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

[Phillyofish]

The thing is are they going to do anything about it?

[Hissweetgirl]

No, they are not. After a few months of waiting for a fix, I have moved on from Fitbit. As a long-time user (about 12 years) I am sad that a beloved and useful product has been rendered useless, seemingly on purpose and permanently. 

[JustAUser2]

I have/had a Charge 4 that was about 10 months old (activated June 2023). I started experiencing battery charge issues and reported a ticket. The Customer Service representative told me the battery was fine and I was wrong about how long the charge lasted before depletion. I tracked it daily for the next couple of weeks and saw that it was losing fifteen-twenty% charge every single day. Since that can't be "normal", I reported an update to my ticket. They asked that I turn off notifications, the oxygen sensor, the reminders, and basically anything else that makes a Fitbit useful and track it again. I did this for another couple of weeks and saw no difference in the amount of daily depletion. When I once again reported it was still an issue, they told me it was now "no longer under warranty" and offered me a coupon discount to purchase a new device. Seriously - I was doing their troubleshooting for 2 months?!?!  What's worse, 2 days after that "resolution", the entire device went black and the only response I got was a continuous vibration when I pushed the button so, I put it aside. Weeks later, I'm not sure how but, it finally responded to something.  So, I completely recharged it to 100% and left it sitting on the dresser because I wanted to see what would happen before I started using it again. It FULLY depleted to 1% battery charge in under 24 hours! I recharged it again and less than 24 hours later, the same thing. Definitely an issue with the battery no matter what they determined!

The point of my post...when you think you need a replacement, don't let them off the hook.  Push for it with the first contact you make! Since I was being helpful and didn't push, Fitbit/Google didn't/won't do anything for me and I have to buy a new device (which likely may not be another Fitbit product).

And I hope someone from Fitbit/Google actually reads my post so they know how their Support Team did such a piss poor job with this soon-to-be-not-so-loyal customer. 😡

[CEEL]

Same sad thoughts.

We all LOVED the first FITBIT!!  We then bought into many of the newer models, though few were as good as Charge 3.... 

Sad to watch the demise, isn't it...??  Fitbit was SO good on so many levels.  Cannot tell if Google's purchase was their effort to kill the competition, or if they have just ignored the issues, then  eliminated customer service altogether ?  Not all of us have received any offer for a discount, and for many who did, the new version isn't any better.  Guess all is going the way of Blackberry.

SIGH   😕 

[cawrigh]

I think the reason so many of us are angry with Fitbit/Google is due to Fitbit/Google not setting the right expectations with their Charge 5 customers. I, and I'm sure most Charge 5 customers, had no idea I was buying a disposable fitness tracker that is trash when the battery dies. Heck, I can get the battery replaced on my cheap ($25) Casio watch. Why wouldn't I be able to get the battery replaced on my expensive Fitbit? Had I known that the Fitbit Charge 5 is a disposable tracker, I wouldn't have been willing to pay the high price I paid for it.

Chuck W.

[Hissweetgirl]

No, I was well aware that the product is trash once the battery dies. I have had 11+ years experience with Fitbit trackers. My anger is because I had a fully functioning product that held a 7+ day charge at the beginning of one day, but after I merged my Fitbit and Google accounts, I had a tracker that would discharge fully in a 24 hour period, then within an 8 hour period, then in a couple of hours. My anger is because Google and Fitbit are taking zero responsibility regarding the reasons fully functioning units have "suddenly" stopped functioning correctly. I paid for a Charge 5 expecting it to perform as previous products had performed. Jokes on me. I have moved on to another product from a company with a longer history than Fitbit and Google. 

[Phillyofish]

Well, I have just been on the phone to Fitbit customer service and told them about the issues with said device, fortunately my Charge 5 is still under warranty and they have agreed to replace it with a new one.

[CEEL]

Lucky!!   Hoping the new one works.  Most of us get refused.....and  ew one does not work for long...

[MikeHunt32]

They gave me a new one in March 2024 free of charge. I did not take the update and I did not move to the google account. It worked fine until a few weeks ago and started with the same issues. I am now enjoying my new SE 2nd gen and hope to have it more that 1.5 years. 

[Hendrik55]

Lucky you. I was lucky too in March and got a new one thats still working normal. Except that it stops monitoring my heartbeat out of the blue😡 and I only can fix this by a restart.

I'm angry about how Google handles all the complaints and problems. I think Google had to solve those problems.

[Kpepper72]

It's too little too late, IMHO. They've ignored us for MONTHS and then toss
us a bone with 40% off - 50% to some - and a very short deadline
considering how long we've been trying to get them to do something about a
product that people used daily and relied upon. They thumbed their nose
and ignored us.

[cabfit99]

Just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with the battery, I replaced mine and get the same behaviour.

Fitbit /Google seem to have deliberately bricked these devices.

[Poedel]

"😠Battery problems for Charge 5 started already last year (2023). Ridiculous. After the latest firmware update in early 2023, my Charge 5 could not keep its charge after a normal charge - resetting didn't work, and certainly not the change of the clock face settings and other suggestions 😤 provided. Replacement I received last year is showing similar behavior right now.

Fitbit must trace back to what triggered this sudden behavior and stop finding excuses in all other settings. How difficult can that be?

The Charge 5 is not able to keep its charge after the firmware update(s) and Fitbit users have been overwhelmingly clear about the issue."

[cawrigh]

Per Fitbit/Google, the Charge 5 battery is not replaceable.

[cabfit99]

Well, the battery is for sale on AliExpress and it’s about a 10 minute job. Probably not for anyone not used to dismantling tech.

But don’t bother, even with a new battery they still behave the same.

Kind regards
Chris

[aed82]

@cabfitChris,  I'm so glad that you tested a new battery tho to confirm this isn't actually a battery issue but a software issue.

[seandunderdale]

I had chat support at Fitbit admit to me that it was their fault, pushing out broken software updates. They didn't plan to do anything about it though. This was over a year ago. I have since bought a Samsung Galaxy watch and will never buy a Fitbit product again...I also didnt buy a Google Pixel watch since Fitbit is owned by Google now. 

[grrlfriend]

Thanks to everyone who has posted on here for the info. I'll be looking around now myself as my Charge 5 essentially died after a recent firmware update. Didn't wear it in water and the only time it would get "wet" was from sweating. WTF.

[ClassicRedhead]

And conveniently, just a few months before the newest version will likely be released. 

[aed82]

@ClassicRedhead I sent you a direct message...