Charge 5 is unresponsive

[Llwilson]

My Fitbit 5 has blank screen. I have tried putting it on charge and hitting reset button 3 times and sometimes the logo will flash and back will be red flashing light. Then I tried holding the button for 20 seconds and get the same result.

i can’t change the clock face because it can’t sync. 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @Llwilson. Welcome to 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 your Charge 5 is still unresponsive. I understand your concern, I will do my best to help you with this!

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. As per the description of your post, it could be a sign the contacts need cleaning. Confirm that you've tried all tips and recommendations provided here Why isn't my Fitbit device's battery charging?

Please make sure your Charge 5 is receiving good power source, please find below some tips to best charge Fitbit devices:

• Use only genuine Fitbit charging cables
• Avoid USB battery packs
• Charge at room temperature
  
  

For charging purposes, your charging cable or your base station can be plugged into any USB power source, including but not limited to:

• A computer
• A Wall A/C to USB adapter, commonly found with smartphones
• A DC to USB adapter (vehicle power port)

Also keep in mind that a Fitbit might not seem to be charging when actually the issue is that it has become unresponsive (this can happen if the battery has been allowed to discharge completely).  I would suggest putting it on to charge on a charging wire and outlet known to be working.  Leave it on the charger for a good two hours, even if it doesn’t seem to be charging.  

[Llwilson]

I have checked my cable and plug and everything looks good. I have cleaned the back of watch and charging pins. Still won’t show anything.
I forgot to mention I’ve been having trouble with the watch ever since they came out with the latest update.
It would go blank and I would have to put on charger to get it to work and it still has plenty of battery life. Also I would charge it and update my Fitbit to my app and the tracking wouldn’t show.
What can I try next. I’ve only had it little over 2 years and would think it would last longer.

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[SophiaMitchell]

Thank you so much for the help.

[DonLx]

I can't help but feel there's some underlying technical issue with the Charge 5. There seems to be thousands of disappointed former users facing similar issues.  About a month ago, my device stopped working and I've tried all the solutions, including the cable reboot, trying different power sources, changing clock face etc. 

This is the 5th fitbit device I've purchased (2 for children) but with 3 of them failing about a year or so after the warranty period my experience has been nothing short of disastrous. Fitbit has provided me with a 50% coupon for a new device but it is extremely disappointing these devices never seem to work for more than 2 years.