Fitbit Ionic not working

[MultiMartin]

I've been an Ionic user for about 18 months now and, despite a few niggles, have been generally happy with the Ionic and the eco-system Fitbit provides.

I was really pleased new apps started to be released like the Couch to 5K Trainer and decided to use it yesterday and go for a run. It was all going really well when I raised my arm to see the progress of my run. To my surprise the watch did not light up and I assumed that it had crashed because the battery was about 80% charged. I was listening to music through Deezer at the time with Apple Airpods.

However, it turns out that the Ionic had actually bricked and was completely unresponsive. I tried charging the device with both a charger and a laptop, tried restarting it using the right and bottom left button and even tried to factory reset it by pressing all three buttons. I then spoke to Fitbit Support who confirmed this was the case.

Thankfully I have a repair plan with the shop I bought the Ionic from and they were able to exchange it for a new Fitbit Ionic: adidas edition.

Has this happened to anyone else? I don't know if it was the C25K app, Deezer or the headphones which cause it to brick and I'm slightly anxious to try any of these apps again!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[SunsetRunner]

Yeah I tried factory resetting it before I left my house this morning and nothing happened. It's dead

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello! Welcome aboard @SunsetRunner @SunsetRunner @trobbins. I'm glad to see you again participating in our forums @cffhello @rahulganatra @Irishwolf66 and @hades666. 

We appreciate your feedback regarding our Ionic device. Please note that we provide feedback to our team based on Community posts, we are always working on improving our devices and the overall environment based on what you share in our Community Forums. Thanks for your comments and sharing your experiences with your Fitbit Ionic.

Your understanding and patience are appreciated, I'll be here if you need anything else.

[hades666]

I love the canned repetative responses.  I wish Fitbit would respond the all the failures. 

[RicardoFitbit]

Hey @hades666 thanks for your reply and comments, let me address your concern. My apologies for the delayed reply.

Please note that we're always looking to our user's feedback and checking all the details that were shared with us because as previously mentioned this information always help us to improve. Let me know if you have any additional questions or difficulties and I'll gladly assist you with them.

 I'll be here. 

[SunsetRunner]

Ricardo,

All I want is for my $300+ Inonic to function.  It is a paper weight right now. This and other fitbit forums have provided ZERO useful content.  Reset, recharge, new charge cord, hold this button and that button for x seconds, etc.  None of it is of any use nor does any of it work.  I had really enjoyed the product when it was working but I find the lack of customer support and zero company support for their flag ship product pathetic.  I "chatted" for 20+ minutes with a customer support person.  He tried but I apparently knew more than he did about my product.  At the end he offered me discounts to purchase new products.  That had to be the ultimate slap in the face to a current customer and now and forever former customer.  I certainly won't endorse this or any of your products ever again as well.  If you want me to sponsor your brand how about you replace my Ionic or have your technical "gurus" develop a quick fix to his chronic issue that we your customer base are telling you about.  Incredible.  Just incredible. That is all I can say.  I hope Garmin, Apple, and others eat your lunch.  Get our of the smartwatch business if you can't walk with the big boys and go back to making heart beat monitors that tell time.

Moderator edit: Format 

[Keiho]

I have to agree with the sentiments of everyone here. My Ionic just bricked itself in the middle of the night. Contacted customer service in hopes there was some other method of troubleshooting/repair they can do on the server side but alas, nothing. Was offered the same 25% off discount but would of course much rather have a working Ionic instead. Love the product and the fact that everyone in my family (wife and 2 kids) all had Fitbits and we "competed" with each other. It was fun and useful but certainly not going to happen again since I no longer have a working watch and I'm not about to spend money to buy a product that clearly has quality issues judging by the many posts about bricked Ionics.

I've played hockey and gone swimming in the pool and lake without any issues; if it failed while I was being hard on it playing sports I can understand. But to have it brick itself while I was sleeping? That's very disappointing and to be told there's nothing to be done and only given a 25% discount...doesn't seem like Fitbit values my business very much. Kind of regretting getting my kids their Ace since not long after we bought them they came out with the Ace 2 which is swimproof (much more useful for children). 

Now I'm just rambling...but I'm just very disappointed that this happened. 

[mhanwell]

Had the same experience chatting for a while to someone going down a checklist before offering a discount coupon. This is a $300 watch and flagship with many failures. Frankly you should be fixing them, or replacing them seeing a pattern of bricked devices. My wife is still using my old device I replaced with the ionic. Sad to have such poor service where they are clearly working through a checklist before saying oh dear out of warranty here is a discount code, buy a new one 

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello, welcome to our Community @Keiho, I appreciate your replies @SunsetRunner and @mhanwell welcome back. 

I'm sorry to see that you feel that way, I totally understand how frustrating this matter can be for all of you, thanks for your comments and sharing the your experience with our Support team. As it turns out. I’ve reached the limits of what I can do for you here on the public community forums, reason why, if you were already in touch with our Support team I recommend you to contact them back regarding their conclusion for more information and details. As per previously mentioned, your feedback is greatly appreciated, I'll pass it along to our Support team. Please refer to Return Policy and Warranty for any inquiries about our warranty policies and procedures.

Let me know if you need assistance with anything else. 

[bikerdeb]

My Ionic just bricked also during update after a factory reset due to syncing issue.  Hadn't synced since it lost battery power 3 days ago.  I like the Ionic and Fitbit interface, but I will not be wasting my money on another one.  Can't believe I had a new band coming in tomorrow for it to add to my band collection!  What a waste of money.  I won't be recommending Fitbit to anyone. 😖

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello @bikerdeb welcome to our Community Forums! I'm glad to check this for you.

Thanks for troubleshooting this matter prior posting. First, I'd like to know if you already attempted all the troubleshooting steps to resolve this behavior that were previously mentioned? If so, please let me know which steps were tried so I can move forward with your concern. Your feedback is appreciated.

I'll be looking to your reply. 

[Charlie13rown]

Similar situation here. Went to sleep with good charge and proper function, but next morning, no response. Difference is, I took immaculate care of it, never swam or showered with it. Never dropped it or hit it on anything. No jarring activities. Mostly just jogging. Point is that it was maintained well within whatever stresses Fitbit seemed to have designed it to hold up to, but the result was the same. Fortunately mine was still under warranty, but after hearing everyone else's experience, I'm much less confident now about the value of the Ionic than I was when I originally purchased it. Hopefully Fitbit will figure out what's causing so many watches to brick, or maybe they could offer an extended warranty, or maybe they could offer better options to people having this experience. Otherwise, their reputation may be irreparably damaged, and I expect that's something they really don't want with so many competitors joining the market. 

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello! Thanks for bringing this to my attention @Charlie13rown, welcome to our Community Forums! My apologies for the delay in responding. 

Thank you for taking the time to provide your comments and share your experience with our Ionic device, the feedback that was submitted is greatly appreciated. I'm happy to know that our Support team assisted you accordingly to our warranty policies and provided you with a replacement device to get you back on track. Please don't hesitate to contact me back if you have any additional questions or if I can assist you with anything else.

Keep me posted.  

[madmaxq]

Same thing happen to my Ionic. I purchased it in Jan 2018 and am also being told that the only thing available is a 25% discount. I wish someone who was at an executive level would read these forums. I've purchased 4 fitbits over the past year and obviously will not be purchasing, or recommending them anymore. 

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello @madmaxq welcome aboard!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us and for the comments about the experience you had with our Customer Support team regarding their conclusion, please contact them back for more information and details and check our policies for a better understanding of the outcome provided by our Support team. Your feedback is well appreciated.

Let me know if I can do anything else for you.

[pino1c81]

I like hundreds of others on this forum am now the proud owner of a bricked Fitbit Ionic. Did all the “resets” and cleanings. Synced and hoped. It comes up with a lit black green, gets hot, and does not work. Just like so many others I will most likely be leaving this brand for good and will aggressively encourage others to do the same should the company not come up with a better solution. I started with Fitbit on the now extinct Surge which ended in the same fashion. 

[Damian13613]

Went to Samsimg and loving it not one issue

Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[LKM2019]

Me too. I woke up this past weekend to a brick and got completely canned non-answers from fitbit support along with a 20% coupon. Like I don't need money off a new one... I want the one I have to work. 

Like you, I bought a samsung galaxy watch and it works amazing. But I will miss the fitbit UI. I am so disappointed in a company I have been so in love with for years. 

[RicardoFitbit]

Welcome aboard @pino1c81 and @LKM2019, it's nice to see you again participating @Damian13613. My apologies for the delay in responding each of your posts.

Let me share that Fitbit is always striving to improve our products and services, the feedback that was submitted on each of your posts are really appreciated because it help us with this process. Sorry for the inconveniences some of you experienced with the Fitbit products and I want to thank all of you for the time you took to share your thoughts with us. I assure you that we take in consideration all the feedback our users provide and we're working everyday.

See you around. 

[Keiho]

---

@RicardoFitbit wrote:

Let me share that Fitbit is always striving to improve our products and services, the feedback that was submitted on each of your posts are really appreciated because it help us with this process. Sorry for the inconveniences some of you experienced with the Fitbit products and I want to thank all of you for the time you took to share your thoughts with us. I assure you that we take in consideration all the feedback our users provide and we're working everyday.

See you around. 

---

So instead of the usual canned response, do you have any updates as to why the Ionics are bricking and what is being done to prevent it from happening?

[RicardoFitbit]

Your reply and update is appreciated @Keiho, my apologies for the delayed reply. 

I apologize if the previous reply seemed canned to you. Be aware that not all Fitbit devices are experiencing the same situation, therefore, I can provide you with a general reason why this occurred. However, if I receive an update regarding this concern, I'll be more than glad to post it here to keep you informed. Don't hesitate to contact our Support team if you have any additional questions about the resolution that was provided by them and check our policies as per previously stated. 

I'll be here if you need anything else.