Fitbit Charge 5 battery problems since update

[DC..]

How many of you are experiencing battery problems since the update?

Could anyone who's experienced problems with the charge 5 battery please post once on this thread so it's easy to count and present to show it's not a warranty problem and is a result if the update.

I obviously have battery problems. Had to charge it twice yesterday and uninstalled the SpO2 app to try to make the battery last through the night. Managed to wake up to 50% battery instead of it being dead by morning, even though fully charged before bed.

Moderator Edit: Formatting and clarified subject

[drpelpi]

So, this another update on our painful journey with Fitbit and their
support.

1. My wife Charge 5 start to drain it's battery in a few hours until it can
not longer be on without being connected to the charger.
2. Fitbit after all the solution suggestions offer a refurbished
replacement.
3. Replacement unit arrives and upon setting it up and during apps update
the watch just shows a blank screen but still sensors work no matter what
we do.
4. We contact Google support again, and after the typical suggestions for
solution for a very well known issue, they offer another replacement if we
sent the prior replacement back. They offer two options: send it and pay
the shipment or send us a prepaid shipment label. We offer the last option.
5. After a week we never received the label so we contact support again.
6. They say they had an issue as they are not Fitbit anymore but Google and
now they offer the replacement without sending back the prior replacement.
We should wait the new unit to arrive and info about the shipment.
7. After a week, we never heard back from either Fitbit or Google or anyone
and still waiting and without any working smartwarch. We received just a
mail thanking us for everything and plesed with our satisfaction!!! I don't
know if it is a joke or what!

[RRamsey25]

I am having the same problem. They offered me 50% off a new one but I still have not recieved it.  This company does not care any more.

[Clifford2rocky]

You’ll have different problems when you get it. You’ll need to open a
Google account instead of the Fitbit one you were probably using. The
sleep report is terrible. Good luck.

[Tha.Bee.]

It's been weeks now that I can't connect and the screen keeps on being black. My battery is dead in less than a few hours.. However, the app states that (while I don't wear a non-working watch) I still walk ca 3000 steps a day, a few times in a week? The watch is laying flat and dead at the table. So now I'm not even sure if the tracker worked properly at all! And I can't connect with my phone but the app says we're connected. Weird stuff. 

[DreaMuffin]

The speed with which my fitbit went from a fully functional device to a piece of useless trash is crazy. Yesterday it was working great, today it won't charge/won't stay on/won't hold a charge. Completely bricked. 

[Swampfox54]

My Fitbit charge 5 is not keeping a charge. I start off at 100% and in just two hours of wearing it, it drops to 5%. I recently had an update notification and after the download it has been consistently dropping battery charge level very quickly.

[FranMorrow]

Yes….same here. I complained after FINALLY getting to speak with a person who could only offer a 50% coupon off a new FitBit to replace a perfectly good product that I have already paid for. NOT good enough and I will be moving to buying an Apple Watch. They ruined a product they no longer sell.

[Swampfox54]

Yes, my sediments exactly. Without a doubt it is a ploy too get the
customer to buy another newer model. They knew the update would prove to be
the death of the fitbit charge 5 model.

[scott-z]

Mine started doing this. Battery drains within a day. I guess I'll try support. It was working fine and bam it started doing it. 

[KimWeb]

I just did the software update yesterday. Once completed, I immediately started having issues with it holding a charge. I have:  changed settings, keep it in sleep mode, and cleaned my fitbit. Nothing has worked yet. I went to bed with 80% battery and woke up to it completely dead. I have a Versa 3, and never had charging problems before the update. 

[Fergal555]

Fitbit products suffering battery problems are coming to the attention of multiple large media and news organisations..... How are Fitbit/ Google addressing these battery failures which are all over Fitbit support forums and multiple social media providers ???

Sent from Outlook for iOS<>

[FranMorrow]

FitBit support will offer a 50% off coupon for a different model. I think they should send everyone another FitBit at ZERO cost to the customer since it is their “update” that destroyed their product which was working fine. It feels like a money grab to me that they destroyed their product and now want customers to replace them.

[LisaRS]

I agree with you

[Batesy07]

I posted previously about my issue...the same as thousands of others unfortunately, everything worked great until the update, 7 day charge, full features and then boom, black screen, tried everything support recommended and nothing, it charges to 100% and instantly drops to 1% when I take it from the charger.  I don't understand why fitbit/Google won't acknowledge there's an issue with everyone having the same problem...but I did find a fix!  I bought the Samsung galaxy 6 instead.  Screw you fitbit! 

[Kpepper72]

I hope you'll have better luck than most seem to have. IF I replace mine,
it won't be with a Fitbit/Google product.

[TreadFit]

I was the same. Had mine for about 2 years with no issues whatsoever, then suddenly this week it won't hold a charge for more than a day.

[Kpepper72]

This was my 2nd one and the madness began less than a month after the
warranty expired. Imagine that.

[AlabamaCrash]

The other day (July 2024) my Fitbit Charge 5 screen started flashing the logo screen when I tapped the screen. When put it on the charger the same thing; just a flashing diamond logo.  I pressed the button 3 times on the charger cable and it finally reset but I guess it downloaded the dreaded update that I had been trying to avoid since I received the watch. I got this watch in July 2023 and it had been working flawlessly until now. The battery would last all week. Now after reset the battery dies in less than a day. In July 2023 the forum was full of reports of this behavior so I never updated the watch until now. This seems to be intentional by Google and there seems to be no answer to correct the problem except to buy another brand. Sad, I loved the watch. 

[jo777cat]

Agree my fitbit charge 5 is draining battery in just over a day since the update. I used to get at least a week between charges. I have turned off SpO2 and try and turn bluettooth off. But I resent losing bluetooth connectivity since i always used it before and it wasn't a problem. I can't see me renewing premium amd will look for another tracker when i come to upgrade. I loved my fitbit watch now it just makes me anxious when I see the percentage drop in battery literally in the hour. 

[Pickett419]

Same thing happened to me.