Charge 5 battery draining quickly after the update

[bttrswt36]

Updated the firmware on my Charge 5 and immediately the battery, which had no issues previously, started draining within 24 hours. Three days later it is now completely dead and won't charge. Fitbit is taking zero responsibility for this even though it is their update that caused the issue. I'm assuming other people are experiencing this as well? I find it completely unacceptable...

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[SunsetRunner]

I also asked for a discount on a new device. My second Charge 5 died about 2.5 months outside of year warranty. 
was also told they would not offer any discount. That it was no longer an option. 😞

I’ve had my Apple Series 9 for a week. I love the detailed metrics for fitness. 
good luck to everyone whose responded. I hope you all find solutions that work for you. 

[bttrswt36]

I think at this point we are the Customer Care team, because we seem to be the only ones that care what is happening to our fellow customers 

[vigvic]

@bttrswt36 I have loved how fitbit has slowly transformed in the past 6 years with them on the nutrition side and my data and history mean a lot so I'm happy with the sense 2 I got. Looking for fitbit to become like my fitness pal with the vitamins and minerals further breakdown. So I'm staying. Hope everyone finds a resolution.

[Becbuz]

My Charge 5 has same problem ,Battery drains fast , My friend has a charge 5 she;'s having the same issue ,Called Fitbit all they did was tell me to do the same thing I been doing restarting it.. The update is lousy 

[Gd1631]

So true. I did, however get a response from Fitbit “customer service” outlining all the troubleshooting steps I’ve performed dozens of times already. They also sent a link to their warranty policy, probably because I told them I got it in December 2022, and though it messed up just before the warranty expired, I didn’t contact them about it until January 2024, 13 months after buying it. 

[Becbuz]

That's about where I'm at now,I had a 1005 battery life at 10"oopm .It's
down to 68% already.I guess i"ll be shopping for a new Apple before long
Thanks for the feed back,I"ll be calling my friend that Fitbit isn't
addressing the issue at all/

[vigvic]

@Gd1631 agreed. Charge 3 still untouched since 2019. Cracked screen and all lol. I got a sense 2 at 68% off ebay with a custom rugged band and third party charger cable. I will see how long this one last since it's their most expensive device with the square shape ( more expensive equals longer lasting? Lol). I don't care for round shape but I'm a Android guy so no apple for me. My Samsung phone always last me 5 years plus until apps stop supporting the last software that the phone has lol. Will keep yall posted when the sense 2 gets bricked by an update lol

[CIsland]

Looks like fitbit has disabled the ability to comment on other threads about this issue that I used to be a part of.

The battery life after the update is not isolated, its even got the attention of the media now! 

Link to article 

Don't accept thier slap in the face 35% discount offer to buy another device, we deserve a full refund for our devices we paid $200 for to work! Do better fitbit (now owned by Google).

If anyone has any other information as to what's going on and what the company is doing about the wide spread issue impacting hundreds of customers, please share. 

Thanks! 

[shc21]

I updated the firmware on my Charge 5 several days ago and noticed that the battery seemed to be draining MUCH quicker than in the past.

Yesterday, I did a simple experiment. I charged the device to 100%. It was 2:45 pm when I removed it from the charger. I left the fully charged tracker on the table (that is, I did not wear it) and periodically checked the battery level. Within one hour, it was down to 71%. By 6:00 pm (3-1/4 hours), the device had turned itself off. When I attached the charger, the screen lit up and indicated 1% charge.

Recharging the device every three hours is just plain silly (among other things). I certainly can't use my Charge 5 as a fitness tracker - and it's way too ugly to consider it jewelry.

I expect Fitbit/Google to take responsibility and provide a solid fix very, very soon. Google employs some of the best software engineers in the world. Surely those folks can figure out how to roll the firmware back to the previous version while they work to determine the problem with the recent update. 

Get it together, Fitbit. Tell us what's going on and what you're doing to make things right.

[nithya.1fido]

Same issue, Fitbit takes no responsbility for the poor performance of their device. 

[Cityfrank]

Another victim here. Battery performance is atrocious the past while. Suddenly too.

[Hemant17]

My charge 5 is also having same issue and unable to hold charge even for 24 hours.. hopewe get a solution soon as this issue is currently making the device useless for me.. the main reason for me to go for band is battery..

[DonnaTT]

Yay!! I totally agree. I tried everything suggested and my Charge 5 still won’t work like it did before the update, when we were BFF. It was incredibly frustrating and annoying when I looked at my Fitbit to see the time and the screen was black. I had to use the nearest sundial! I sure hope the Fitbit/Google people are working on this problem and can restore us to to our former happiness. If not, adios!

[tour_contact]

Same issue. Started after an update a few weeks ago. Thought I had imaged it at first but now consistently have an issue. Have gone from a week's charge to about 2 days (tops). Seems that Fitbit / google just don't give a hoot about their customers given this week that they said it's not a firmware issue. I would suggest that they talk to all their customers who have had this issue AFTER A FIMRWARE UPDATE!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-68140297

[Gd1631]

@shc21, I hope you don’t hold your breath too long for anyone to take responsibility. It’s already obvious they are not, since they have come out and adamantly denied their firmware update is to blame. 
Another user posted that they are big enough of a company to absorb the costs of replacing everyone’s Charge 5 that is messed up since doing the “it’s not our fault” firmware update.
The problem is that they are also big enough to ignore Charge 5 users, and even if all Charge 5 users who have been affected were to never buy Fitbit again, it would not hurt them financially enough for them to care. 
I guess they’re too big to fail? 😳

[debzannba]

Same issue for me. Just started happening over the past couple of days. Charges up to 100% but then drops to 4% within a few hours. Thought it was only my device so a bit reassuring that it is not just me. If Fitbit are not going to resolve this, I will be changing to another fitness tracker. Unfortunately I can't track down my receipt but I am sure it is less than a year old.

[Gd1631]

Unfortunately, there will be untold users who waste their time with the Fitbit troubleshooting tips and give those tips enough tries that their warranty expires. I was just on the cusp but didn’t think too much about it because of the Christmas holidays, only to find that my warranty expired during that time. When I say untold numbers of users, I’m referencing those that got their Fitbits for Christmas. 12 months later, they did a firmware update that the deny caused Fitbit Charge 5’s to be renamed to Fitbit Brick 1, and the holidays push users past their warranty period. Maybe just a coincidence…

[Gd1631]

I’m sure the answer to your question about pushing away customers is one for the bean counters.

They will probably lose more money righting the problem their “it’s not the issue” firmware update caused, than they will if every affected user moves on to another brand. After all, they already have your money, and if your Fitbit didn’t brick out from their firmware update, it would be (supposedly) years before you spent money on a replacement that might not be a Fitbit anyways. Since there are more and more fitness tracker watches coming out that do most of the same things for a fraction of the cost, it might be a good idea to listen to BTO, and Roll on Down the Highway. 
cheers!

[cleebates7]

I took a few days off reading these posts as it was just too discouraging and depressing. But this post spoke to me. I actually dug out my many-years-old Charge 2 when the 14-month-old Charge 5 kicked the bucket. None of the many, many suggested fixes worked so I bought an Apple SE. Yes, twice the price and way more bells and whistles than I need, want or know how to use. But it gives me my steps and will let me swim with it so I’ll adjust to good service and kiss Fitbits good buys good-bye for good after probably 10 years. Shame. 

[Becbuz]

Couldn't agree more