Charge 5 is unresponsive

[GCameron]

I have a charge 5 (second replacement under original purchase warranty). After a few hours (<24) the screen goes back and bluetooth connectivity is lost. Connecting charging cable and restarting brings it back to life and it recovers to 99% charge in minutes.  However, a few hours later the same happens.  

This the second replacement charge 5 I have had under warranty and it has failed within 12 months of being replaced. My original purchase warranty has expired.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @GCameron. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums. Thanks for trying to troubleshoot the issue with your Charge 5 before reaching out. 

To better assist you, please make sure you've restarted your Fitbit device as suggested here How do I restart my Fitbit device?. If the restart doesn't work try to change your clock face. If this fixes the issue, you can change your clock face back to the original clock face.

As for the connectivity lost, please try the following in the order listed:

• Unpair your Charge 5 from your phone's Bluetooth and Fitbit app.
• Unpair other Bluetooth devices that you may also have paired to your phone's Bluetooth settings.
• Force quit the Fitbit app.
• Turn off other Bluetooth connections when not in use. This can help to prevent connectivity issues or Bluetooth interference.
• Shut off your phone and turn it on after 1-2 minutes.
• Turn on the Bluetooth on your phone.
• Plug it into the charging cable and open the Fitbit app.
• Set up your Charge 5.
• If there is no connection, restart your Charge 5.
• Once your Charge 5 is paired and syncing, please proceed to set up your other Bluetooth devices to your phone again. 

With the steps above, what I want you to do is to pair your Charge 5 first to your phone's Bluetooth settings before any other Bluetooth device is connected to your phone. 

[GCameron]

I have followed the steps you recommend.

What seems to happen is that when the Charge 5 is connected to the charging cable, I can operate it as normal: I can use the screen, restart and pair to my phone.  However, once I remove the charging cable, the screen is unresponsive and the bluetooth connection drops.  Plug the charging cable back in again, and the Charge 5 indicates that it is 100% charged, it reconnects to the bluetooth on my phone and I can sync it.  

However, the Charge 5 is clearly of no use in this state

[MarreFitbit]

@GCameron Thanks for following the tips and recommendations I've provided above. 

As our last resort, I'd recommend performing a factory reset on your Charge 5. Before doing so, please take into consideration that a factory reset deletes any stored data, which includes all data that hasn't synced to your Fitbit account, your applications, alarms, etc. With that being said, I suggest to sync your Fitbit Charge 5 before proceeding.

Once the above has been done, while your Fitbit device is on the charging cable, swipe down from the clock screen to find the Settings app. On your Fitbit device, open the Settings app > Device Info > Clear User Data.

Test your Charge 5 behavior and see if the issue persists. 

[GCameron]

I have now tried the factory reset.  I am afraid there is no change.  The Charge 5 appears to operate normally when connected to charging cable: battery is 100% charged, it is connected by Bluetooth to my phone and I can scroll through the screen to all the apps. However when disconnected, the Charge 5 is unresponsive: screen is black; and bluetooth connection is lost the instant the charging cable is disconnected.