Five Dots on Screen Charge 5

[CurlsinCO]

I have 5 dots towards the top of the screen that will not go away. I cannot navigate or double tap to remove. I have had the watch for less than one day.

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[Segovesus]

Same issue. The reset through 3 click on USB cable without any effect. 
Change the clockface is the solution.

Ihope next update will solve this problem.

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Firmware 57.20001.149.11.

[B.Morane]

Ma charge 5 est à jour avec Firmware 57.20001.149.11.

Vendredi dernier écran noir avec les 5 points en haut de l'écran , pour la deuxième fois !

Pas top la fiabilité chez Fibit 😞

[TriGuyJG]

This happened again yesterday. Out on a 1h run, everything fine. Then the 5 dots of death! I uninstalled all the 3rd party apps that were initially installed out of the box. Only the basic functionality left and still it died. I checked the firmware and app version - all latest. Resetting does fix it, but what is causing this!!! I volunteer to work directly with FitBit for any advanced diagnostics. I'm a software engineer, I know about bugs and how troublesome they are. Also thinking that the reset button on the cable was an afterthought - no way to reset on the device itself (to my knowledge there never was and previous generations were robust enough not to need it), but since some Charge 5 units get into a bad state like this, you needed SOME way for the customer to reboot physically, so add a button to the CABLE??? You can do better than that, FitBit. Don't make me return my Charge 5 and go back to my trusty Charge 2!

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I was on firmware version 57.20001.149.11 yesterday and still it happened to me.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, thank you for all the feedback and comments that you've shared about this problem so far.

I understand this can be frustrating, and ti seems that you already tried all the troubleshooting steps shared in the forums to try to resolve this problem. In particular, some users have mentioned that they were able to resolve by restarting the device (with the charging cable) or changing the clock face option. 

If you already tried all these steps and you're still not able to get the screen to respond, please get in touch with the Customer Support team so they can provide you with more instructions. 

Thanks again for sharing all your feedback about the Charge 5. 

See you around. 

[ReedFox]

I do not have a button on the top of my flat screed on fitbit 5 no button at all   I get 5 dots at top of screen when I am fully charged and it won't go to regular screen 

[Louza12]

The. Button to press is on the charger. The instructions on how to do it are in the chat

Sent from my iPhone

[NEDiver]

Should I start carrying my charging cable with me everywhere I go? Hopefully you'll come up with a solution rather than a work-around. This happened right after I got to work, and I won't be home until late tonight, after hockey. Wednesdays are typically a 22K-25K step day, as well as a high calorie burn day, hopefully the data will still sync.

Disappointing for a 5 day old Charge 5 that replaced a Charge 3 that never had a problem that I didn't cause.

[TriGuyJG]

For what it's worth - here are my experiences, having lived with the Charge 5 five dots problem about 10 times. I uninstalled all extra apps and disabled GPS, still it happens. In addition to resetting via the cable, you can also "fake" a reset by using the app on your phone to install a new watch face from the gallery, I installed a temporary one, then installed the one I wanted. That triggers a soft reset of the Charge 5 and it starts working again. I found that it DOES still track steps while in this state. You can even tell for yourself by having the Charge 5 in the dots state, opening the app and it can still sync and you can watch the step count rise as you walk. This happened in my first week, like you. It happens to me every 3-4 days (I exercise every day). FitBit will replace it with a refurbished one (gotta jump through hoops to do that) but even with my replacement Charge 5, it still happens. This is definitely a defective version of the FitBit Charge. Been using them since the very first Charge and never an issue like this. I keep my Charge 2 fired up in case I need to fall back. As a software developer, my hope is that this can be fixed with a firmware update, but mine is up to date and it's still not fixed. If it's a hardware issue, we are all out of luck.

[DavideFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @ReedFox. 

Thank you for confirming that you're experiencing the same problem with the Charge 5. The button to restart the device is on the charging cable, let me know if you're able to complete it:

 @NEDiver @TriGuyJG The restart mentioned earlier is not something that you need to do all the time, but some users have been able to resolve the issue with this procedure. If you already tried all the recommended steps and you continue to have the same problem, please make sure to continue the communication with the Customer Support team so they can provide you with the next steps. Click here to get connected

Thanks again for all the feedback you've provided about this problem. 

See you around. 

[Frankie1224]

Thanks, Davide!! Your suggestion just worked for me!! 🙂

[DavideFitbit]

That's great news, thank you for the update, @Frankie1224!  

[jmplato]

What button on the end of the charger? My charger does not have any buttons anywhere?

[B.Morane]

Bonjour jm

Le bouton est au niveau de la prise :electric_plug: usb

Bonne journée à toi 🤗 

[rando78]

Since this is effecting everyone with a charge 5 what is Fitbit going to do about it? Is there a bug log somewhere that shows they're actively fixing this? Or are we SOL? Rebooting the device every couple of days isn't the answer.

[TriGuyJG]

@rando78 - I'm not saying this is affecting ALL Charge 5 devices, but you can tell from the length of this thread that it affects many, right from the first few days. I filed a ticket with FitBit, did the steps (take a ticket number, write it on a piece of paper, wait for the FitBit to get into this state again, take a picture of the Charge 5 with the issue on the display plus the hand-written ticket number in the picture). They sent me a refurbished Charge 5 and I've been using that. The 5 dots problem is happening once per week or so with this replacement unit but that's better than the original one. The killer is when I'm out on a long cycle or run and it gets into this state. It's no longer able to provide any info on steps, HR, distance which is a big problem! I won't ask for a replacement, I have to just live with it.

[DavideFitbit]

Welcome to the Community forums, @jmplato. 

Thank you for your inquiry about the button to complete the restart. The button is located on the USB end of the charging cable, you can find a picture here as well. 

@rando78 Yes, this information has been shared with the team and they're aware of this problem that's affecting some users with Charge 5. You shouldn't need to restart the device everyday, if you continue to have the same problem, please get in touch with the Support team so they can provide you with the next steps. Click here to get connected. 

@TriGuyJG There are other users that have been able to resolve the problem with the troubleshooting steps provided or they received a replacement device and are no longer having this inconvenience. If you're still having this issue, I recommend that you continue the communication with the Support team so they can let you know how to proceed. 

See you around. 

[Peedee67]

This has happened to mine and it’s only 2 days old! Should I take it back to the shop or are you aware and producing a fix? 

[jmplato]

Plug in your fitbit. On the USB end of the charging cable is a small button. While plugged in, push it 3 times with 1 second between pushes. It should reset. You may need to try it a couple of times.
Good Luck,

Joan  

[Peedee67]

Thanks - I’ve done this and it’s working again but a bit of a worry as it’s only 2 days old! Will this happen again? Is there a fix for it?

Kind Regards


Peter Donovan

[Batty2279]

Add me to the list of the 5 dots of death. Charge 5 is less than a week old. What a piece of complete garbage. PATCH YOUR FIRMWARE FITBIT! this is a joke!