Charge 5 stuck on the Fitbit logo and it won't sync

[Pinkluce]

Yesterday my Fitbit just crashed/went dead. I eventually managed to restart it using the cable (first attempt it just kept flashing up the Fitbit logo and vibrating but nothing else), battery was 35% so just left it charging and it remained active/on, was able to change the clock face and sync it with my Pixel 8a. When I unplugged it at 99% battery it was ok for a few minutes, then the Fitbit logo started flashing up again. I've left it overnight now this morning it appears to have crashed again, screen won't wake and can't sync it. 


Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Pinkluce , in this case your best bet is to go through the restart procedure again - and as before you may need to try it several times.

I am sorry to say that although you hopefully will be able to get it going again, it sounds like the battery on your Charge 5 may be coming to the end of its useful life, as it is a fairly old device now in electronic terms.  As I am sure you know, even re-chargeable batteries have a limited number of charge/discharge cycles.

Having said that, you may find it helpful to check out the article Why isn’t my Fitbit battery charging where you may be able to find some tips to keep you going a little longer.  It’s also worth checking out  this help article which gives steps for how to fix a blank screen - it does suggest that restart, mentioned above, but also making sure your firmware is up to date and, if you can access the screen on the Fitbit making sure sleep mode and do not disturb are not turned on.

Moving forward, if you do get the screen showing again, for an older Fitbit the best battery advice is to charge little and often, ideally keeping it between 20-80% charged.

[MaCrisGBFitbit]

Hello @Pinkluce and @Julia_G!   It’s nice to see you around!

@Julia_G thank you so much for your support. 

@Pinkluce as @Julia_G indicated above, take a look at the articles and follow the steps there. If the problem persists pleasecontact technical support. They have the most appropriate resources to help you more thoroughly.

[Pinkluce]

Hi

Thanks to you and @Julia_G , I've just cleaned the pins on the charger and cleaned the front and back of the device. I've managed to get it to restart using the charger cable (worked first time today), I've been able to sync it. I've checked and I don't have 'do not disturb' or 'sleep mode' switched on. I've changed the clock face again. I've checked the system info and I believe I have the latest firmware, I have a serial number ending 194.91.

I'm not sure this is a battery issue, I haven't had any issues charging it and I haven't noticed it needing charging more often. When I managed to restart yesterday the battery wasn't flat, neither was it flat when I restarted today. I have had a problem a couple of times in the past where the device has switched off and when I've restarted it the battery has been completely flat unexpectedly, but that hasn't happened since summer.

I'm just going to leave it on charge for a bit and see what happens when I disconnect the cable.