Charge 5 battery draining too fast

[SharleneH]

I have had the new Charge 5 for 2 days. The battery discharges within a day. GPS is off, the phone is not set to always on. In looking over the troubleshooting instructions from Fitbit, it seems that you essentially have to disable all of the features that were selling points of this device in order to get decent battery life. Even my ancient Charge 3 got 6 days on one charge! Has anyone with this battery problem found a solution other than disabling everything?

[shimsim]

Nobody should be suggesting a fix that requires you to disable any of the core features. I and many others are getting 7+ days without having to disable anything. The only features that cause fast drain are the GPS and the screen ALWAYS on, so if you are not using the GPS on a regular basis or have the screen always on, you should get the stated battery life which is around 7 days.

I'm sure that restarting daily or disabling features might help but that is not a FIX, its a temporary workaround. Its fine if you are OK to put up with that but its definitely not a solution that anyone should have to accept.

I had a new unit that suffered from poor battery life, after restarting, resetting, charging all night, etc etc I was eventually sent a replacement and that worked fine, 7+ days of battery without the need to disable any features or restart (no GPS usage and the screen is manual). 

I do hope it can be fixed with firmware but can't understand why it would take so long to push out an update for this, its been 6 months, so I have my doubts that its just the firmware. If it was that simple, it would have been solved already.

[Vna22]

like many others o too followed this advice. I even reached out to fit it via Twitter, only to get generic responses. Your service used to be great. I wish these posts before buying one. I would never have done it. 

super disappointed. 

[Annica_ch]

Hello, the GPS is off and The screening too.

[Clemens13]

I've had my Charge 5 for 6-8 weeks and the battery life is horrible. 100% charged one morning, 29% 24 hours later. I'm over 65 years old so I'm not running marathons or anything. Followed all the suggestions in this thread. Things are only getting worse. All I can say is, bring back the Zip! The Charge 3 I had previously was OK as long as it lasted but the Charge 5 is very disappointing.

[LiJaHi]

Needing to turn off the GPS isn't really a fix, as having the GPS included is a feature of the Charge 5. People shouldn't have to disable important functions in order to get it to work. In addition, I've found that even syncing via bluetooth drains my phone battery really fast. My phone cost more than the fitbit so if I'm going to wear out either battery, I'd choose the fitbit.

LizzyFitbit, what is the point of including GPS in the Charge 5, then telling people not to use it if they want reasonable battery life?

[sean44]

UPDATE: I have found for me that restarting my watch through the touch screen when the battery starts to drain too fast is working. I turned on the SpO2 again this morning and so far battery life has been normal. Note I haven’t connect watch to charger after restarting unless the battery was low.

[RunningMamma]

Good luck with the Charge 4 - both of my connection to the band broke and, of course, FitBit only gives you a percentage off a new device.  Did that once and It happened again, so then get Charge 5 and the battery is not dependable.  So frustrated but love my FitBit - might have to research other companies.  

What is the SP02 app - on the watch?  OR phone app

[Kwazzy]

How is this the "best answer"? I've seen this post similar elsewhere going back to 2021 when it was released? I recently got this from my previous Luxe and WOW the battery just vanishes! When can we expect this game changing firmware update? Thanks

[Bike-man]

The SPO2 is not an app but a measurement obtained during sleep monitoring with the Charge 5.  SPO2 is the % of oxygen saturation in the blood.  It is commonly referred to as pulse oximetry.  This measurement is done using light technology.  A normal blood oxygen saturation value is 95% or better although there are factors that can effect the accuracy.  Therefore I would not be concerned about values  as low as 92%. I do not believe you can selectively obtain a measurement of SPO2 with the Charge 5 like you can with ECG.  
If a you need to spot check your SPO2 I would suggest the purchase of a separate device for that purpose.  
Hope this helps.

[RunningMamma]

I do not want SP02, it was suggested to not have that on since would drain power. I am just trying to figure out how one day I am fully charged and the next day I am at 11%. Then another time I can go 3 days without charging. Getting very frustrating

[Wildcatguy]

Interestingly, my spouse has been using Fitbits even longer than I have, and has finally given up on them.  A new Garmin just arrived today.  I'll be watching closely how that works to see if maybe I should make a switch, too.  

[Bike-man]

Hi
I understand your frustration. Many who have been a part of this thread are just as frustrated. You might want to check the country of manufacture China vs. Malaysia
Many of us that have Malaysian made Charge 5’s have battery life of 7 days or more.
After you attempt restarting/resetting your Charge 5 without any resolution, you should contact Fitbit for either a replacement or refund.
At this point, not worth living with a device that does not function as advertised.


Joe H.
Sent from my iPad

[Walkabitfarmer]

My Charge 5 is not holding Charge. I am lucky if it lasts 2 days. I have tried pretty much every suggestion on the Forum with no change. So frustrating that you cant rely on it. 

[KathyJUK]

After getting a fairly standard response that they are working on a Firmware update to solve the issue of the battery, I asked them what kind of timeframe were we looking at, and how they would honour the guarantee as time goes on.

I got this as part of my reply today:

We will consider your warranty from your initial contact with us. 

Currently, we don't have specific timeframe. Thanks for your patience.

All I would say, is that if you haven't logged an official query with Fitbit and got a case number, make sure you do this before your warranty runs out. 

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@KathyJUK wrote:

I bought mine in September 2021, and it was also lasting a week, but this last couple of weeks I realised the charge was lasting shorter and shorter.  Now it literally last no more than 3 hours.  Been in "online chat" with customer services, and now waiting for an email about what they can do (or not do).  Not holding my breath at this point.

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Moderator Edit: Formatting

[RunningMamma]

Thank you for this information!!

[JBNV123]

I am now restarting after charging, restarting after logging any activity and restarting anytime i notice the battery draining too quickly, seems to be working most of the time. 

annoying and needs to change.

Love the charge, but this is really frustrating. Seems like something that could be fixed though

[debar_621]

Any idea when the firmware update will be available? 2 days of owning this item and I've had to charge it twice. I've tried every tip listed or provided through a link, with no luck. 

[Bike-man]

Fitbit had not been forthcoming with any release date of their promised firmware update.  I would suggest you contact customer support to see if you are eligible for a replacement or refund based on your inability to resolve the battery issue.

Wish there was better news.  

[RunningMamma]

Thank you – of course they are not very good about returning a product if you have had it over the warranty time. Would think anything within 6 months should be considered.

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This is my 4th fitbit and they seem to not fix any of the problems, just have new products they give you a % off of and then same thing happens all over again. If another manufacturer had the sleek design of FitBit I would switch in a heartbeat.

[MaryAnnMaloney]

Any updates on this?  I have done all recommendations and the battery still won't a charge for a full day.