Charge 5 not picking up exercise

[Ash92x]

Hi my Charge 5 is no longer picking up my exercise?? Any ideas why? Was fine the first few days picking it up via smart track but no longer working? 

Moderator edit: format

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @Ash92x. 

I appreciate all the information that you've shared about this inconvenience with your Charge 5. 

Before considering other options, please let me know if you're having this problem only with a specific activity. Keep in mind that your device recognizes activities that are at least 15 minutes long. The activities that are tracked automatically are: Walk, Run, Outdoor Bike, Elliptical, Sports, Aerobic Workout, Swimming. 

In the meantime, please make sure that you've tried the three pulse restart on your device as well, as this has been helpful for other users with similar problems: 

1. Connect your device to the charging cable. For instructions, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
2. Press the button located on the flat end of the charger 3 times (end of the USB cable), pausing for 1 second between presses. Then wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears. 

I'll be around. 

[JoC1123]

I don’t have a button on my charger. I walked a lot yesterday for longer than 15 minutes and all it did was register my steps, not the walk. I’ve also noticed that the charge doesn’t last for longer than a few hours if I’m using it for walking/cycling which is really poor for a brand new device. My Charge 2 lasted at least a day. 

[SebWotan]

@JoC1123 The button is on the USB plug. 

[JoC1123]

I don’t have any buttons on my USB plugs - it only came with a charging cable. 

[SebWotan]

@JoC1123 

Your cable and charger do not look like this ? Is there no button as indicated by the red arrow ?

[JoC1123]

Yes it does. I’ve never noticed that before - it’s so frustrating when you don’t get a physical manual to look at! 😂. Thanks for your help. I’ll give it a try. 

[DavideFitbit]

@JoC1123 Thank you for all your replies and for confirming that you've found the button to complete the restart after the information provided by @SebWotan. Let me know if you continue to have the same problem to track your exercise after this procedure. 

In the meantime, and regarding your battery not lasting as long as it should, keep in mind that some features will make the battery drain faster than usual, like GPS tracking, Always On Display or SpO2. If you haven't done so already, please make sure to follow all the recommendations listed in this article to improve battery life in general. 

I'll be around. 

[Fj63]

My charger does not have a button,  how do I do a restart without one

[RiekoC]

Hello & welcome @Fj63 

There is a small inset button on the USB end of the charging cable that came with your Charge 5; see picture below. 

The other way to restart your Charge 5 is from the Settings menu on the tracker itself. Swipe down from the clock face until you see Settings; it's the last tile you see when you swipe down. Tap on Settings and swipe up until you see Restart Device (last tile). Tap on Restart Device, then swipe up & tap Restart. 

[DavideFitbit]

@Fj63 Let me know if you were able to complete the restart using the instructions @RiekoC mentioned earlier, and if you continue to experience any problem with your Charge 5.