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

[squirl159]

My charge 5 won't hold a charge either I was sent a replacement it does not hold a charge either

[Skymkee]

I've been having battery problems these past weeks but then I finally got an update for my watch.

Updated and it was going good battery was lasting a little longer but all of a sudden my screen went black. I placed it on the charger and it seemed like it was just dead so I let it charge. The data was syncing in the app as I could see the battery being charged but the screen remained black. 

I tried the resting multiple times via the charger and pressing the button. The logo would appear and disappear. The green sensor light still works and it still charges I just can't get the screen to work. Even tried changing the clock display. When I tried asking the Fitbit chat for help it gave me the same answer of resting it before telling me to wait for them to find a solution. The chat was super slow as I had to ask multiple times after each response to give me an answer. It finally asked about my warranty and where I purchased the watch. I'm pretty sure my warranty is up and when I responded to where I purchased my watch it never responded again.

Hopefully they will come up with a solution but for now I have to go back to my old watch which surprisingly still works just needs to be updated.

[Dmicks]

I have been having issues with my battery since the update as well. Warranty issue my butt.
Fitbit was awesome when they first came out but not anymore. I’m looking to find a different watch/tracker. It seems that Fitbit has let their early success go to the heads and are now making crap products. Crap products, equals people needing to buy replacements sooner, totally money in their pockets. Well not this chicks money. 

[tkb4me]

Having lots of problems with my charge 5, loosing charge, runs registered as walks and now an 8K registered as a 5k, what’s going on?

[ILilly]

I have to charge every 1-2 days at this point, which somewhat defeats the point of a health tracker. I need to keep an eye on my heart rate because I get tachycardia, can’t do that when I can’t wear the **ahem** thing because it’s on the charger. It’s also taking much longer to actually charge when it’s on the charger, and I’ve tried different power points in case it was the connection, but had the same issues regardless. Honestly thinking about lodging a formal complaint. 

[ILilly]

Forgot to say, I’ve only had it for just over a year. Never had any battery issues with my Fitbit 2 until it died after 7 years. 

[LadyCRBM]

Great idea. This is something we should ALL do in addition to posting our experiences on this format.

[PepperFan]

My app was working just fine until the update that occurred a few weeks ago.  They added more bells and whistles and once again messed up the functionality of the app.  Now, I'm having nothing but problems.  In the past two weeks, I've experienced the 'start tracking' feature constantly malfunction when I take my morning distance walk.  Numerous times, the stopwatch starts and stops, the map doesn't track my route accurately (skipping part of the route), or the tracking feature will just shut down as if I'm done with my walk. 

This is very irritating on its own but, in the past couple days, I've run into even more issues.  Now I'm running into issues when I try to add my daily weight or water consumption.  I tap on the buttons to perform these functions but nothing happens.  I'm unable to get to the proper screens to make these entries. 

I'm getting fed up with the app and never thought I would say this.  I used to love the Fitbit app but these last two major updates have made the app look slick while destroying it ability to function properly.  Can someone please advise me on any steps I can take to rectify this?

[Duganfire123]

I tried everything and then changed trackers. Sorry but Google screwed up a good thing.
Sent from my iPhone

[Bodoboyz]

Same here. Battery charges to 100% when plugged in overnight ... 1-2hrs after wearing, it drops to 50%... an hr later at 15% and then its dead in about another hr! Tried factory reset - doesn't help. It is pretty much a brick rn. Sad, for a product I have used for over 5yrs now. Thus far and perhaps no more. The least you'd expect is that they ack the issue and work on a fix! Not ignore it. 

[Bibliobeque]

Battery issues since the 21st of July. No reply to email. Rang customer service and they hung up halfway through taking my details saying they couldn't hear me. I bought the Charge 5 Jan 2023 and have only ever used it lightly. It seems to be a firmware issue in my opinion. It's a shame there is no accurate alternative in my budget.

[cabfit99]

My take on the issue is that "Google", the almighty international software house, thought they knew better than the Fitbit programming team and buggered up the coding.

It's a shame that what was once a well renowned, rock-solid product, recommended by anyone who ever used it, is now a joke and not only ruined the Fitbit brand but also has cast a massive shadow over Google as well.

I hope it was a mistake by Google and not deliberate destruction of Fitbit because that would be beyond disgraceful.

[Roelbest]

Well, I've changed as well.

Goodbye Fitbit, never again!

[RSeibert]

I am  stubborn guy, and would love to tinker with your Charge 5. I dont want to mess with mine. I am retired so I would enjoy investigating.  I would be glad to reimburse you for postage.  How should I send you my address?  Is private messaging possible here?   Thanks for the offer!

[CEEL]

Appreciate the offer, but have to pass.  I'm in Canada...will buy something else when mine dies altogether.

[Devilhawk83]

I know the definition of insanity: to do the same thing over and over and expect the results to be different!

Play store just sent me a notice to update FitBit app. It claims, "* Bug fixes and performance improvements."

What the heck, I'll give it another try. Maybe somebody actually read all these posts since my first query. (Not holding my breath)

Be well

Get Outlook for Android<>

[SunsetRunner]

I have had the same issue. A few days ago, my FitBit died after two days. Yesterday, it started vibrating out of the blue and would not stop unless I plugged it in. The battery drained to one percent after only one day of use after a full charge. I never have the gps mode on and always on mode is always off. I have had this Charge 5 for less than a year and it seems like a common issue. I had an another charge two years ago and it died after a year and a half. The strap on that watch also broke quite quickly as well.

At the same time, my wife has owned a Versa 2 and Versa 4 with the former being the more reliable watch which lasted for three years. The latest Versa also has issues. Messages are not received on the phone even when synched and the screen just goes blank. All these issues seem to indicate that the quality of Fitbit watches are in decline. If there is no resolution to my battery drain issue for my Charge 5, i’ll have to get an Apple Watch or Garmin. It is disappointing because Fitbits are relatively affordable devices but I guess you get what you pay for. 

[Fergal555]

Hey sorry to hear your Fitbit had proved faulty as well. There are
alternatives out there that cost half what a new device from Fitbit would
cost.
I have been using a Mi Band 8 pro (€75 euro) and it’s been brillant since I
started wearing it. I’ve seen it for as little as ($49) on Amazon and other
sites.
All the data my Fitbit charge 5 and more and it has a very high quality fit
and finish. Slick enough app as well to accompany device.

[acylum]

I first noticed problems when my charge 5 stayed at 0% and wouldn't charge. With the charger attached it would stay on for a bit then die. I'd have to disconnect and then reconnect for it to turn on. Yes I did all the resetting troubleshooting nonsense.

I managed to keep it on long enough to sync with my phone by flicking through the menus. The app said battery was at 69%. But that couldn't be right the watch showed me 0%. I read another post that suggested to let your watch die then try charging. So I did. Charged to about 50% but it wouldn't go any further. The app showed the same percentage when synced. 

As of typing it is 23% on both the app and the watch and still isn't charging. 

It seems like the general consensus is that the latest update is causing the watch to show incorrect information. One of the worst problems to have for a devices who's entire purpose is to show accurate information 

[SunsetRunner]

I’m not even sure it is even the update. I connected with their CSRs on three separate occasions. First rep, suggested I remove the VO2 max app, which didn’t solve the issue. Battery continued to drain completely in two hours. They said they would further investigate the issue without elaborating what that went. After that didn’t work, I connected with customer service again and they suggested I deactivate the wake up reminder feature which I did. They said charge the watch and see how it goes. The watch continued to discharge in two hours or less. In total, I charged my watch four times that day and gave up. Today, I followed up with customer service to inform them that their solution. They informed me that they were going to come to a resolution for me while acknowledging my battery drain issues. Said I would get an email with a resolution, which I knew would be an offer to purchase a new watch. And hours later, I received a code for 35% off a new device. I will not be redeeming the coupon. I have had Fitbits in the past but the latest one didn’t last a year. Warranty didn’t cover the broken watch because it was gifted to me and didn’t use the watch until months later after receiving it. For those hoping customer service will solve their problems, don’t waste your time. They were friendly but it seems like it hardware issue. This experience has made me lose faith in their products and I will be looking into alternatives.