Fitbit Charge battery problems

[itsladyj]

Dont charge your Fitbit with a wall charger!!!!!!! I bought my first Fitbit charge in mid February....after the first day or 2 of using it, the battery would last no more than 2 days. I contacted support, and they were pretty helpful and sent me a replacement within a few days. That second Fitbit had the same issue right when I got it...battery would last no more than 2 days even though Fitbit claims it lasts 5-7 days. And this was after turning off all the "extra" features... (Quick view, alarm, caller ID, etc). I contacted Fitbit again, notified them of the issue and again, they were helpful and sent another replacement (which I'm greatful for..great job to Fitbit for your customer service..it's excellent). When talking to customer support for the second time, I specifically asked them whether it was ok to charge Fitbit with a wall charger instead of though usb. Customer service assured me that as long as the wall charger was not a knock off it would be fine (I was using the wall charging block that came stock with my iPhone 6). I'm now on my 3rd Fitbit, and with this one I ONLY charge it with my computer, and it still works fine after nearly a month. My battery lasts about 7 days as of now. if you are having battery issues and get a replacement, I would recommend you only charge it with the usb cord and your computer and not using a wall charger. And Fitbit...I think you guys need to do some more research and see whether or not using wall chargers negatively affect the Fitbit battery and fix the issue if it does. Even though you say it doesn't, based on the 3 fitbits I've had since mid February, I'd say it does. It is so much more convenient to be able to charge with a wall charger instead of a computer, but not if it ruins the Fitbit!! But overall, very pleased with the product and their customer support

Moderator edit:  format and label. 

[SantiR]

@itsladyj Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Fitbit will recommend to charge your trackers via the USB port over a wall adapter. However, it is also possible to charge your Fitbit tracker with a UL certified wall adapter. What may actually cause damage to the tracker's battery (either on a computer or a wall adapter) is the charging time, which if excessive over time may damage the battery and therefore cause quick battery drain or prevent the tracker from charging at all. 

Also, other tips to best charge Fitbit trackers are:

- Use only genuine Fitbit charging cables.

- Use only UL-certified wall chargers.

- Avoid USB battery packs.

- Charge at room temperature.

Hope this helps. Keep up the supper stepping! 

[mythlyn]

How did you contact them to get a replacement? Have had mine since Jan and it doesn't keep a charge past 24 hours.

[SantiR]

@mythlyn Welcome to the Fitbit Community! To contact customer support; click here! Make sure to check your warranty first.

Keep me posted! 

[itsladyj]

I always contact them via their chat feature on their support website...easier than calling, emailing, or tweeting in my opinion!

[itsladyj]

Hi santifitbit,

I only charge my Fitbit with the cord provided..wasn't aware there were already knockoffs for those too, and I only have it on the charger for the time it takes to fully charge, and not for any excessive time, because I always charge mine during the day and am waiting to put it back on. As of now, I'm having no problem with my Fitbit, and I'm hoping it stays that way. I just posted what I posted in case others were having the same problem. Hopefully my advice helps someone experiencing battery issues..It was extremely frustrating, and had me almost ready to give up on the Fitbit, but now after only using a computer/usb charger and no wall charger, it's pretty much working perfectly!

Thanks!

[SantiR]

@itsladyj I hope you're doing well! I'm really glad to hear that your Fitbit tracker is working properly now. I'm pretty sure your advice will help a lot of users with battery issues. Thanks for the positive contribution to the forums. 

Yes, you can contact support via phone, chat, or email. Chat is easy and fun! 

See you around! 

[Mcgowan]

Hi SantiFitbit, have absolutely no complaints with my Flex other than it is just sugh a pain to charge. The service and complaints people at Fitbit are great and don't hesitate to help. But. The reliablility of the charging system for the Flex is very poor and this has for me, cancelled out the very good side of the Flex.

[StepitupMama]

Thank you for this helpful post. Should I wait for the battery to fully drain before charging t?

[SantiR]

@Mcgowan I'm glad to hear that the service has been great for you. If you feel that your charging cable or tracker are not working fine or loose; report it to customer support as they may replace it for you. 

@StepitupMama You can wait for the battery to be fully drained or you can charge it when its about to completely drain. You should get an email notification every time your tracker have low battery. If you wish, you can charge it once you receive the email low battery notification. 

Hope this helps! See you around! 

[StepitupMama]

Thank you💗👍🏼

[scorpioev]

that seems to be that the norm. My charger is less 3 months old and has never held a charge for over 24 hours. My advise is...give it up.  Their customer service is mostly abysmal.  They finally offer a replacement if you don't just want a new one with a "discount".(really?if it was more than a year old I would maybe understand ..but it is 3 months old! and as much as I would like to have an upgraded version, I suspect that will not work either.   I just got a  get a used of C*** (what they call "refurbished"!) . Oh good !  bought a new Fitbit 3 months ago and you want to replace it with something that someone else returned because it did not work.  When I complained that I did not want a used one they said they would make an "exception" and replace it with a new one..but that just came and guess what? looks like another used one.  they just keep recycling all the old stuff that does not work. So I am looking at a Garmin. My husband got his about the same time I got the Fitbit. It cost about the same and still works perfectly.

[Wolflead6]

You said "What may actually cause damage to the tracker's battery (either on a computer or a wall adapter) is the charging time, which if excessive over time may damage the battery and therefore cause quick battery drain or prevent the tracker from charging at all. "  

What is considered excessive charging time? Overnight?  4hrs?  3days?

[SantiR]

@Wolflead6 I hope you're doing well! Good question! I would recommend charging your Fitbit tracker no more than 2 hours. It will be fully charged in 2 hours or maybe less. I would consider it excessive leaving it overnight for instance.

@scorpioev That's unfortunate. Thanks for your feedback. I have heard that the Fitbit Charge 2 is working very good, even with charging aspects! It is the improved version of the Charge HR, the new generation of Fitbit trackers. Hopefully, the Community will be able to see you back with Fitbit!

Keep me posted! 

[RickJG]

So are we saying leaving an Alta hooked up to charge over night on a wall charger is a bad thing?? I too am now experiencing a reduced battery life on my Alta.. charged is Sunday night and here it is noon on Wed and I have a low battery alert.. use to easily get 5 days with no problem...

[MCH3025]

I am having exactly the same problem with my Fitbit !! Love it but it won't hold it's charge beyond 24hrs. Likewise I have been using my iPhone charger 

[Jacseels]

My Alta isn't doing anything when connecting to the charging cable. No vibration, nothing on the screen, tried different USB ports, nothing seems to work. Is there anything else that I could try that I've missed?

[SunsetRunner]

Have you done a restart with it plugged into a computer??

[coutuc]

Call the customer service number on the website.  They will replace your fitbit if it is under warranty still

[Chefmel]

---

@SantiR wrote:

@itsladyj Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Fitbit will recommend to charge your trackers via the USB port over a wall adapter. However, it is also possible to charge your Fitbit tracker with a UL certified wall adapter. What may actually cause damage to the tracker's battery (either on a computer or a wall adapter) is the charging time, which if excessive over time may damage the battery and therefore cause quick battery drain or prevent the tracker from charging at all. 

Also, other tips to best charge Fitbit trackers are:

- Use only genuine Fitbit charging cables.

- Use only UL-certified wall chargers.

- Avoid USB battery packs.

- Charge at room temperature.

Hope this helps. Keep up the supper stepping! 

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Thank you for this info and easing my mind.