Why Fitbit devices loose battery capacity so quickly?

[bestfit24]

I have been a Fitbit fan for years. I have convinced my family to use Fitbit, too so we can stay active together. 

Both my wife's and my Fitbit devices showed exact same symptoms at the exact same time. Both started loosing battery capacity rapidly, and eventually my Charge 5 went into a boot loop where the device is not starting up.

I tried all the possible methods to recover it by visiting this forum, with no success.  Contacted Fitbit customer service.  With their hlep too, they determined that my Fitbit has turned into a state where it is not recoverable.  The best Fitbit offered was a discount on google store - which is not enough, as I may probably be able to try another manufacturer for the same or better price after discount.

I wonder if a manufacturer can make new business by pushing new firmware can kill devices ... only risk they have is losing customers that haven't puchased anything in more than a year or so..

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Pamelaemu]

Note your question was only 8 hours ago.  Most questions I have seen are a couple of years old.  

My Fitbit 5 was working perfectly until late July, then suddenly I now only get about 5 hours from it.  It charges up quickly but erratically and then discharges over about 5 hours.   I checked all the ‘fixes’ but no luck.  I mainly use it for steps, time and date, so don’t have any extra apps running.  I purchased mine in May 2022.  Had been very happy with it. Is it due to a software update?  Have it paired to an iPhone but don’t get notifications sent to the Fitbit.

[HeatherHHayes]

I have exactly the same issue and can identify the date the battery life died as July 30th when I went from charging the battery weekly to now having to charge daily. 

[SPMColorado]

I had the same experience with my Fitbit Charge 5, along the same timeline.

[Pamelaemu]

Thanks for the information and giving me a date, it relates to mine, gave it a charge and synced it ready for a weekend away.  Alas it was not useful for the weekend.  

 
Time for me to call Fitbit and complain directly.  From the community chat looks like this has occurred in the past in clumps.  Hopefully a software update will fix it.  

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Thanks for the information.    Time for me to call Fitbit and complain directly.  From the community chat looks like this has occurred in the past in clumps.

[bestfit24]

I hope someone beyond the customer service folks from FitBit is looking at these forums.  They really have injected some problem (either with a new android application version, or their device firmware) and it has killed two fitbit devices in our home.  Calling customer service didn't do anything - except that I need to spend more money to restore my fitness data!

[Ruthyboo100]

I suspect this too, the same thing has happened to my Fitbits in the past and they’ve started to die after 18 months to 2 years and I’m wondering if like Apple they can slow down the devices so people have to buy new products. Mine has completely died last week and I can’t seem to get through to customer care this time because of all the hoops to jump through to get a response. Seems their products and service are taking a dip after reading all these comments. Might be worth looking at other products now if this is the case. 

[evalia]

Agree. My fitbit was holding a 5 day charge until this latest update. Now it can't even hold a charge overnight. Calling customer support was a nightmare. The only solution they offered was for me to buy a new one.

[Pamelaemu]

I think you are right.  I have been trying to get through to customer service but no luck.  Seem to go round in circles trying to get help.  
  Planned obsolescence, or in this case enforced obsolescence.  If this is typical, as it appears,  I won’t buy another one.   Shame it was a good product.  

Fit bit hope you are reading these….

[bertilhansson]

My Charge 5 now holds battery for 4-5 hours since around 12th-15th of August. Ironically, it is a replacement unit that Google sent me last year after they had bricked a number of FitBits following a botched software update. 

[JdWZld]

Gebruik fitbit al vele jaren en tot voor kort tot grote tevredenheid. Na update [?!] is mijn Charge 5 helemaal van slag. Batterij is soms binnen etmaal leeg; soms vreemdemeldingen over % batterij in app.

Wat gaat FitBit / Google hier aan doen? Ligt dit aan apparaat? Dan snel goede update uitbrengen of anders vervangend exemplaar.