Charge 5 stuck on reboot loop

[Denigor777]

After less than 2 weeks of use, and on the second time charging, the Fitbit Charge 5 entered an unrecoverable reboot loop (see https://youtu.be/gt9jPQJOTHg).  Whether charging or not, it cycled between Fitbit logo, black screen, a default clock face and sometimes a red-error/white cross error circle.   

Fitbit support chatted with me about it, which was a weird conversation because they instructed me to reboot in the settings menu.  I can't get to the settings menu.  They said change the clock face.  The app cannot change the clock face, because the app cannot sync, because the Charge 5 keeps rebooting.  You get the idea: they are probably following a well intended but poorly planned script.

Conclusion: It's being picked-up and I'm getting a full refund.  It was my first ever Fitbit, and I am going direct to a competitor next.

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank for all your replies and for sharing your feedback about this inconvenience with the Charge 5. 

@SunsetRunner Welcome to the Community forums, and thank you for sharing the steps that worked out for you. 

@Denigor777 @ddunc @mvonden @MikaelS Thank you for sharing that you've been experiencing the same inconvenience with the device. The general troubleshooting steps that have been useful for other users experiencing this problem are: 

1. Remove the device in the Fitbit app.
2. Uninstall and reinstall the Fitbit app.
3. Set up the device again.

Even though some users have been able to resolve by setting up a new account, this would not be recommended as a troubleshooting step from Fitbit's side, since all your historical data would not be transferred to this new account.

If you already tried the steps mentioned earlier and you're still having the same problem, I recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team for further assistance. The best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected

Thank you again for taking the time to share all your feedback about this inconvenience and the Charge 5. 

Have a good day. 

[ddunc]

Got a new one from best buy on black friday, hooked it up to my existing account, everything's been working great.

Glad I upgraded, just wish the first one had worked.

Plus side is I ended up saving some $ by waiting.  Shrug.

Charge 5 is pretty cool, liking the upgrade from charge 4.

[DavideFitbit]

@ddunc Thank you for sharing your experience with this. It's great to know that the new device is working properly. 

Have a great day. 

[saywah]

honestly regret purchasing this Charge 5. wasted my entire morning setting it up and now it's stuck in a reboot loop after attempting a firmware update that never seemed to finish. If had to round to the nearest minute, the length of time i've worn this watch, it would be 0 minutes. 

Moderator edit: word choice 

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @saywah.  

Thank you for sharing that you've been having the same inconvenience with your Charge 5. 

I've been informed that you already contacted the Customer Support team for further assistance with this and it seems they've provided you with some instructions. In this case, they will let you know how to proceed. 

See you around. 

[a801393]

I just received my first newly-purchased Charge 5 today and still faced the same issue after such a long time. The development/customer departments of Fitbit are impressively consistent in their device quality. 

[MikaelS]

Agree. After "bricking" 3 of them I'm now the happy owner of an Apple product instead after years of using the Charge. One bad product can indeed ruin a long relationship.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @a801393. 

Thank you for sharing all your feedback and these details about the inconvenience you've been having with your Charge 5. 

I've been informed that you already contacted the Customer Support team for further assistance with this. In this case, they will let you know how to proceed. 

Thanks again for the information provided; our team is always working to enhance your experience and your feedback is a big part of that process. 

See you around. 

[bobmzm]

I managed to break out of the reboot loop on my device by changing my clock face to another one. The Fitbit picked up the clock face update in between it's reboots but you may need to try a few times. After that everything worked fine.

I suspect the default clock face has a bug in it which crashes the Fitbit in certain cases.

Moderator edit: format

[DavideFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @bobmzm. 

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with this, it's good to know that you were able to resolve it. I'm sure this will be useful for other users as well. 

Have a good day. 

[SunsetRunner]

I have the same problem. Just got a reboot loop. I can't even get to the OS. Mine only shows the fitbit logo then restarts.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, welcome to the Community forums, @SunsetRunner. 

Thank you for sharing that you've been having this issue with the Charge 5. 

It seems that you already contacted the Customer Support team for further assistance with this and they've provided you with some instructions. If you're still having this inconvenience, I recommend that you continue the communication with them so they can provide you with the next steps. 

[mcmeyer]

I have the same issues. I have Fitbit Charge 5. Stuck on the logo screen and fully charged. I have tried suggestions such as pressing sides for 10 seconds or pressing 3 times with one-second intervals. The Fitbit Charge 5 will not reboot. I have tried to remove the Fitbit Charge 5 from the Android smartphone app and then add as a new device. The phone does not recognize the Fitbit Charge 5. I turned off all Bluetooth devices if there is any interference. All failed. I am starting to think that the Garmin watch might be a better solution. I have owned several Fitbit wristwatches in the past such as Charge HR, Charge 2, and Charge 4 but they never last past two years. 

[Hochoa87]

I just recently had the same issue but mine is staying on the logo screen and wont do anythang else, tryed resetting it and everything but its like its disappeared, ive only had this version for a month too. Kinda sucks cause ive never had an issue like this with their other watches ive owned especially this soon, but i contacted customer support and they are having me ship mine back and hopefully they send me a new one, just sux ill be out of a watch for the next two or three weeks.

[iblamesummers]

same problem.

[mcmeyer]

Now I get a white X surrounded by a red circle. First, I got the logo. Second, following days I might be able to get it to reset after depleting the battery to half. Third, I needed to establish connection as time was off. Fourth, went back to logo. Fifth, I get this X and circle pattern. Should I get a Garmin or Samsung watch? 

[a801393]

HI all, I just want to come up here to give a fair update from my side. Long story short, the best solution is don't waste time trying to figure it out, what you need to do is simply contact customer service from either the Fitbit website or the platform where you purchase the devices. They will go through quick and dull testing and, if things are still off as we expected, they will send you a replacement. I found this is the easiest route to get rid of the reboot nightmare and the related fury lol. Anyway, I am a happy user and have no problem using my charge 5. FYI/

[mcmeyer]

My experience with Fitbit technical support is they will not start a
conversation if the unit older than one year. Is your unit under warranty?
No, then buy a new one. Yes, then here is a discount to buy a new one.
Inherent obsolescence, I find the Fitbit model starts to crash and burn
just before a new model is whispered to be released. Fitbit Charge 6 is not
to be released until early 2023.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, and welcome to the new users in the Community forums. 

Thank you for sharing that you've having a similar issue with your Charge 5 device and that you already tried a few troubleshooting steps. 

If you already tried completing the 3 pulse restart procedure and you continue to experience the same problem, please try these additional steps that have been useful for other users:  

1. Please follow these steps in case you're having trouble to charge your device. 
2. Please sync your device in the Fitbit app by tapping your profile picture > Charge 5 > Sync Now.
3. If you  can't sync, tap on your profile picture > Charge 5 > Tile to see if a firmware banner appears. 
4. If it's still unresponsive, please try changing the clock face as well and check if you're able to see anything on the display. 
5. Try setting up your Charge 5 as a new device in your account. 

However, it seems that some of you already tried some of these steps. If you continue to have the same issue, I do recommend that you continue the communication with the Customer Support team so they can let you know about the next steps.  The best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. You can click here to get connected. 

Thanks again for all the information provided so far. The team continues to work to improve the Fitbit experience and your feedback is big part of that process. 

[iblamesummers]

i tried a chat with customer service online & I lost the person & could not connect. my charge 5 is currently still in reboot mode on the charger. 

I am just using my Casio watch now.