Charge 5 battery draining quickly

[Phil.Maly]

Since this Saturday, my Charge 5 is draining its battery unusually quickly.

It looses 50% in one day when usually it lasted one week.

As such the tracker is almost useless.

Nothing has changed as far as I know. What can be the cause? Is the battery damaged ? Should I use my warranty to claim a replacement?

I bought the Charge 5 in June 2022 which is currently running firmware version 57.20001.188.58. I already restated the tracker twice without any improvements.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[EMatthew]

I have the same problem. It started on Sept. 22. Tried hard resets, deleted apps and data, it is still draining from 100% to zero in a few hours. Problem started with an update to the app.

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @Phil.Maly @EMatthew. Thanks for stopping by in the Fitbit Community Forums. I appreciate you've taken the time to troubleshoot the issue with your Charge 5 before reaching out. 

Regarding the battery short life, in general, it is recommended to follow the recommendations listed in this article to improve or extend battery life.  There are a few features that would make the battery drain faster than usual, even in one day. Some of these features are: 

• Built-in GPS (Charge 5 can have a battery life of up to 4 days when using this feature regularly, or up to 5 hours if you use it continuously).
• Always-on display (Charge 5 can have a battery life of up to 3 days when using this feature). 
• Tracking SpO2 (Fitbit points out in this article that you may have to charge your Fitbit device more often when collecting SpO2 data).

If this doesn't apply to you, another step that has been helpful for other users having battery draining problems is the three pulse restart procedure using the charging cable. Nevertheless, since you mentioned you already tried that, please confirm that you performed the restart as described below:

1. Connect your device to the charging cable. For instructions, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
2. Press the button located on the flat end of the charger 3 times within 8 seconds, holding each press for about 1 second.
3. Wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears.
4. If the device doesn’t restart, wait 15 seconds to try again.

If none of the above seems to work or make any change, the best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected.

[Phil.Maly]

Dear Maria, thanks for your quick reply.

I must admit that I only restarted from the Fitbit Charge 5, not using the cable. I have performed that procedure right now and will see if it improves the situation.

Let me come back tomorrow with my outcome.

Regards

[MarreFitbit]

@Phil.Maly sure thing! I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[Phil.Maly]

Dear Maria

Following your instructions yesterday and charged my Fitbit to 100% and I restarted it using the 3 press on the cable procedure.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have fix it much. Right now (less that 24hrs after the restart) my Charge 5 is already at 48% battery so it looks like I will hardly last 2 days without charging.

Can you please let me know what I should do next?

Thanks and regards

[pattybab]

Buenas tardes, 

tengo el mismo problema, compré mi Charge 5 el 31 de Mayo 2023 y la carga comenzó a consumirse rápidamente hasta ahora que solo dura 2 días.
Hice todo lo que leí que había que hacer y nada funciona.
Espero ayuda 
Muchas gracias 

[SunsetRunner]

It doesn't work, it's a firmware issue and there's nothing we can do about it.

It's a bit frustrating they keep telling people to do this when it's obviously not a solution.

A script no doubt.

The next step is contacting support by phone and they will tell you to do the same thing at which point they will tell you you'll receive an email from their warranty department.

If your Fitbit is older than one year old the warranty department will offer you a new one at between a thirty five and fifty percent discount.

It's like Toyota came to your house, smashed your engine and then told you they'd sell you a new Toyota for 35% off.

[Phil.Maly]

Since my last comment on Friday, I did a second restart of my Fitbit using the cable and the 3 presses on the button and noticed some improvements. After 48hrs I was still on the same charge.

But Sunday I went swimming in the lake (25min) and after that the Fitbit started to drain quickly again.

When it started initially, it was after a swim session in the lake as well.

Any links or experiences liking quick draining and swimming ?