Charge 5 short battery life and black screen

[Jules1661]

My battery on charge 5 is suddenly only lasting a couple of days.  Tonight the screen changed colour and now it's gone completely black.   Can't synch.  Tried a reset via the cable.  No joy.  Any ideas?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity. 

[Udy7000]

All of a sudden, my fitbit also lasts only 2 days. It's the second time that I have to charge it after 2 days of use. It's discharging at an alarming rate. After the first time it happened, I disabled almost all notifications. Yesterday I disabled the screen completely. And yet, the same happened. I purchased it in Sept 2021. Should we expect such a short battery life? 

My fitbit doesn't manifest the other issues yours have. It still synchronizes, and the screen seems fine.

[DavideFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums @Jules1661 @Udy7000. 

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

In general, it is recommended to follow the recommendations listed in this article to improve or extend battery life.  There are a few features that would make the battery drain faster than usual, even in one day. Some of these features are: 

• Built-in GPS (Charge 5 can have a battery life of up to 4 days when using this feature regularly, or up to 5 hours if you use it continuously).
• Always-on display (Charge 5 can have a battery life of up to 3 days when using this feature). 
• Tracking SpO2 (Fitbit points out in this article that you may have to charge your Fitbit device more often when collecting SpO2 data).

If this doesn't apply to you, another step that has been helpful for other users having battery draining problems is the three pulse restart procedure using the charging cable. This should also help with the problem you mentioned with the display: 

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 within 8 seconds, holding each press for about 1 second.
3. Wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears.
4. If the device doesn’t restart, wait 15 seconds to try again.

[Jules1661]

Thanks. Have tried all your suggestions to no avail. Haven't had an
issue until recently. I've just replaced the charge 5 with another
cheaper Fitbit. Will see how long this one lasts whilst looking for
alternative smart watches I think. Have had a few fitbits and whilst I
like them they don't seem to be very robust. Hope you have better luck.

-------------

Thanks. Outside warranty. Have replaced with a cheaper Fitbit as interim
measure whilst I look for another manufacturer. Love the Fitbit but not
very robust.

[DavideFitbit]

@Jules1661 Thanks for sharing this update. I'm sorry to see that it hasn't been possible to resolve the problem. 

If you haven't done so already, you can also try changing to a different clock face as well, and check if you're able to see anything on the display. Let me know if your screen turns back on. 

[Jules1661]

Hi yes tried that. My charge 5 is well and truly dead I'm afraid. Moved
on to an inspire 2 as I needed the Fitbit as a watch at the very minimum.
Hopefully will have more luck.

[Udy7000]

It didn't help.