Charge 5 not syncing and batter not lasting

[WellnessMaBelle]

Is anyone else having issues with their new Charge 5? I am so disappointed.  I had the iconic for many years and never had issues other then how big it was. I decided to upgrade to a newer Fitbit and smaller so I tried to the charge 5.  I have to constantly reboot it with the charger button or it won’t sync or it says sync is taking to long. Also my battery drains in a few days sometimes almost in one day. It’s no where near the advertised 7 days hahaha that’s a joke. I’m just really frustrated. I’ve contacted Fitbit more then once over this. 
I feel like they need to do a recall if I’m not alone and we should all call or chat in about these issues. I’ve seen other threads regarding the charge 5, so disappointing 

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @WellnessMaBelle, welcome, It's a pity you are having a problem with syncing your Charge 5. Processes have moved on since the Iconic so you may be interested in these articles How do Fitbit devices sync their data? and Why won't my Fitbit device sync?

I occasionally get the "cant sync" message and find waiting a couple of seconds and then retrying by swiping down on the "today" screen in the phone app gets sync. Pressing the button on the charging cable gets you a full restart and is not strictly necessary.

Battery reserve depends on usage, typically I see about 20% a day with a 90-minute swim and an hour walk using my phone GPS plus normal daily activity. I've seen reliable reports of a 30% depletion in 24 hours for more active use. The advertising here in the UK says "Up to 7 days" and "†Battery life varies with use and other factors. Up to 5 hours with continuous GPS. Always-on display mode requires more frequent charging."

You do not mention precisely how much reserve you use or your activities, but I don't feel my battery drain is unusual. I hope this helps but if you can give more detail of how you are using your Charge 5 and the extent of your battery drain it would be helpful.

Cheers

[ChrisC1969]

Yes, I have an iPhone 12 and it is constantly loosing connection and jumping off Bluetooth 

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @ChrisC1969, welcome, in addition to my earlier suggestions I recommend you review the settings in your Fitbit app on your phone. Ensure all the permissions are allowed and that any battery-saving function in your phone is disabled for the Fitbit app. This last is because some phones treat the Fitbit app as non-essential and turn it off to conserve battery power. You need the Fitbit app to run constantly in the background. While you are looking at the app on your phone I also suggest you clear the cache.

Cheers

[Mywaytoo]

I just got my charge 5 a day ago and it paired fine initially but now it constantly disconnects and won’t sync unless I repair and restart device. So annoying doing this like 15 times a day I have to shut off Bluetooth and turn back on or restart device and then it will sync but only then. I contacted support today and they just told me a whole bunch of oh make sure your device is up to date. Make sure iOS is up to date. Restart device.  I don’t want to be doing this constantly it’s supposed to just work lol. I am super disappointed and I see that many are expressing the same problems and getting the run around from support. I am considering just returning mine at this point because it doesn’t seem they are even acknowledging there’s an issue or plan to fix it. 

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Mywaytoo, welcome, as you are using an IOS phone it is important you check out my advice on permissions and battery-saving functions on your phone. I'm not sure what you anticipate on syncing, note my post of the 8th November and the advice on syncing. If you have never been able to sync your Charge 5 I recommend you prepare a comprehensive note for yourself on the steps you have taken identifying the point at which syncing clearly fails and talk to "Customer Support" again here. Use the chat facility or the phone for a prompt response.

Cheers

[Tijoda]

Yes. I am having problems too. My watch is presently 1 day, 6 hours, 6 minutes off, or 30.1 hours off.  This is frustrating as I have been trying for 3 days to sync my watch, first tried my android phone, then my windows desktop.  I still haven't figured it out, which is why I am in this help forum looking for answers.  Thank you for posting so that I know that this is just not be. 

I upgraded from a Charge 2 after years of loving the product. Recently I ordered a different band for this watch since the one it came with continually gave me a rash (something that they mention in the instructions in the box). I've had the Charge 5 since Jan. 18, 2022. I had to periodically remove the watch from my wrist to give it relief.  But how disappointing to get a new band so that I can wear it regularly but now it doesn't function properly.  Disappointing.

[Tijoda]

I want to give an update. This forum helped a lot.  My phone didn't have Fitbit app "notifications on" and when I made the corrections it appears my tracker was due for an updated version.  I have now installed the firmware version 57.20001.171.50.  I'll see how things go from here.  Thank you to those that posted related information to help me through this.