Charge 5 stopped working after getting wet

[alxti]

A few years ago, I brought my Charge 5 with me on vacation to Mexico. I wore it while in the ocean (not in deep water) and came back out with a dead screen and no response. I put it on the charger and reset it using the button. Fitbit logo would intermittently show up and disappear at random until I left it unplugged to kill the battery. This year I took a brand new Charge 5 to the same place again, but I did not wear it while in the ocean. I went to wash myself off and got it very slightly wet in the shower. Was resting and then the watch suddenly started vibrating at random with no notifications. Screen would turn on/off normally with the flick of my wrist, but pressing it to go to another page or anything did not work. Put it on the charger and reset it with the same message and now it is bricked. WTF?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @alxti. It's nice to see you around 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 as this is the second time you experience this inconvenience, I will do my best to help you with this!

If your device got wet, it’s important to take it off and dry it well before putting it back on. On the other hand, if your device has come into contact with any liquid other than fresh water, you should clean it with fresh water and a soap-free cleanser and dry it with a lint free-cloth.

If you've done the above but to no avail, may I know if your Charge 5 vibrated during the restart process? If it didn't, I'd recommend trying the steps below:

• Clean the charging contacts on the back of your device and the pins on your charging cable using the instructions in How do I clean my Fitbit device?
• If the error "insufficient power source" appears on your device's screen, remove other devices plugged in to your power source, or plug your device in to another source.
• Try a different USB port or a UL-certified wall charger.
• Check the alignment and try reconnecting your device to the charging cable. For more information, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
• Restart your Fitbit once again.

[Priyogi]

The same just happened to me. I would like to know how I can get a replacement since I got my Fitbit last year. My husband’s Fitbit is dead too. This is his second one! At this point I would like a replacement! Fitbit please contact me! This can’t keep happening! 

[CookieMika]

My device stopped working today too, it is stuck on the log/blank screen.  Reading through the forums, do not unlink your Fitbit from your phone, this is one of the troubleshooting suggestions, apparently once this is done there is no way to relink it to do any more trouble shooting. 

[alxti]

I dried it and put it to charge. It only came in contact with fresh water very briefly. I think it vibrated when I put it on the charger, but the screen went blank briefly after and it is now a brick. Pebble? it is very small. 

[Snales]

My charge 5 stopped working yesterday too. It cycled on the logo and vibrations several and then went black. Sounds like a Fitbit issues. Seems to be happening to a lot of people from what I can see as far as posts here. 

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Snales, welcome, have you followed @MarreFitbit advice?

Let us know by posting here again.

Cheers

[Snales]

Yes I have and have also reached out to support directly. 

[CookieMika]

Well, my charge 5 came back to life this morning (7/6/24). It froze up on the logo screen yesterday morning during swim class.  I had it locked for swimming. I did all the forum suggestions except unpairing it, as I did not think I would have a way to pair to device since it was completely unresponsive at that point.  I left it off the charger all night to see if letting the battery run down as suggested would help. I put it on the charger, and it showed 83% battery life. It blinked a few times, so I put it back on the charger and it came back to life.  It's been alive 4 hours and counting. 

Update:  Well, I had hoped my C5 would be one of the exceptions, but I think it gone.  Just flashing white to black now @ 1530. 

[RiekoC]

Hello @Priyogi 

You will need to contact Support (<-- click link) to start the replacement process. Complete the prompts until you get to the contact options.

Personally, I've had better response when I call versus chat.

[CookieMika]

I had it on the charger for a few hours, now letting the battery drain to
see if that works. Read in Forum this could be related to software update,
version 194.91 which is the version I have, of course.

--
Thank you, M Mika