Charge 5 is not holding a charge

[ChrissyX]

My Fitbit Charge 5 given as a Xmas present in 2022 is now no longer holding its charge and takes 4-5 hours to charge,  I have adjusted as many settings as possible to save the light constantly coming on, especially at night!  Is anyone else experiencing this same problem

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @ChrissyX. It's nice to see you around the Fitbit Community Forums. Thanks for bringing this to my attention and for the troubleshooting steps you've tried. I'm sorry to hear that the battery of your Charge 5 is draining quickly. I understand your concern, I will do my best to help you with this!

As a first approach, I'd recommend making sure that your phone's software version is updated. For more information, refer to Check & update your Android version or Update your iPhone or iPad

If you haven't done so yet, please try all tips and recommendations provided here Can I extend my Fitbit device's battery life?

On a side note, if your Charge 5 is not charging properly, please note that there are some issues that affect this, being which power source is used and how clean the contacts are and how well the charger is seated. If you are charging your Charge 5 on the wall socket, try using another CE certified USB adapter for low energy devices.

If you haven't done so yet, I'd recommend following the tips and recommendations provided here Why isn't my Fitbit device's battery charging?

Lastly, note that our products are indeed designed and made to last (this goes for each product component) however, there is not an infallible way to ensure that no issues will be present in the long run. Because of this, our Warranty Policy  is set into providing as much coverage as we can. For more information about our warranty, see fitbit.com/legal/returns-and-warranty 

[ChrissyX]

At 72 I’m having trouble understanding all your instructions.  How will any of it improve my battery life?  

[ChrissyX]

Thank you for your help but at 72 I am having trouble understanding all your instructions.

How does all this improve my battery life, I and recharging now every 3-4 days


Sent from my iPad

[Julia_G]

Hi, @ChrissyX you mention that your Charge 5 was given to you for Christmas 2022, so it is now approaching 2.5 years old.  At this stage it is perfectly normal to need to charge the battery every 3-4 days.  In fact, I would say you are doing quite well if it is still going at least 3 days with no need to recharge!

As I am sure that you are aware, all rechargeable batteries have a limited life span (blame the laws of physics!) and very small batteries such as one in a Fitbit (or any smart watch) can lose capacity particularly quickly.

It sounds to me like your Fitbit is showing some signs of age, but is still doing pretty well.  The very best way of managing it, and keeping it lasting longest overall, is to avoid deep discharges.  Occasionally allowing the battery to run down completely won’t do much significant harm, but doing this repeatedly will definitely shorten the life of your Fitbit. Rather than waiting until the battery is very low (or even entirely depleted after 3 or 4 days) I would recommend giving it a little boost daily, if you can.  Giving it 10 or 15 minutes in the morning while you are showering and getting ready for your day, or half and hour or so in the evening while you are reading or watching television will be the best way of keeping it going for another couple of years, or even more.

The secret is to avoid deep discharges.  Ideally don’t let it go below 20% before you give it a boost.  Charging little and often will give you the very best results.

I am 71, so I understand how one’s eyes can glaze over with too much information… But I hope this helps and is clearer.  Please do post again if you need any more info.  

[ChrissyX]

thank you for your help, I appreciate your advice but must mention that my Fitbit never advises me that my battery is low until it gets to below 10! Can I adjust this at all ?

[Julia_G · Accepted solution]

Hi, @ChrissyX , no there is no adjustment for this.  What I am recommending is not waiting until you are notified of low battery - but definitely do act when you are notified!  What I am suggesting is to get in the habit, wherever possible, to just give it a little boost daily when you know you have a period when you won’t care that it isn’t tracking.  Getting ready for work in the morning is an obvious time for many people, because though you *can* where it in the shower it isn’t ideal, and it gives your wrists a little time to rest in any case.

But I understand that this may not be relevant for you so a little time when you are resting in the evening with a book or whatever may work better.

You won’t go far wrong by charging it when you get the warning, of course!  But waiting for that may not be as convenient as a regular charging regimen when you can choose your down time rather than discovering the battery is low when you are just about to take a long hike!

You can always see the state of your battery on the device itself.  Just swipe up from the clock face screen at it will be there at the top.  

As I mentioned, occasional deep discharges will not do significant harm.  But if you have already noticed some deterioration in battery life you will get best results long term by having a routine of regular top ups by ideally keeping the battery above approx 20% as much as possible. 

[ChrissyX]

Thank you Julia you have been most helpful and I will do as you suggest.

Thank you and have a nice day

[Dakota68]

I too am having problems all of a sudden with the battery draining quickly. First, it has taken several days of charging and resetting just to get to where I can see my screen again. I have also noticed the red light on the back of the Fitbit is constantly on. I don't have a lot of settings turned on but turned off a few more just to see if it helped. It does not.  I also have been able to update the firmware. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks. 

[ChrissyX]

Made the following changes to mine, and as long as I recharge it every 3 days, it seams to be doing Ok;

Display settings Normal
Screen wake manual
Screen time out Medium
Always on display: always on display, off
Off hours off
Interval 22:00 - 06:00

Hope this helps

Sent from my iPad

[Dakota68]

This sounds like what I am going to try, as well. If I can get my Fitbit to
last 2-3 days, it would be better than the 2 hours. Of course, right now,
even though I got it to charge and display, it doesn't register any steps
or anything.
Here's to not giving up.

[RiekoC]

Hello @Dakota68 

When my Charge 5 started having rapid battery loss, I restarted and recharged my device multiple times over several days. As soon as I saw a rapid drop in battery, I restarted my Charge 5 and put it on the charger until it was back to 100%, often doing this multiple times in a day. Eventually, this process got my device "unstuck" and the battery went back to lasting 6-7 days. Although there's no guarantee that this will work for you, it might be worth a try.