger, the battery won't drop so drastically. 

[GilesBr]

Thanks - I now have the black screen of death!  Tracker is beyond recovery!

Good Luck to all others who are experiencing issues......

[GaetanoVB]

Mine is dead as well. It only works as long as it is connected to the charger. It could be 99% and it doesn't matter. As soon as I disconnect the charger, it shuts off. I connect the charger again and it is at 1%. 

[TheOshJ]

Been having the black screen and rapid battery drain for a week+ now. Just deleted all apps that I could delete and now at least the battery is lasting as long as it shoud.

Thanks for the tip!

[BrendaLy]

Hi, 

can you give me details instructions on how to do the uninstall and reinstall steps...I am having similar issue with battery drain from 100 to 50 in 4 hours. 

This is my 2nd charge 5 have same issue. Within 1 year. I don't want to buy another fitbit if this is a non fix issue. 

Thanks.

[RLA88 · Accepted solution]

To remove SpO2 tracking from your device, you must remove both the SpO2 clock face and the SpO2 app. One or both might be installed depending on your Fitbit device. Note that SpO2 tracking is automatically added on Google Pixel Watch when you update to the latest firmware. It doesn’t use a clock face or app and can’t be removed.

To remove SpO2 tracking, change your clock face to one not listed in the SpO2 clock face category:

1 From the Today tab in the Fitbit app, tap the icon in the top left then your device image.
2 Tap Gallery then Clocks tab.
3 Browse the available clock faces. Tap the clock face you want then Install. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the new clock face.

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2459.htm

[BrendaLy]

How many or which app you removed? Just want to know so I can follow with it. Tkx