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

[Keiho]

It's a shame isn't it. Clearly we the users love the ecosystem and what the Ionic does but with all the bricking none of us will buy another one. 

Oh well... My Swiss watches get worn again then! 👍

[Asmith1979]

I loved Fitbit, I have a family of 5 and we all have/had versa’s and ionics. My daughter also had a charge 3. My ionic bricked after 14 months and Fitbit told me I could have a discount on a new one of 25% off. Which ironically was/is the same discount available to anyone purchasing one. Of coarse it can’t be used on the sale prices😂. I went with a Apple Watch 4 44mm cellular. I’d recommend Apples watches. I still miss fitbits simple and great fitness aspect of it, but I’m not going to let a company treat me like garbage and keep coming back. I’ve vowed to let 30 perspective buyers on their Facebook page know about their issues and what they think about customers and they continue to sell known defective products

[madmaxq]

I purchased 4 fitbit devices (1 Ionic, 2 Versa's, and 1 Alta HR) in the
span of 1 year. I don't recommend them at all anymore. I haven't gone on
social media about my bricked Ionic yet, but that's a good idea.

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello again, it's a pleasure to continue providing assistance. Thanks for your replies and posts @Keiho @Asmith1979 and @madmaxq.

Sorry for the issues with your Fitbit Ionic. Thanks for the feedback, it's very important to us to have your thoughts in regards our product and your customer support interactions. Fitbit is always trying to provide great products and customer experience. Each scenario is different, but I think that our team can review each case to provide the best option for you using your warranty details.

We don't want to create frustration in our customers. Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts.

Please note that we don't have the option to change our warranties or give more details about your personal information here on the Forums, if you have questions related to your warranty you can check this page or keep communication open with our support team for more details. Thanks for your understanding and for your time, your comments and feedback are very appreciated. 

I'll be around.

[infinitydrive]

Made the mistake of trying to update my Ionic firmware yesterday... I've now done 3 rounds of factory resets and 3 more attempts of updates and it all ends in endless flashing of the logo. Should have never attempted to update the firmware.  Love my Ionic, but this, and everyone else's issues are pushing me to look at other companies 😕

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello @infinitydrive thanks for bringing this to my attention, welcome to the Fitbit Community.

First, I appreciate your effort and patience troubleshooting your device with our factory reset procedure, I totally understand how frustrating this can be for you. If you haven't already done so, I recommend you to check our help article: Why can't I update my Fitbit device? and let me know how it goes. Also, please provide more information about the situation you're experiencing so I can better assist you. 

Looking forward to your reply. 

[Keiho]

Fitbit customers angry company ignored complaints after latest tech update ruined devices
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/fitbit-charge-2-firmware-update-battery-1.5258511

So... Will there be an acknowledgement for us previous and current Ionic owners? 

[Damian13613]

Bout time they are in hot water. My ionic was only 14 months when an update killed mine. They offered the 25% discount so I went and bought a Samsung active instead. I remember when Fitbit customer service was impeccable. They lost my faith in them forever for their refusal to listen to customers.. that was 300.00 down the drain.



Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[Petpoo]

Yes l wa so disappointed for the price you paid you would at least expect
them to last longer and get better customer service

[LKM2019]

I for one would love some public acknowledgement. I love my new Samsung Galaxy watch, but I miss the Fitbit UI, and I'm so mad at how Fitbit handled this, I probably wouldn't ever go back.... But an acknowledgement past a corporate rephrasing of "that's a bummer," would we really nice. 

[hades666]

If you bought it with your Visa or Mastercard, check and see if you have
the extended warranty on electronic devices.

[SunsetRunner]

I guess it's cheaper to replace those.

But that would be just my luck... My boyfriend gave me his old Charge 2 so I could at least track my sleep because my new watch doesn't do that. And honestly it's the only thing I miss about the Fitbit. 

[RicardoFitbit]

I'm glad to continue providing assistance, sorry for the delayed reply.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and personal experience here in the Community Forums, the feedback that's posted on this thread is really helpful for us to evaluate our procedures. Don't hesitate to contact me back if anything else is needed.

I'll be around.

[LCT-K]

Mine bricked today out of nowhere. so I went googling and found this thread. Absolutely nothing works. Tried all combinations of reset buttons, charging it, etc. It's dead dead.

I see the moderator constantly replying with information that doesn't help in the least. I don't need to know you've been passing information on for months to the devs. I don't want a discount on future purchases if they'll likely just brick too.

I need my ionic to not be bricked for no reason. I need some kind of fix for this.

[LCT-K]

This exact thing happened to me today too.

[Owe2pete]

This is my second Fitbit and definitely now my last. Received my new iPhone today and I had issues trying to sync my Ionic so I did a hard reset and it killed my Fitbit...now it’s in the logo death cycle. Customer support told me it’s defective but that’s not the case..it worked perfectly fine up to the point where I tried to reset it. I’m certainly convinced by all these posts that Fitbit programs these to break so they make more money. Poor customer service and shady business practice. Someone should start a petition or log how many fail after X amount of months I’m willing to bet that they all fail or the same time! 

[zerodameaon]

There is no fix, and if you don't have any warranty left you are on your own. If this is your first device and it's under a year old contact support(not here, they just push you over to those guys anyways) and they might replace it. There has been a lot of activity recently with mass brickings on the Ionic and Fitbit won't do anything.

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello again, I'm happy to continue providing assistance, sorry for the delayed reply.

Please note that my only intention is to help you guys with this situation, however, I'm unable to check your personal details nor determine your eligibility for a replacement device, reason why I always suggest to get in touch with our Customer Support team. Take in consideration that they refer to our warranty policies when it comes to a warranty-related process, please check our policies for a better understanding of the outcome of your cases with them.

I'll be around, thanks for the input that was posted over here. 

[Corvettekid]

Jmeg, some people think the software updates are DESIGNED to brick the Ionics.

[Corvettekid]

Ricardo, we understand you have superiors to report to and they supply you with the appropriate responses.  We get it.

However....you have to understand that everyone here is upset that FitBit's firmware upgrade is destroying/bricking perfectly-functioning Ionic watches.  Nothing in your canned response addresses this matter. 

We are not talking about random problems that just happen post-warranty period.  We are talking about a FitBit-supplied firmware upgrade...that comes from your technical people...and it is destroying our beloved Ionics.

It's like bringing your car into the dealership for an oil change and then being told the engine, transmission, and tires all failed and the car had to be junked.

Come on....no other electronic device on Earth gets a firmware upgrade and then can't power on.  It's either deliberate or your tech people are the dumbest in Silicon Valley. 

Moderator edit: Format