Charge 5 bricked?

[i_Clemett]

Hello,

I'm experiencing a very unusual issue with my charge 5. Two nights ago, after having it fully charged something happened to my Fitbit at 10:26pm, this is the last entry for the device syncing with the app to my phone.

I woke up the next morning to a non-responsive Fitbit, just a black screen. When i put it back on the charger it vibrates as if it's on, but still nothing in the screen, and it will not sync with my phone.

Today I held the reset button on the charging cord for ~15 seconds and now the Fitbit display is working, but it only flashes the Fitbit logo, and is still unresponsive.

I think a firmware update bricked my Device, as this all started while i was asleep, so no water damage or hard knocks could be the culprit. 

Is there a way to factory reset the device? I'm not happy with the fact that Fitbits software seems to have killed my watch

[Talahthas]

Welcome to the Fitbit community, @i_Clemett!

Sad to hear your Charge 5 isn't working as expected. To hopefully get things fixed, I'd suggest restarting it. Before doing so you should make sure you've synced your device to not lose any data tracked so far. Also you should verify that the charging contacts on your device are clean and the charging pins on it's charging adapter are clean as well and can move flawlessly. In doubt, please have a look here:

How do I clean my Fitbit device?

Next please closely follow these instructions as timing is crucial for this procedure:

1.) Connect your Charge 5 to the charging cable which has to be connected to a reliable power source.
2.) Press the button located on the flat end of the charging cable 3 times within 8 seconds(!), holding each press for about 1 second(!).
3.) Wait around 10 seconds until the Fitbit logo appears on your device's display.

I'd like to point out that it sometimes requires more than one attempt to restart Charge 5. So, before throwing the towel, please give it another try.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[Dawn2007]

I have read enough posts of this same problem with the response of Customer Support. The post telling what steps Customer Support team has.  I have tried all of them and none of them work or are acceptable.  I refuse to pay for a tracker every year on top of the annual membership fee.  

[DALATX]

The same thing happened to me this week along with a shortened battery life. After many back and forth chats with customer service, they finally concluded that my Charge 5 was not salvageable and they offered me a discount to purchase a new tracker. But excluded in this offer is the new Charge 6 which leaves me with three choices of products that don't have all of the features that were on the Charge 5. The Charge 5 isn't listed on the Fitbit website anymore. I'm so disappointed. I may have to switch to and Apple watch. Does anyone recommend another tracker brand? 

[Jbarbing]

I have the same problem. 

Following for an solution 

[Victamon]

Perusing these forums I have noticed that this is seemsnto be too common of an issue.  Take notice of

https://www.androidauthority.com/fitbit-charge-5-update-brick-3343825/

, since July.  If true that the Charge5's FW cannot be prevented from automatically updating (and even if it can, this is still not acceptable.. seeing as the latest version be official latest ver released by the company) and following troubleshooting steps outlined by Cust.Serv. does not work, then you ought to be eligible for a warranty---an implied one, if past the duration of the explicit one by the company, typically up to 4 years;

See

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law#intro

and search for "implied warranty" to find overview of the applicable U.S. statutes concerning it (per the Uniform Commercial Code; in particular as applies here, via § 2‑314⑵⒞). As far as next steps (be they first to contact the Federal Trade Commission or otherwise) for recourse, I am not sure. But there atleast lies explicit.law siding with your consumer rights on this matter (beyond a measly 35% discount, amounting to up to approx $70 if counts towards Sense but not Google-brand devices but $140 otherwise.. presuming that other products be worth full retail price in your eyes to begin with; a dollar value probably less than what you paid for the Charge5).

[Dawn2007]

I am looking at the Garmin.  As soon as I find out about the membership fee (it looks like it is free for the sleep module) I will be making a decision.