Charge 5 stopped working after getting wet

[Lord_Octomore]

Hi all, my Charge5 stopped working after swimming. I bought it in Dec 2022, and never made it wet. Yesterday and today I kept it on while swimming and it died.

How long am I supposed to wait before trying to charge it? I see some small droplets on the inside of some of the small sensor windows in the back.

I’m pretty upset as this is the second Fitbit that broke within 2 years after purchasing.

Thanks in advance!


Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @Lord_Octomore. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm sorry to hear that your Charge 5 stopped working after getting wet. I understand how you must be feeling, 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, 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.

[Lord_Octomore]

I waited a day and charged (condensation was gone). It looks to be working again. Thanks!

[MarreFitbit]

@Lord_Octomore You're welcome! 

I would like to invite you to visit our Health & Wellness where you will find great tips and encouragement from other members and if there's anything else I can do for you, please keep me posted!

[Lord_Octomore]

Might have cheered too soon. Fitbit went from 40% to 0% in a few hours… 

[RiekoC]

Hello @Lord_Octomore 

Sorry to see you're having issues with rapid battery loss.

When my Charge 5 started having rapid battery loss, I restarted and recharged my device multiple times over several days. As soon as I saw a rapid drop in the battery, I restarted it and put it on the charger until the battery was back to 100%, often doing this multiple times in a day. This eventually got my Charge 5 "unstuck" and the battery went back to lasting 6-7 days. 

Although there's no guarantee that this will work for you, it might be worth a try.

[LoloCox]

Hello, it looks to be working for mine too.

I'll see tomorrow if it's still ok.

[Lord_Octomore]

Mine is now black. In the App I see it’s working, but the screen does not work anymore. When I put it on the charger, the familiar buzz is present.

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I hope I will get somewhere with Fitbit support. This is the second device to break after 18 months of light use (this is the first time I swam with it). Without a decent discount (not just one that gets the website price down to other retailer prices), I am going for a different brand next.

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Discount code… Factoring that in would lead to a virtual lifetime of a little over 2 years for a Fitbit, which is not really what I expect.

I also don’t like having to make a google pay account to redeem it. I have enough payment options floating around; I’m not inclined to make another one just for Fitbit/Google.

I’ll contemplate a little, but there’s a good chance I am switching brands. I prefer Fitbit sleek design and functionality, but quality also matters.

[LoloCox]

Idem pour mon Charge 5, il ne tient pas la charge et écran hors service.

Je retente avec un Charge 6 avec la réduction proposée en espérant qu’il tienne plus longtemps.