Charge 5 black face & now totally unresponsive after trying charger reset

[Rosieposie4321]

Charge 5 had blank face but could feel vibrations & it was updating on app. I tried to reset by putting it on the charger.. I initially got the logo & vibration but nothing else. I tried pressing the charger button 3 times to reset it. Now everything is dead. I get no power or vibration whatsoever & app can no longer find the watch. It was at least able to update before I tried the reset. Almost as if the reset fried the watch. Any thoughts or recommendations? It seems these always fail around the 1 year mark. So irritating . 

[XCIH]

FitBit replaced my Charge 5, but only because it was less than 3 months old I think. I mentioned this litany of problems, but there was no reaction. I wonder if they are aware of the issue …

Brian G. Klenk, BSN RN COHC

[PurpleCakeLady]

So the good news for me is that Customer Services have today sent me out a replacement as my Charge 5 was only 4 months old… so skeptically I am wondering how long this one will last! But very pleased I’ll have a new one in the next couple of days ☺️

[irenegirl]

My Charge 5 went black about five days ago. I have been unsuccessful in resisting it.  Has anyone had success in getting their Charge 5 to work again? I originally bought this in February 2022  - very frustrating. 

[fred890]

I’m done with the Fitbit brand. I went through 3 Fitbits in 5 years. Getting progressively worst. Apple Watch here I come.

Sent from my iPad
Fred E Caldwell Sr

[Paulac6]

Hi davidefitbit, the restart option is not working for the majority of us, please respond as to what needs to be done to fix this problem. My device is only 8 months old and it's already having problems .

[TomNevins]

I  also got a Fitbit in Feb of 22.  Same problem.  I called customer service, they went through the usual restart process and turned it over to the "warranty" group.  Eventually I got an email offering 35% off a new one.  As you can see from this forum, this issue has happended to many people and Fitbit has not owned up to a problem.

[jeanne_bean]

I just experienced the same thing yesterday (4/25/23). I received the Charge 5 as a Christmas present, so it is 4 months old. Went black on me with no notice. Black screen; charged and updated firmware. Nothing. Tried the charger button restart trick. Nope. It'll power up while on the charger, but it showed yesterday's date (and fewer steps than I really took) this morning. Frustrating!!

[irenegirl]

I received the same “discount” for a new device.  I let Fitbit know that I most likely won’t purchase another device from them - who’s to say this won’t happen to another device. You would think with so many people encountering this problem, that they would somehow come up with a fix.  It is very frustrating!!!!

[rkd3]

Just chiming in to say I'm having the same issue! Screen went black a few days ago, but the device is still tracking per the phone app. I tried restarting via the charging cable to no avail. Very frustrating that there doesn't seem to be a fix.

[Martyninoz]

It cannot be a coincidence.

Last week my fitbit has failed in the same way as others here have reported. Was giving me 5-7 days on a charge, then out of the blue the battery dies and when I plug it in, I get the icon flash up then nothing. Blank screen.

I can charge it up and it talks to my phone and counts steps etc, but blank screen and the battery now only lasts about 10 hours.

I have tried multiple resets with the 3 button trick, but it doesn't help.

It just seems like too many people have had the exact same symptoms within a short period of time to be a coincidence. 

[TomNevins]

No fix. Call customer and complain. Eventually you will get an email to
purchase a new Fitbit for 35% off. Fitbit has not owned up to a problem.

[IanV66]

Finally, on teh second atempt got Fitbit support to sort it out.  They sent me a label and I posted back my complete unit, strap, charger etc.  However the email order I got back from them states "Charge 5 Pebble" - pretty sure this just mens the watch, no strap or cable, box etc.

I was quite surprised that they did this at all, mind ou it was only 2 weeks old.

It was dispatched yeaterday and is currently in the Netherlands on the way to the UK.  I will update once it arrives.

If its just the watch unit with nothing else I will be less than happy.

[imblamy10]

I had the same issue with my first Charge 5.  I had it replaced under warranty.  The replacement did the same thing immediately, so they sent me a third Charge 5.  This is my last Charge 5.  

[PhredPhlinston]

Argreed - this is a totally unacceptable response from Fitbit- my Charge5 is less than 8 months old.  There is clearly a problem . If I have to replace it myself you can be sure that it won’t be with another Fitbit.

[Heather1411]

This whole situation reminds me of apple killing the old iphones to force
upgrades. Really disappointed that there is no acknowledgement of this
being a widespread issue. Still trying to decide if I will purchase another
or not because mine is all the way dead now.

[Martyninoz]

Even with an offer of 35% off, I don't think I'll ever have another Fitbit again. Shame as I really liked the Charge 5, but so disappointed with the seemingly widespread failure that they refuse to acknowledge.

[Firsttimemama21]

My Charge 5 did the same thing last night and is now completely dead. It also now conveniently falls outside warranty. 😑 So even though I have done nothing wrong and the issue is with the internal devices functioning, I've been told I must just buy a new one. No offer to have it repaired either. Very poor handling of what seems to be an increasingly frequent issue with the Charge 5! 😑

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to share your comments and updates. 

If you're new to this thread, please make sure to try the standard troubleshooting options for display related issues with the Charge 5: 

1. Try restarting the device using the charging cable.
2. Follow these steps in case you're having trouble to charge your device. 
3. Sync your device in the Fitbit app by tapping your profile picture > Charge 5 > Sync Now.
4. If you  can't sync, tap on your profile picture > Charge 5 > Tile to see if a firmware banner appears. 
5. If it's still unresponsive, please try changing the clock face as well and check if you're able to see anything on the display. 

If the issue persists, please contact the Customer Support team so they can provide you with the next steps. You can chat with them or call them directly here. 

[SunsetRunner]

LOL. We've all done the steps and contacted support. None of it works. This is a FitBit issue they're refusing to acknowledge and will cost them customers. I'm definitely not buying another one....

[Firsttimemama21]

I would not be posting on this platform unless I had already done all of the above, including talking the customer support team. Unfortunately this is a FitBit Charge 5 defect and needs to be addressed by your company. 

I paid a pretty penny for the device and it has not lasted even 18months! This is quite unacceptable as you buy a brand that you trust and know is good, yet the product you get is defective? 

Fitbit need to address this issues soon, otherwise I fear you will lose even more customers. Myself included.