Charge 5 water damage

[Gbrews305]

I've been swimming all summer at our local pool with my kids always set a swimming tracker on my charge 5 an haven't had any problems as it is supposed to be waterproof up to 50 meters, to my avail it has tiny water bubbles on the back side and isn't lighting up green an the front display is now a fuzzy light across the entirety of the screen with no visible numbers displayed.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Gbrews305 , by law devices are no longer allowed to advertise that they are water “proof”.  They must instead say they are water “resistant” and then list the pressures that they are expected to withstand.  For the Fitbit, and many similar devices, that is 50 meters.  However it is possible to reach that pressure level, for example, by jumping and/or diving into much shallower water than 50 meters, so if you have been using it in a pool all summer, it is possible that your Fitbit has been exposed to that level of pressure.  Sadly, over time, it is also possible for the water resistance to break down, especially if it is exposed to sun lotions and other skin creams, regular significant pressure, etc.

You can almost certainly recover full function of your Charge 5 if you pop it into a bag of uncooked rice for a couple of days (certainly at least until you can no longer see drops of water or condensation inside).  Ideally you should do this before plugging in your Fitbit to charge, as running an electrical current through it while it is still wet could have terminal effects...

Having said all that, your Fitbit is guaranteed, depending on where it was purchased, for at least 12 months, and if you feel your still-under-guarantee Fitbit has not lasted as expected, you should get in touch with Fitbit Customer Support on Contact.Fitbit.com who will help you with a warranty claim.

If your Fitbit is out of guarantee, as I said, it is likely that its functions will recover once it has dried out and it will probably work normally again once fully dried.  If it were mine, I would probably not continue to wear it in the water once you know that the water resistance has been breached, as I expect it will be somewhat more vulnerable after that.  (Wearing it in the rain, or during a sweaty workout, should never be an issue.)

Good luck!  Let us know how it goes and what you decide.  Welcome to the forums!