Flex suddenly stopped working

[Julie50]

I bought my Flex 2 months ago and today it suddenly stopped working - when I tapped it, no display lights came up.  The battery was low so I recharged it (which appeared to be successful as all 5 lights were flashing after a few hours in the charger) but when I put it back in the band, the display lights still aren't working and now it won't sync with my iPad either.  I have tried resetting the Flex several times, following the website instructions, but without success.  I even tried resyncing it following the troubleshooting instructions, but that didn't work either.    I noticed when I put the Flex into the charger, that a pattern of 4 solid lights appears (the one in the middle doesn't come on) before it starts charging.  The same light pattern appears briefly after each reset attempt as well.   Has anyone has this issue where the Fitbit has started working again or did you have to get your Flex replaced?

I bought it from a retailer here in Australia who is now in voluntary administration, and am worried that I probably have little or no chance of getting the Flex replaced by them.  I have emailed Fitbit Customer Support, so am hoping they will be able to help.  

[Bossco7775]

Hey Henry,


Mine died while I was wearing it toeant. By connected, I meant was the flex syncing wirelessly over bluetooth with your computer, and perhaps a cell phone as well, over bluetooth? Were you nearby a powered PC and or phone. The Flex may have been paired with several devices at the same time. Was that the case when it died?


Bossco7775

[joetam2]

Aloha Julie 50! Thanks for much for posting your info on your fitbit! Same thing happended to mine this morning, same 4 lights & not working. I called in & referenced your information detailing the same thing happened to mine & replacement is on it's way. I did ask if there is a reason for the fitbit to stop working & was asked it mine had gotten wet (No) or if we had attemped to charge it in a wall outlet (No), those two were the only possible reason they knew of that may of caused it to suddenly stop working.. anyway, thanks again for your post it assisted greatly in expediting this process of getting a replacement! Mahalo, Joseph

[Julie50]

Aloha Joseph!  I'm pleased to see my post has helped someone else and glad to hear Fitbit are replacing your Flex.  No, mine didn't get wet either (I've been extremely careful to avoid that happening!) and I was using an iPhone USB charger to recharge it, so neither of those reasons was the cause for mine to stop working.  

[henry.zanden]

After trying everything and following the help provided by Fitbit, it was decided to replace my device. Thank you Fitbit.

The FitBit team was extremely courteous and were prepared to offer as much help as needed.

The only thing that I can think of as to why it suddenly stopped was some very vigorous exercise last week. I was using my cardio gym which involves bike riding and upper arm / chest work out at the same time. I managed to do 22 kilometres. The extra perspiration MAY have been the reason for the problem.

In future, I will take the device off when exercising.

Regards,

Henry

[BK3]

My daughter's flex is having exactly the same issue. Still waiting for response. 

[Chooka67]

Mine just died tonight. Fully charged 3 days ago, App says it is synced etc. but no lights and no longer registering steps. Was working fine right up to a couple of hours ago now dead as a door nail. No alert if the battery was running low.

[Julia_G]

@Chooka67 have you tried giving it a couple of hours charge and then a restart ?  That might get you going again.  Fingers crossed!

[Chooka67]

Thanks @Julia_G I re-charged overnight and while the lights were on while it was in the charger, no lights when put back into the band. Did a re-start and it seems to be working again but have already lost 1 light in the battery status. This is the third major issue I've had in 18 months and so disappointed in Fitbit. Was thinking of getting the Blaze, but now don't trust the company to put out a quality product.

[mashowman]

I too have had these problems. I purchased mine 10 months ago. The first one worked 4 months.  After that FitBit replaced it three times, only to have the same thing happen time after time. Yes I did all of the things they suggested, but still didn't help. I tried uninstalling the program and reinstalling. It helped for awhile. I even offered Fitbit to send them back my Flex so that their tech people could find out the problem, but they weren't interested. Interesting enough I took it off for several weeks and decided one day to put it back on, and to my amaizement it worked for quite awhile. Then it stops. From what I can tell, whenever I let the battery get realy low, is when it starts having problems. I will leave it off for a week, then try it again. Hope this helps.

[bloodymary1]

I had my Flex for 6 days. It has worked beautifully until I decided to charge it this morning. I used the dongle attached to my Surface. Afterward I put it back in the band, I got nothing. It won't sync to my iphone. No lights. Nada. This evening, after reading this thread, I put it back in the dongle to see what might happen and it synced with the iphone. I replaced it back in the band and nothing. It's never been wet. This was its' first charge after the first use. Very dismayed!

[MariamV]

@mashowman & @bloodymary1 welcome to the forums! Hey, guys have you tried restarting your trackers? To do so, follow these steps:

1. Plug your charging cable into the USB port and insert your tracker into the charging cable.
2. Insert a paperclip into the small pinhole on the back of the charger.
3. Press on the pinhole for 3-4 seconds.
4. Take your tracker out of the charger and insert it back into the wristband.

Try to sync again and let me know how it goes! 

[bloodymary1]

Thanks for your response. Yes, I did try resetting the tracker, to know
avail. I contacted Fitbit and they had me go through some Fitbit paces. It
was determined that my Flex tracker was defective. A new Flex is on the way.

[MariamV]

@bloodymary1 thanks for getting back to me! Our Support Team is indeed wonderful and they definitely know how to take care of our customers! When you receive your replacement Flex, follow this steps to set it up to your existing account:

1. From the Fitbit app dashboard, tap the Account tab.
2. Tap Set Up a Device.
3. Choose your tracker and follow the onscreen instructions to continue.

Feel free to post back!

[mashowman]

Thanks for your reply.  I have done that so many times until I am blue in the face.  To tell you the truth, the only thing I have found to get it working again is to basically take off the Fitbit for a week and miraculously it starts working again.  It will run for about 3 weeks and then stop again and go through the process again of recharging and restarting time and time again and then just take it off for awhile again.  Its not right and I wish Fitbit could explain why their product doesn't work.  Why would I want to upgrade to one of their other models when I have no confidence in the Flex.
So I try not to get so worked up about it and am just thankful that it works once and awhile.  Maggie   

[MariamV]

@mashowman thanks for getting back to me! By what you're describing, that doesn't sound like normal behavior and at this point I'd recommend contacting our Support Team for a second opinion. They have the proper tools to take a deeper look into your tracker's behavior. Also, when you contact them let them know about the troubleshooting steps you've performed to fix your Flex. That will help our Support Team to properly follow up with your case and to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. I wish you the best of lucks and I'll keep my fingers crossed for your buddy!  Keep me posted with the outcome on this, I'll be around!

[bloodymary1]

Fitbit update:

Tuesday 5/3 my new Flex quit working after just 5 days.

Wednesday 5/4 contacted Fitbit support, was told a replacement will be
expedited knowing I was going on a trip.

Wednesday 5/4 was notified that my Flex replacement order was placed and it
would be put on 2 business day expedited shipping.

Friday 5/6 was notified that the Flex had shipped. Expected delivery was
Tuesday 5/10.

Tracking said delivery Tuesday, then tracking said delivery Wednesday.

Thursday 5/12 and still no Flex. Seriously disappointed in Fitbit and their
expedited shipping process. It has now been 6 business days. SMH! Sigh!

If I didn't deliver on what I tell my customers, I'd be out of business.
Word of mouth is a powerful tool.

[MariamV]

@bloodymary1 thanks for getting back to me and for the update about your replacement tracker. I definitely see where you're coming from and your feelings are totally valid. However, in order to get a more specific update on your order status, I'd recommend contacting our Support Team. Make sure you provide them with the confirmation number so they can quickly find your order. Wish you all the best with your order. I'm sure there's an explanation for this. I'll keep my fingers crossed! 

[mikesmom]

Help--flex fully charged but somehow has been disconnected--2nd day I cannot use-battery is fully charged & changed bracelet-any help would be appreciated 

[mikesmom]

thanks I am all set a neighbor fixed my poroblems-thanks for the info

[JacRyan]

So... did anyone getting the mysterious light patterns while recharging (all five lights except the middle one just before it recharges) find a solution?  Recently my fitbit stopped working out of the blue, and was replaced. But now my replacement fitbit after just 3 weeks has done exactly the same thing... says it is recharged (after the flashing lights - all 5 except the middle one), but once it is on my wrist - nothing!! I've tried the reset - multiple times - nothing. I'm happy to replace my fitbit, but want to know that my third won't have the same issues after just three weeks...