Fitbit Ionic Dead - Won't Power On

[Waj-A]

After having used a surge for less than a year, I switched to the more versatile (and expensive) Ionic. Less than two months later, it won't switch on: the screen is dead. After having gone through multiple forums, this seems to be a common occurrence. I'd have filed for a refund if this was less than 45 days old. Fitbit is losing a faithful customer today.

[Waj-A]

And yes, I have tried using another charging cord and resetting it (the combination of buttons) and nope, nothing. It's died its premature death.

[SunsetRunner]

Try a Factory Reset using the 3 button method since you have no Display.  Follow the directions below:

On the watch, hold all three buttons for about twelve seconds. This triggers the 2-button hardware reboot after about eight seconds.
- When the Fitbit logo appears, then disappears, release the bottom right button, then continue holding the left and top right buttons until you feel a strong vibration. This indicates the factory reset was initiated.
- This process may take several seconds, and eventually, the Fitbit logo appears and the device boots and displays go to Fitbit.com/setup.
- If you fail to release the bottom right button in time or otherwise don't follow the procedure precisely , the Fitbit logo reappears quickly and boots without factory reset.

Try it several times if necessary.  This will return your Ionic to the way it was when you first unboxed it.  Be sure and have a full charge before trying.

[xchatter]

Mine is also dead after factory reset. I find more and more unresolved threads like this(ionic dead for unexplained reason) throughout the forums. I am done with Fitbit. 

I kept this one for the nice sleep tracking and heart rate no matter that the "smart" functions like notifications from the phone were totally broken and not working as advertised.

Moderator Edit: Format

[Nicky89]

Today I went for a swim and now my Fitbit is dead as well. I guess the battery, because when I put it on the charger, nothing happens... None of the troubleshooting tips mentioned 

[jchengj]

Mine just died this morning, because it's out of warranty, they told me to buy another one.

Sad but I think I'll switch to Garmin

[Ipak]

My ionic died - went through factory reset (three button) process,  it gave me the vibration at the end ( I believe means reset completed) but it is still dead, no screen, no connection via the apps, it is dead.  I’m going to contact Fitbit to see if there is a recourse.

[jchengj]

I got a 25% discount code, but nah.. going to go with Garmin instead

[jchengj]

I'm looking at the vivoactive 3 music
just tried it at REI, it's a lot lighter

[Pouyan]

Same thing happened to my Ionic. Chatted with agent. They offered 25% discount (40% if I buy another Ionic). I asked for it to be escalated. They are going to contact via email. Unless they offer a free replacement, I'm going with Garmin too. Friends who have Garmin said they haven't ever had issues. I used my tracker for steps and bike rides.  Whic Garmin you're thinking about?

[RicardoFitbit · Accepted solution]

A warm welcome to our Forums @jchengj, @Ipak and @Pouyan. Nice to see you again participating @xchatter and @Nicky89, please let me give a hand with the Ionic concerns. 

@xchatter, @Nicky89 and @Ipak thanks for your patience and for having tried to troubleshoot this situation before contacting us. For this specific situation I'll recommend to try the steps from Why isn't my battery charging on my Fitbit device. Then, please attempt a restart on your device (take in consideration that this process is completely different that the factory reset stated above).

@Pouyan thanks for letting me know that our Support team is already handling your concern. I was notified that your case is under review at this moment. That being said, I recommend you to keep and eye to your email for their reply. 

@jchengj I'm sorry to see that you feel that way, note that we're always striving to improve our product and services, your feedback help us with such process. Please note that for warranty replacement
our Support team assisted you based on our policies. For more information and details I'll recommend you to check here. Also, you can contact them regarding this outcome if you have any doubts.

Please keep me posted, I'll be here if you need anything else!

[MEbrogdon]

same thing happened to me, this is the 2nd time just dead! I took it back to Best buy, they were very nice and replaced it (but made me pay the Ca. sales tax since I didn't have a receipt)...that was a . month ago...NOW this one is pooping out the same way!! Screen goes blank, in the middle of the night even! This is so maddening in a middle of a WORKOUT!

[Nicky89]

@RicardoFitbit 

I have tried it all. What you mention here above doesn't help. Believe me, the Ionic is dead. It would help if you just could recognise that in many cases the one and only fact is: Fitbit Ionic dies without any reason.

Don't post any more troubleshooting posts, we are not stupid. The device died. And what is Fitbit going to do about it?

[xchatter]

A lot of people me included already tried all and even more and already reported zero result. 

Given the increasing number of these issues I would say Fitbit has an idea what's going on. I just hope existing users will survive some more time without problems. 

Nevertheless I liked what the device gave me in terms of sleep tracking and hr, but random dying is a deal breaker. 

It is not worth it to risk such amount of money.

[RicardoFitbit]

Hi @MEbrogdon welcome aboard. Thanks for the followup @Nicky89 and @xchatter, welcome back. 

@MEbrogdon I'm sorry to see that you feel that way, I totally understand how frustrating is this situation for you, thanks for sharing your experience with Best Buy too. Prior moving forward with your case, I want to confirm if you already tried the steps from by previous post.

@Nicky89 Let me share with you that I've already contacted our Support team on your behalf so they can continue assisting you. Take in consideration that we have new users participating in our Community so the troubleshooting steps previously provided may resolve any doubts or concerns. 

@xchatter Thanks for troubleshooting this with me, I've contacted our Support team regarding your concern because we've reached the limits here at the public Community Forums. I recommend you to keep an eye to your email inbox for our Support team contact. 

I'll be around. 

[Brantley]

I bought the Iconic because the band of my Surge ripped anad Fitbit no longer sell replacement bands. Not long after wearing the Iconic, it stopped taking a charge. when I attempt the 3 button fix as explained earlier in thread it simply shows 0% battery. Disappointed!

[MEbrogdon]

yesterday I shut it down, because I didn't have the charger to save
battery... today it will not charge back on!

[xchatter]

@BrantleyHi, your ionic still shows sign of life(in contrary to mine 😞 ) when it shows something on the display. If you haven't tried, some users reported that the following worked for them:

1. - plug your charging cable in a charger(for example your phone charger), but not in the Ionic yet

    - hold left btn+right bottom btn and while holding them, plug your charging cable into the Ionic (also try with the all 3 buttons if this doesn't work)

2. If the above didn't work, you can also try cleaning the connector pins on your ionic and your charging cable with some alcohol solution. Wait for the alcohol to vaporize before plugging everything in.

Good luck.

[RicardoFitbit]

Welcome aboard @Brantley and thanks for your replies @xchatter @MEbrogdon , I'm glad to followup your concerns. 

@Brantley I'm sorry to see that you feel that way, let me help you out with this. I'll recommend you to follow the steps given by @xchatter on his post and let me know if those troubleshooting steps works on your device. 

@xchatter I'd like to first appreciate your help and for taking the time to provide some troubleshooting steps that may resolve this concern. On the other hand, I was informed by our Support team that your case was successfully resolved. 

@MEbrogdon thanks for troubleshooting this matter with me. I'd like to share with you that our Support team was notified about your case too. Please check your inbox periodically for their assistance, they'll be contacting you soon.

Please keep me posted and let me know if any additional questions are still unanswered. I'll be happy to assist 🤓 

[Brantley]

I have tried xchatter's suggestions to no avail. Now the screen does not even show 0% battery life.