Charge 5 unresponsive after getting in water

[bklynnygirl]

Just a warning to everyone about taking your Charge 5 in the water.  Contrary to what the specs tell you, the Charge 5 is actually NOT waterproof.  I had my Charge 5 for over a year before I thought I would trust the manual and take it into the water.  I didn't have to, but I wanted to time myself, and I mistakenly thought the Charge 5 could do that for me.

I literally walked into the water, maybe about chest deep, and my hands were by by sides, for about 2 minutes.  I even followed the instructions to "Water Lock" the watch, and then of course, I couldn't use the timer at all!

When I got back home, the watch was unresponsive.  After following instructions on the forum, like letting it run out of battery, etc.  After calling support and working with them, the watch was deemed unfixable.  And since it was no longer under warranty, they only offered me the option to buy another watch at a somewhat reduced price.

I was lucky to have a spare at home that I had gotten for my son and he never used.  Needless to say, I won't be taking this watch into the water ever.  And once this one stops working, I will definitely NOT be buying another Fitbit product.  Especially now that they have been purchased by Google.  I DON't want my Fitbit information to be stored anywhere on Google's servers, taht's for sure.

Good luck and don't take your watch in the water!

Best,

Lola

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[gdio53]

@bklynnygirl 

The Charge 5 is not waterproof, it is water resistant.  There is a difference between the 2 designations.

I'm not aware of any Fitbit device that is classified as waterproof.

What type of water were you in?  Was it salt water, or chlorinated?  Different water types can impact the water resistance of the device.

[bklynnygirl]

Thanks, Gary.   

Basically, what I am irked about is that the Fitbit website says it is water resistant up to 50 meters -- this implied to me that you could wear your watch in the water to a depth of 50 meters.  I was in water that was maybe 4 feet deep, so I thought I was safe.  I am pretty sure 4 feet is a lot less than 50 meters 🙂 so would have expected that the watch would not become unusable after only 2 minutes in water.  If the type of water affects the water resitancy of the watch, I would have expected that the website specify that.  In my case, it was salt water.

It's too late for me now, just hoping to share my experience with others so you don't wind up with a bricked watch like I did, even though I followed the guidance provided by Fitbit.

Best,

Lola

[Fituba82]

I can confirm this as well. My son (14) got stuck in a deluge of a rainstorm out riding his bike, and since then the watch is dead. It'll blink the Fitbit logo when connected to a charger, but nothing else. I've tried resetting it to no avail. My Luxe, however, has done just fine after multiple pool swims.

[9v9z9f]

I haven't tried the water lock yet, I find it difficult to put on and switch off. But thanks for the advice.