Charge 5 stopped working after getting wet

[Tmt925]

Went for a swim with my charge 5 50% charged. Afterwards I could feel the watch pulsing on its own but the screen was black. Weird sensation as it had not done that before.  Screen would not wake up when tapped. Put it in the charger. Still nothing. No logo. Did the reset with the USB end. Could feel the watch pulse but still nothing on the screen. Tried the suggestion  to change the clock face but watch not found by app. Disconnected the watch from the app and tried to reconnect it but nothing 😳. Any other suggestions?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @Tmt925. Thanks for stopping by in the Fitbit Community Forums and trying to troubleshoot the issue with your Charge 5 before reaching out. 

I've seen you contacted our Support Team after posting here and they've already assisted you. If you still need help or have any questions/concerns regarding the outcome of your case, please feel free to contact our team back for further assistance.

[Tmt925]

Thanks for checking in. I did contact customer support through live chat. Unfortunately there was nothing that would help so I did have to replace the Charge 5. It was out of warranty but very graciously I was given a discount towards a replacement purchase. It all worked out. 

[Smwalker]

My Fitbit did the exact same thing on 7/2/23 but I’m didn’t swim I was outside and it started to rain during fireworks. I went in and all the same things happened to me. It did the vibrate thing when I did the reset. It literally won’t charge now and black screen.bummer!

[DoxieGran]

This happened to me after my first time in the pool with it. I have had mine for like 17 months, and that was the first time I decided to put the water lock on and take it in the pool with me, because they say you can. It even has a swim tracker on it. First and last time apparently. It is not totally dead, but I get maybe 9 hrs of battery life before I have to recharge it. This is the response I got from Fitbit. They didn't even get my name right. 

Hi Chery,

Thank you for contacting Fitbit.

In regard to your Fitbit Charge 5 battery issue.

It's only a very small percentage of products that actually experience such anomalies. When such anomalies do occur though, we always make sure our developers team is informed about all occurrences and discrepancies, so that we can keep moving forward in improving our products and services.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Pipe and the Fitbit Team

I responded that that is great for the developers, but not so for the consumer. They offered me 35% off a new Fitbit..... That's a farce!  I think if a product is advertised to do something and can't, that is false advertising, not an anomaly. Seems to be happening to allot of people.

[123987123]

Everyone here should check the pinned thread regarding the update. This is not a small percentage of faulty products there is a bigger issue and many people are experiencing the exact same issues as you described and coincidentally just shortly after warranty period runs out. The Fitbit business model is quite sketchy at this point.

[123987123 · Accepted solution]

https://gadgetsandwearables.com/2023/07/08/fitbit-charge-5-bricked-device-firmware-update/

[Smwalker]

Yes, sounds like I have that issue! 
Thanks for the article link. 
Hopefully,  they offer a better solution!! 

[Fishernet]

this is  exactly what mine did.  I literally bought this one so I could track my swimming exercise, but have been so afraid to use it that I take it off before getting in the pool.  Well yesterday I did not take it off and now it won't work. Of course I purchased on May the 22nd of last year and it is out of warranty.  This is the 4th or 5th fitbit that I have pruchased that stops working after a year.  I love it when it works but every year of replacement is frustrating!

[Smwalker]

Agreed.. my last one went black as well and stopped working. Ugh! 

[CeeJaieB]

I experienced the exact same thing. After being super careful with my device, I decided to go in the pool with it (and less than 3' of water depth). It seemed fine for a while then the display stopped. Like you, I tried all the suggestions from tech support, with no results. My device is still 'working', syncing data and capable of charging but the display is black. Customer support offered the same 35% discount on a new device. SERIOUSLY, why would I throw away more money to a company that does not stand behind their products and continues to produce devices that fail repeatedly. My charge 3 had a similar display fail. And the help forum, at that time, was filled with hundreds of customers reporting same issue and receiving little satisfaction from Fitbit /Google. So, it's not a random, nor isolated problem. It's an on-going issue across their devices, so obviously a design flaw...or built in redundancy. I'm done with Fitbit unless they can fix / replace my device for free (which I know won't happen). There are other options out there and I, for one, will look elsewhere.

[CeeJaieB]

Yup...this seems to be the new business model for Fitbit / Google. After 3 different Fitbit devices and all having some issues, after warranty expires, I'm done. Loved my devices, when they worked but tired of spending hundreds (device, diff straps, extra charger) every other year to replace a faultly device.

[Smwalker]

Thanks for the article. I hope they offer replacements!! 

[DoxieGran]

I doubt very much any device out of warranty will be replaced. They will loose many customers if this keeps up.

[DoxieGran]

I have not been sent this update. I wonder if it will fix anything? I highly doubt it.

[Candylin]

I have the same problem, I feel like they break down just after warranty expires, because I too am on my 4th one, which is almost like 7th because my boyfriend has replaced his simultaneously.....I love the product when it works, but if it's not working, it's not worth it for the cost.  

[Smwalker]

Yes, I’ve purchased a number of them too and  usually have some issue right outta warranty.. Grrr!