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

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to share your experience and feedback about this. 

It's good to know that many of you have been able to resolve by either restarting the device or changing the clock face option. If you're new to this thread and you're having the same problem, I will share here below the steps that have been useful for other people: 

1. Restart your device using the three pulse method with the charging cable:
   • Connect your device to the charging cable. For instructions, see How do I charge my Fitbit device?
   • Press the button located on the flat end of the charger 3 times, pausing for 1 second between presses. Then wait 10 seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears.
2. Change the the clock face option on your Charge 5 following the steps in this article. 

Thanks again for taking the time to share your comments. The team continues to work to improve the Fitbit experience and your feedback is big part of that process. 

The team is aware of this problem and every case is evaluated individually. If you continue to have the same problem after all the steps suggested, I recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team for further assistance. You can click here to get connected. 

See you around. 

[gswpsych]

My Fitbit now only shows 5 dots. When I restart it using the charging cable, it only shows that it is charging. It does not restart.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

gswpsych

[Sfiroozn]

I am having this problem too, but not sure why. I reviewed your answer but I’m confused. What do you mean by “button on the flat end of the charger?” There is no button anywhere on the charger. I’ve connected my fitbit to the charger, but not sure what to do now. I got my fitbit charge 5 less than a month ago! Can you please help? Thank You!

[Chellette]

Go into the app on your phone. Change the watch face. It should get rid of
the red dots.

[BoerumHill]

Yep, that does the trick

[Sfiroozn]

I saw the option for changing between a 12 hour clock and 24 hour clock. Is that what you meant? I changed it, but I still can’t see anything on my fitbit other than the 5 dots. 🙁

[gswpsych]

Hello Sfiroozn,

On the charging cable that plugs into the charger is a flat button on one side. Push it in 3 times with about a second between pushes. This should restart your Charge 5. It may take several seconds for the Fitbit logo to appear on the Charge 5 after you have pushed the button. If it appears, then things should be back to normal.

[Sfiroozn]

Ahhhh, now I found the button!! Thank You!! It works now!! 😊

[BoerumHill]

Take the charger cable and plug it into a charger and your Fitbit. On the
end of the cable by the charger, feel for a slightly raise button at the
very end and press it three times with one second between presses, then
wait 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence a couple of times until the Fitbit
reboots. Then in the Fitbit app, change the watch face to a different face,
save, then set it back to the initial face. That should do it.

[DannyFB]

The button is nearly invisible. It is on the USB connector, not the charger
end. Look closely. Center of one side of the USB connector.

[Shafiya]

Try changing the clock face using the app. Good luck!

[Lonny28]

I've had this happen multiple times - always after the Fitbit Charge 5 has gotten wet.  It's almost like it goes into some kind of 'water protection' mode that disables the screen?  The 'push the button 3 times' method did work to get it working again.

[DannyFB]

Having 30 years in the software/firmware engineering field I speak with
total conviction when I state: The five "dots" are not some random quirk of
the device. Those dots/squares/triangles and their coloring were
intentional. Somebody designed them to be displayed and colored in a
specific pattern to mean something quite specific.

Those who are offering their observations that it seems to be coincident
with moisture are quite likely describing the exact meaning of these dots.

It is a very sad commentary on the skills of the current Fitbit development
team that, supposedly, not one of them can figure out why the device is
doing what it is doing.

LOOK IN THE CODE!! DUH!

Find the point in the code stating "display the five dots" (pseudo code).
Then trace backwards...

[swho06]

I have had my Charge5 for about 2-3 months and this issue has occurred 4 times which means it's a defect, when can this be fixed? It's annoying when you're out and not carrying the cable. It's such an unreliable watch, I regret my purchase of this watch, since I've had so many problems with this watch;(

[BoerumHill]

I agree that Fitbit has really dropped the ball on this one. The mere fact
that the device comes with a seriously hidden emergency button tucked away
on the charging cable is rather **ahem**ing just on its own. The 5 dots really
do feel like low-level error codes that only QA engineers can interpret.
Features like this are often built into alpha and beta versions of products
to assist the QA Team and the Dev Engineers with debugging unit-level and
functional bugs. But most companies deactivate this code before shipping
the final version. The fact that changing the watch face and then changing
it back clears this error condition (at least for some of the users like
myself) should not be presented as a solution - it's a crude hack pointing
to deeper underlying issues that Fitbit is not addressing. The device seems
to need a firmware upgrade followed by a free replacement watch to anyone
reporting the 5 dots issue (or a deep discount coupon for the
next-generation Fitbit Charge 5x.

[Lonny28]

Totally Agree DannyFB - when I first saw the dots I tried to look up error codes for dot patterns.  Of course I didn't have any luck in finding them.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for all your comments and feedback about this so far. 

Keep in mind that a new firmware version has been released for the Charge 5 and it should resolve some of the problems users have been reporting so far, but keep in mind it's being rolled out progressively and not everyone will receive it at the exact same time.  You can find more information about how to update in this thread. 

You'll be able to proceed with the update until you see the red banner in the Fitbit app. Make sure to update your device when it becomes available for you and check if you continue to have the same problem with the 5 dots on the display. 

In addition, and if you're new to this thread, please try all the troubleshooting steps mentioned here earlier as well. If you continue to have the same problem after all the steps suggested, I recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team so they can provide you with the next steps. 

See you around. 

[andreaek]

Thank you!  That fixed it.

[DavideFitbit]

It's good to know that you were able to resolve it, thanks for sharing this update, @andreaek. 

See you around.  

[DGSP]

This would be great if the new Charge 5 firmware would update! It stays stuck on the same spot no matter how many times I try it or how long I let it run. Since I don't have my charger with me to reset my watch, I guess I'll just use it as a paper weight for the remainder of the day.  I have had nothing but problems with the watch since I've had it.