Display and battery issues with Charge 5

[kathleenjames]

Suddenly many people are dealing with sudden loss of battery and black screen with no possible way to fix it. Could this have anything to do with the update? It seems not so coincidental it's all happening at the same time.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[jojo2739]

Both my brother's and mine charge 5 are in the same boat as everyone else, black screen after updating to the newest firmware.  We both removed it from the app and hope to be able to add it again later, but without the option to view the 4 digit code, we are unable to do so.

He did contacted support and tried all the solutions without any success - knowing it's out of warranty, support only offer discount coupon to get replacement.  This is not acceptable for both of us.

I've since gone back to my charge 2 (which has been working perfectly fine and I never update the firmware), and he gone to another brand.

I really hope there would be some kind of resolution for us who are unable to add the device back to the app...

[Jaykay3]

Did you read that here in the comments or elsewhere? 

[LuganoG]

Update - I received a support message from Fitbit, but unfortunately the tips provided did not work. After 3 days the Charge5 is still dead. I managed (do not know why, maybe a 1-day charging?) to re-activate the phone and temporarily solve the black screen issue. However, I realised that all sensors do no longer work - no matter of what step I took (e.g. change clock, soft or hard reset). What more, after a short while, and without any use, the battery went down from 98% to 50% and then to 30%. It eventually died without any use. Finally, the Fitbit screen - instead of being just black - it flashes like when there are electricity contacts or so. I decided not to wear it anymore for fear that it may heat up and burn me (do not know whether this is actually possible but you never know).

Two requests to Fitbit:

1) Please refund my Fitbit premium suscription (just paid) as I cannot profit of any services right now, and cannot solve the problem.

2) Please provide a new Charge 5 free of charge as this serious damage to the device was not my fault. The company should take responsibility towards its customers. And this forum shows there are lots of them in the same situation...

[Stewie54]

I am writing this post to bring attention to a pressing issue regarding the recent firmware update for Fitbit devices. It has come to my attention, along with many others, that the update has caused severe problems, rendering our devices completely unresponsive and bricked.

What's particularly frustrating is that this issue is not due to any user error. Fitbit itself prompted us with a notification at the top of the Fitbit dashboard, urging us to install the new firmware to benefit from the latest enhancements and bug fixes. Naturally, we followed the instructions in good faith, only to find our Fitbit watches transformed into useless bricks.

It's disheartening to see loyal customers like us facing such inconveniences and frustrations. We rely on Fitbit to provide reliable and functional devices that enhance our health and fitness journey. However, this faulty firmware update has not only disrupted our usage but has also left us without any recourse to resolve the issue.

Furthermore, it is deeply concerning that Fitbit's proposed solution to this problem is a mere 35% discount on a future purchase. This is not an acceptable resolution, especially considering that there are many affected Fitbit users who are still within the warranty period. Offering a discount does not absolve Fitbit of the responsibility they hold for the bricked devices caused by their faulty firmware update.

Fitbit must take full responsibility for these errors and provide a suitable resolution for all affected users, regardless of whether their devices are within or outside of the warranty period. As a reputable company, Fitbit should prioritize customer satisfaction and address this issue promptly and fairly.

I urge all affected Fitbit users to join me in voicing our concerns and demanding that Fitbit acknowledges and rectifies this situation. Together, we can bring attention to this matter and hold Fitbit accountable for the consequences of their actions.

Please share your experiences and thoughts on this issue in the comments below. Let us stand united in seeking a fair resolution and a commitment from Fitbit to prioritize the quality and reliability of their firmware updates.

Thank you for your attention and support.

[VinsKvk]

Charge 5 Firmware update has broken the device; Charge 5 stuck on Fitbit logo; coz of a firmware update
tried all the solution steps and no use; tried to reach out to the support they confirmed its affecting coz of their firmware update and instead of addressing the issue they say that get a new device. 
Customer Support didn't address the issue nor the right solution and it looks like they don't even know the root cause.

i hope they understand, FITBIT FIRMWARE HAS BROKEN THE DEVICE.

without addressing this issue support is side tracking it with a resolution to buy a new device. can FITBIT guarantee that the new device will not break with the same firmware update? If that is the case, how come the firmware is device specific?

[Sharon84]

Well now I know why my Fitbit Charge 5 has no screen no nothing!  I don't think it is even counting my steps correctly as I wear another device and the two are way off.  This happened yesterday after the Fitbit said my battery was low and I plugged it in for much of the morning.  It must have updated the firmware without me knowing it.  NOW I HAVE NO TRACKING!!!!!!  I am going to have to think long and hard about sticking with Fitbit if they don't push out a fix SOON.

[Netviz]

No they cannot.  In fact, read some other reviews, especially outside of this forum such as Reddit and you see find many reviews from people who received two or three replacement devices only to have those fail with the same issue within weeks.  

I was really surprised how many people are having this same issue but it is no wonder that Fitbit is finding ways NOT to cover the devices under warranty if they don't have to.  

Fitbit, you might want to read some of these reviews.  People are dumping your devices in droves!  Garmin seems to be a common device people are migrating to but I'm still looking.  I liked the smaller slim design that my Charge 5 had and I've seen a few other brands out there with a similar design but they are from start-up companies so until I can find some reviews, not pulling the trigger on any of those just yet.

Unfortunately, I am done with Fitbit devices!  Their business practices are not very customer friendly.

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You're lucky you still have some tracking capability.  When mine died, it died!  Had it fully charged, synched it in the morning, was wearing it and noticed late morning it no longer responded and was no longer Bluetooth connected to my phones.  Completely dead!  Even plugging it back into the charger did nothing.

Fitbit support had me do the reset thing on it which I thought was bringing it back to life as I saw the charged to 95% symbol but then just the Fitbit logo flashes and no Bluetooth connection.  DEAD!

[Sharon84]

UPDATE - I called the support line and they are sending me a replacement for my Charge 5.  I had the option of 50% off a different model or a replacement.  I am trying the replacement on the assumption that they wouldn't dare send a device that wasn't working.

[Racerchic]

I've had multiple Fitbit devices since 2015. They've all lasted 3+ years before decided to replace them (most of the time just to upgrade). I've now had my Fitbit charge 5 for 13 months and about a week ago it stopped having any sort of battery life. I contacted support and was told that they would "look into the account and I should receive an email within the day". That email took about 2 minutes to come in (which tells me nobody looked into anything) and all it did was tell me it wasn't under warranty and give me a 35% discount on a new device. 

This is not good enough for me considering there was nothing wrong with the device one day and the next it won't stay charged. I don't recall doing a firmware update unless it did it automatically. 

I'm very frustrated to find forums of people who started reporting this same issue in late 2022. It's been over 8 months and there's still no solution for this? 

And now I see there's a new firmware update that may be available soon... But it's not available to everyone. And there's no information on if it will even fix the issue. 

Fitbit needs to take responsibility for these devices instead of just offering a discount on a new device. Seems to me like they messed with the devices and are now offering discounts to people so that they can make another sale. 

[Mpmmadrid]

Nobody in fitbit can support me? My fitbit charge 5 is still in Black. I have followed the different instruccions given in this foro but the problem persits. My fitbit was buyed in 2022 august 

[Missiv12]

I heard back immediately after complaining but all I got was 35% off. The fitbit was 14 months old. 

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I was only offered 35%

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Contact customer service. You're still in warranty. 

[Bm6rh]

Mine is having the same issue. They told me mine was past warranty and offered me 35% off. 

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I got the update. And it turned my charge 5 into a brick within a couple days. Support says it's out of warranty, but offered me 35% off a new watch. It worked fine until the update. Fitbit has acknowledged that there is an issue and thousands are having the same issue. Currently, they're unwilling to replace my device or fix my current oned ue to their issue. I'm not happy.

[MaryJaneC]

Round of applause! I had my Charge 5 for a couple of months before it became useless. A discount is not anything I would ever consider compensation. I can honestly say that I will never buy a FitBit again if this issue is not resolved satisfactorily. Why would I consider spending more money with them when I JUST spent money on the Charge 5? Customers work hard for their money and deserve to have a product that works. I have been a loyal customer until now. This is absolutely ridiculous.

Looking for a response from FitBit here. 

[MIKE524]

Hi,we are long time fitbit clients and we are amoung the unlucky ones as have two charge V and they are both FW 188.58 bricks now !

It europe the warranty is two years and we bought them from Fitbit directly (Digital River Ireland Ltd.)

Digital River Ireland, Ltd.
Dromore House, East Park
Shannon, County Clare,V14 AN23
Ireland
Numéro de TVA du vendeur : FR62488917394

Does somebody know where do we send an email for the refund?

[Netviz]

Here here MaryJaneC.  I will certainly join in on the applause of those of us speaking up to the corporate big wigs at Google/Fitbit.  

Are you listening yet Google/Fitbit?  Your (former loyal) customers certainly are!

MaryJaneC, if you bought your Charge 5 directly from Fitbit, you should be good for a replacement but from what I've been reading from other users and web sites, the new one will soon have the same issue after it gets it's next update.  If you didn't buy it directly from Fitbit, you may be out of luck.  I bought mine from Amazon (listed as being sold by Amazon) but found out later Amazon uses a third party supplier which voids the warranty.

I'm done with Fitbit products and searching for my next fitness tracker.  No decision yet.  Still comparing.

clap! clap! clap

[Stewie54]

According to discussions on another forum, both Sense 2 and Versa 4 users are encountering comparable firmware issues. This situation raises the question of why FitBit hasn't paused the firmware rollout if they were aware of these ongoing problems?

[DJ_Halcón]

I completely agree that the right thing for Fitbit/Google to do is to take responsibility, but how? My conversations with “customer support” have been less than fruitful. And it’s not like I have a huge community of followers who will notice when I tell them what’s going on (apart from the folks here, of course).

[MaryJaneC]

I guess I didn't realize that Google was also involved. Thank you for letting me know. I will be 100% sure to NOT get a Google device.Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

[Teasers]

Mine has completely shut down.  I gave tried the restart through charger and no joy. Very disappointed about this

[Netviz]

Google acquired Fitbit back in 2021. (Google it for details..lol)!

Now how much involvement Google has in day to day operations?  I never dug that deep into it.  If I was thinking about buying Google or Fitbit stock at the time I would have.