Charge 5 battery is draining too quickly

[Bmkfit]

My Fitbit Charge 5 was working perfectly fine since I bought it in Dec. 2021.  All of a sudden last week, the watch battery cannot hold a charge.  When I do charge it, it will not charge past 99%, and then off the charger it doesn't last more than 3-4 hours before going dead. 

I haven't updated the firmware (I have version, but the App did update recently.  I have turned off everything - GPS, Notifications, Screen waking, and dimmed the screen, and did all the other things the Customer Service rep suggested.   I have turned off background refresh on the app and it only syncs with my fitbit manually.I have restarted it numerous times, and I have tried the 3 pulse restart on the charger plug.  How can the watch be fine and and then defunct?  All of this only started happening after I updated the App.

What else  can I do?  Has this tracker gone from perfect to trash in less than a week?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Talahthas]

Welcome to the Fitbit community, @Bmkfit!

Sad to hear that your Charge 5 isn't working as expected. This last percent of charging from 99 to 100 percent is known to take forever as charging power is reduced to reduce stress to the battery. That's the reason why any device using a lithium based battery should not be charge to 100 percent for every charge.

To me your issue sounds as a worn battery. Sometimes I've had success reviving a battery by first letting it completely drain. Then I let it rest to cool down for half an hour. Next I repeatedly put it on the charger for half an hour, remove it from the charger and wait another 30 minutes before putting it on the charger for 15 to 30 minutes.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[Russell2]

I've noticed the green led on the back of the Charge 5 constantly on and the heart rate monitor show blank. I think my device battery is draining because of a malfunctioning heart rate monitor.

[Macmcdaid]

Also have this problem. I have had this device for >1yr and suddenly this has started happening. My firmware is up to date.

I will charge my device successfully and then, within an hour or two, the screen is completely unresponsive and the app indicates that the device is between 5% and 10%. In the past, at that low of a battery, the screen used to at least light up when I tapped it. 

I've tried Chat (doesn't work) and clicking the email button (doesn't work) for support - all error out - and my work schedule makes it hard for me to jump on a call. 

Any ideas? Given I'm seeing a lot of people reporting this recently, I'm thinking something's up with firmware?

[untalkativejen]

If you or anyone else have success with Fitbit admitting it's their firmware tag me. I've been having the same issue. 

[Macmcdaid]

They're saying I need to put in a warranty claim. Which is what they did with my last Fitbit only told me it was out of warranty and gave me a measly 15% off a new one (I didn't buy my devices; they were gifts.)

[dargret]

@Bmkfit  Which firmware version did you have before updating, and which do you have now?

[Bmkfit]

I had not updated to the newest Firmware yet.  I did update the app recently, but haven't been able to update the firmware.  And the watch is now dead so I cannot check and see what the number is.  But it is the Firmware that has been in use before the announcements of new Firmware this summer.

[Macmcdaid]

As anticipated, their response to me was that I needed to buy a new Fitbit with a measly 15% discount. If you're not in Warranty they DO NOT SUPPORT YOUR DEVICE AT ALL. This is the second time I have had an issue with a device in 2 yrs and on both occasions, the sum total of the support I received was "try these 3 steps to reboot and if it doesn't work we'll review your warranty and get back to you". Which, I'm sure they do. They look at your warranty, and if you're out of warranty they stop trying to help immediately and send you a discount code.

==============
This was the reply they sent me after ONE chat where I received ZERO troubleshooting steps beyond "did you reboot"?

Thank you for contacting us via chat regarding your Fitbit Charge 5's battery drain issue.

We'll be glad to assist you in getting you back on track with your Fitbit.

After reviewing your account, we see that your device is no longer in the warranty period, and therefore isn’t eligible for replacement. For more information about our warranty policy, visit fitbit.com/returns.

We want to keep you in the Fitbit family and work toward your goals. Please accept a discount toward the purchase of a new device on fitbit.com.

You'll receive a separate email message with more details about how to take advantage of your discount.
.
Thanks for being a Fitbit customer. If you have additional questions about your Fitbit devices or services, visit help.fitbit.com 

Sincerely,

Jed R. and the Fitbit Team

[Cheroquee]

I've a relatively new Charge 5 (3 months old) and it is suddenly failing to hold battery life.  The 'main screen' has been constantly running, no excercise tabs, no notifications etc are accessible.

I have obviously tried all the suggested fixes so to speak and still nothing works.  GPS is turned off.

Any ideas?