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Charge 5 battery draining quickly

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‎10-03-2023 12:02 - last edited on ‎10-03-2023 15:20 by Fitbit Moderator

‎10-03-2023 12:02 - last edited on ‎10-03-2023 15:20 by Fitbit Moderator

I’ve had my charge 5 for about a year now. all of a sudden the battery isn’t lasting as long. It used to last me a week. Now it’s drained within a few hours. Anyone else having this issue? 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

Best Answer
97 REPLIES 97

‎10-09-2023 05:47

In response to Carlybc

‎10-09-2023 05:47

Have been buying Fitbit products for years. May now have to look at other, more reliable, brands for fitness tracking.

 

Best Answer

‎10-09-2023 12:33

‎10-09-2023 12:33

I have had my Charge 5 since Christmas 2021. Besides not holding a charge I find the app and watch not reflecting same battery %. The new app doesn't seem to show anything. On the watch I may see a percentage like seventy to sixty-five then watch goes blank at some point and notification to charge watch in email. I can't trust the battery amount so have resorted to charging regularly usually when shower. I noticed the change when I switched my account to Google from the FitBit login, but that may have coincided with thr app update also. I have done the resets and other suggestions. Hard to trust product. 

Best Answer

‎10-09-2023 15:17

‎10-09-2023 15:17

Mine is doing exactly the same. Fitbit need to sort this out its so annoying 😠😠

Best Answer

‎10-09-2023 19:22

In response to ebkeating

‎10-09-2023 19:22

This is my concern also. My Charge 5 worked wonderfully. Then out of the blue it started losing battery life. I was having to charge it every day. Then the new app came out. I just new that would help. It did not. Then I discovered the Charge 6 was being released. My Charge 5 is less than 2 years old. I can not afford to spend $160.00 every 18 months. Please help 

Best Answer

‎10-09-2023 20:21

In response to MomEMom

‎10-09-2023 20:21

I'm also continuing to have a major problem with this change. Called for help and all they did is refer me to the standard link on how to preserve battery life. Stuff I already knew. I've turned off any possible notification and my battery life has gone from about 24 hours to 36 hours. It used to be 7-8 days. This is how you destroy a brand. I've gone from telling everyone how much I love my fitbit to warning everyone to never try it. I've completely lost trust in the product. The least they could do is come out with a statement that they're aware of the problem and are working to fix it. Maybe they have and I've just missed it. Just very, very frustrated at the moment.

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 00:14

‎10-10-2023 00:14

Yep and I’m tired of my steps not getting picked up I just discovered it was dead again for the second time in a row at the gym. I literally just charged it last night

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 00:53

In response to EMatthew

‎10-10-2023 00:53

Hiya,

I agree, 100%!

I have spoken to friends and done my research.  I have ordered myself a Garmin Forerunner, after being with Fitbit for 7 years.  

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 01:07

In response to ebkeating

‎10-10-2023 01:07

I Hear you !  I purchased a Garmin - but returned it, the interface was not user friendly.  I have no idea what I am going to do.   Hoping that FitBit owns this issue and comes out with a repair. 

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 08:41

‎10-10-2023 08:41

I've been having the same issue.  I bought mine in Dec 2021, and until about 2 weeks ago, it was holding a charge for at least 5 days.  One morning it was unexpected dead, and since then it won't hold a charge for a full day.  This was the same time the new phone app appeared (which I don't care for).  The new phone app doesn't show battery %, and the Fitbit was showing unreliable battery %s.   It would take an inordinate amount of time to get to 60+% charge, and then very quickly jump to 100%.  Then drain in less than a day.  This morning, I can't even get it to charge or boot up.  I've tried resetting it with the cable - it responds & shows the splash screen, but nothing more.  Since it responds to the reboot command from the cable, I'm assuming the cable is fine.  The app tells me the battery is full and the device is syncing, but I still have a blank Fitbit screen.  If I can't expect at least 2 years from a device, it's not worth buying.

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 09:15

‎10-10-2023 09:15

I'm not sure if I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one, or disappointed that clearly I'm not going to get my charge 5 working again.  I deliberately didn't do the update as I had heard such bad things about the new interface, so my device's demise wasn't linked to that.  When my Charge4 started playing up, customer services were exceptionally helpful and tried various methods of reset.  This time, they only have the standard check your settings (none were on high drain mode), press the button 3 times and then quickly got me off the phone saying I'd be sent an email about what to do!  The email was basically there's nothing you can do as you're not in warranty (the watch is actually only 8 months old, but passed my initial warranty as this was a replacement)!  If Fitbit are building watches that they don't expect to last more than 8 months, I'm definitely no longer a customer.  Very grateful for any advice on alternatives.  I don't particularly want to go down the phone on my wrist route, but would like one that does everything the Charge5 does (or did before it retired aged 8 months!)

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 09:26

In response to MomEMom

‎10-10-2023 09:26

Hi. I contacted customer support today and they are replacing my watch as
the battery is unfixable and uts in warranty.
Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 09:32

In response to katam

‎10-10-2023 09:32

I totally agree.
Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 10:22

‎10-10-2023 10:22

Even i am facing the same issue immediately after update, they are trying to give advices which are not at all working. They have not identified the root cause, more over they are saying they don’t have any service centre all over the world to resolve issue

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 10:22

In response to ebkeating

‎10-10-2023 10:22

It can't be a coincidence that just as they're launching the replacement Charge 6, our Charge 5s are all suddenly having extreme battery issues.  Maybe not exactly planned obsolescence, but they rolled out new phone apps just before shipping the new devices.  Maybe there was an inadvertent effect on the older devices (something like too much connection activity)?  Ok, stuff happens, but my problem is that there doesn't seem to be an admission or a fix in the works.  Customer support told me what they told others: you'll get an email about possible warranty solutions.  I wasn't ready to replace my device < 2 years from purchase.

Best Answer

‎10-10-2023 11:48

In response to Carlybc

‎10-10-2023 11:48

I did the same to me after the app update. I’m not buying this product again, no support.

Best Answer

‎10-11-2023 10:51

In response to ToniNToni

‎10-11-2023 10:51

Received this response from customer services!!  "We sure wish it lasted longer than it should, but we hope it helped lead you to a more active lifestyle in the 8 months that you had it. Our warranty allows coverage for 12 months, so your tracker can no longer be replaced, but we'd like to keep you stepping towards your fitness goals." 
So nice that they "sure wish" it had lasted longer!!!!  Me too!!

Not sure what to make of the next line!  Seems to me that their engineers are scratching their heads wondering why the lifespan isn't what they'd like it to be!
"We can't pinpoint just what factors might have led to its end as different users reported different life span but what we do know is that our engineers are hard at work to ensure that we come out with durable and quality products every time".

And they've definitely misunderstood my feelings with their last line...
"We appreciate your kind understanding on this matter".

Best Answer

‎10-12-2023 03:10

‎10-12-2023 03:10

Same problem for me. If they don’t fix this with another update I will be switching brands as well. Just unacceptable.

Best Answer

‎10-12-2023 03:51

‎10-12-2023 03:51

Same issue. I specifically bought a Charge 5 and kept it because I could charge weekly.

it’s clear the recent update has messed things up for (at least) Charge 5 users. 

If Fitbit doesn’t resolve this soon, I’ll be looking at options. And not Fitbit ones. You can’t treat your customers, and need to back your product and service, better.

 

Best Answer

‎10-12-2023 04:02

In response to HPC1

‎10-12-2023 04:02

I’m wondering if the people that can fix this problem are reading these
messages. If they are, do they care?
Best Answer

‎10-12-2023 05:06

‎10-12-2023 05:06

Mine started doing it two days ago.  I lose about 10% of battery an hour so it doesn't even last a full day.  I contacted customer support but because my watch is 16 months old it is no longer in the warranty period.  They offered me a 50% discount to keep me "in the Fitbit family" but the discount is not good on the new Charge 6.  I have been loyal to Fitbit for 10 years but I'm making the switch to Garmin.  As others have said, the fact that they will not own up it being a problem on their end is the reason why I'm making the switch and will not buy another one of their products.

Best Answer