Charge 5 won't hold a charge

[NBray]

My Fitbit Charge 5 will not hold a charge.  I have tried a reset several times.  What do I do?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi there, @NBray. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums. Thanks for trying to troubleshoot the issue with your Charge 5 before reaching out. 

If you haven't done so already, please make sure that you've followed the steps provided in this article to improve battery life in general, as this has been generally useful for other users. In addition, please confirm that you've restarted your Charge 5 as described below: 

1. Connect your device to the charging cable. For instructions, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
2. Press the button located on the flat end of the charger 3 times (end if the USB cable), pausing for 1 second between presses. Then wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears.

The battery can last up to 7 days; because battery life is affected by use and other settings, actual results may vary, but the battery shouldn't be draining only after a few hours. 

[Ajwjsz]

Same problem here. Reset on cord twice, on device once, returned to factory settings, no change. Fitbit offered 35% off a new device since mine is outside warranty. It worked fine until the firmware update this week. This is NOT OK!

[Dtrose20]

I’m having the same issue. I’ve done all the troubleshooting and chatted with a customer support rep. No resolution. They have just sent a warranty claim on it that  I’m sure will be denied as I bought my Charge 14 months ago. My Charge 5 has been the worst Fitbit I’ve owned out of 4. It has been awful syncing since day 1, but overall was working just fine up until the battery died normally last week. It needed to be charged, but once on the charger it would not show signs of charging at all. After jiggling it a bit I got it to turn on while still on the charger, but once removed it completely died., went black within a second off the charger. It will charge up to 99% but once removed it dies completely. I’ve seen some many comments connecting this issue to the software update which is completely unacceptable. I’ve only owned my device for a little over a year and I purchase these things to last until I’m ready to upgrade. I would have liked my Charge 5 to last longer that 14 months. I’m not keen on replacing it at my expense because the manufacturer destroyed the device by a software update. I’m very upset. 

[Surfista]

It is unfortunate that Fitbit is not willing to address this issue that has affected so many of its users. I am hopeful that, as the complaints continue to mount, the company will recognize that it is in their best interest to compensate all their customers who purchased a defective product. If they do not, I think a tipping point will be reached and this issue will result in permanent damage to the brand and reputation of Fitbit.

[Vgordon7]

They really need to fix this. Everyone is having the same issue. 

Seriously considering switching

[Wimko1964]

Same here; kept on giving a vibrating alarm, tried the USB-charger-reset. If connected to the charger long enough it will load, but the display hardly reacts and when disconnected from the charger it discharges in 15 minutes….

Checking some Apple Watch SE-deals at the moment 😉

[WillBar]

I have same problem.  Totally agree.

[Omalls]

Same here!  A charge used to last 5 days.  It was fully charged 2 hours ago, and now I'm at 57%.  Charge it yesterday evening and it was dead this morning.  I've made no changes as to how I use it.  Mine is only a year and a half old.  I sure hope Fitbit is going to resolve this issue!

[hhitz]

My Charge 5 is in the same boat...I've made no changes to how I use it. I've only had it six months. Am I eligible for a replacement?

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How can we get them to address the issue?

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you for sharing this, my Fitbit has had the same issue since the last update. It seems like they want us to buy a new one after so many months. I might switch to a different company.

[SunsetRunner]

I’m having the same issue. This is frustrating. I’m looking at apple. Would rather pay more if it’s going to last me more than a year. Seems like once I hit the one year mark, within weeks it started having issues. Seems intentional. 

[BadgerBacker]

Same Here.... Very Frustrating.

[BadgerBacker]

@MarreFitbit - I've done it three times and it does not resolve the battery drain issue.  Disappointing and frustrating considering the Charge 5 is only 17 months old and so of course it is out of warranty. 

[Tigersmurf]

Same, the update fixed the black screen issue but now it won’t hold a charge for anything. Charged it fully last night. 100%. Woke up this morning and it’s at 77%. What the hell? I’m using it the exact same way I always have, but somehow sleeping drained 30% of the battery? Fitbit fix the software please. 

[Nicolle189]

I have had this same issue. My Fitbit is less than a year old. Fitbit won't cover it under warranty because I bought it o Amazon. This is unreal that so many people are having the same issue. Maybe a complaint to the Better Business Bureau is in the near future. This is clearly a known issue that they are not addressing. 

[Maizyminnie]

What does the pressing three times do? And after that, are we supposed to charge until full again?

[9178]

They have not addressed this issue in years…same thing happened last year. After hours of trying to fix it and hours of arguing on phone they finally sent me a new watch face…hummm…same thing happening a year later…think I’m done with Fitbit…too many issues. Charge 5 has never synced right…takes about 5 tries every morning to get my watch to sync. Just not worth the hassles…Time to switch to Apple I guess

[misterHU]

aside from considering apple... iii feel the same way. this just happened to my 2nd charge5. same as the first charge5 AND charge4. I'm QUITE DILIGENT about not letting any soaps/cleaners/lotions/etc contact the device whatsoever, YET it seems that not long after warranty lapse these mf'rs stop working.

sooper suss!!!

[reelseeker]

My charge 5 was working fine until the latest update. It then stopped waking up, I had to reset with the cord and then the battery started draining faster and faster. Full charge to zero charge in 10 minutes now. I paid for the extra features and want a refund/cancel that as well.