Ionic Black Screen and Will Not Start Up

[OferGrosz]

It seems to be a lot of people with the same problem as of recent. My Ionic quit receiving notifications and then at midnight it would erase the previous day stats from my phone app (It said it was syncing) and I started to look back at the app and the last saved date was 02/05. I also seen there was an automatic update on 02/04. Customer Service says that is not the problem, But my watch was working fine up to that point. I decided to uninstall everything from the phone and factory reset the Ionic and everything was going fine and halfway through the install the watch shut off and that is when my Ionic died. Have not been able to reset/start it since then. Called Customer Service and the person could see I tried everything they would suggest to fix it. So the only option was to offer me 40% off with FREE expedited shipping. I decided to think about it and I went to Best Buy and low and behold They have sold a ton of Galaxy Watches to People like me (YES, I am wearing one right now) due to this recent problem. I have up to 30 days to return it if I dont like it. But so far that does not be the case. Fitbit has not convinced me that this is not a software update issue that caused this. The coincidence of so many other people having the same problem in the same time range......Well enough said. My Galaxy Watch tells me to go for a walk. 

[JRandy]

I cleaned the charging points several times. I also tried several restarts.
I tried multiple restarts free standing and in the charger. The morning my
Iconic died it showed fully charged. The watch had been in the charger
overnight. The watch was holding a charge up to 5-days. At approximately
10AM I looked down at my watch and the screen was “BLACK”. I could not get
it to light up. After work tried the restarts and cleaning charging points.
I never got any indications watch would charge, restart or turn on.

[rainfactor]

Just chiming in.

My Ionic kicked the bucket too after approx. 1yr.

It suddenly decided not to turn on or to charge despite all the steps suggested here on this forum.

I have purchased it on May 15th last year. 

[JRandy]

Roger. I too believe this is a software problem because watch was working
fine and it was safe & sound on my wrist when it stopped. I am hoping new
watch has a software patch included. Thanks, R

[Xertion]

Mine died two hours ago. Tried all the resets and nothing. This blows. I ordered it the day it was released through fitbit  9/22/17. Less than 2 years for 309.90. This sucks.

[Yopper33]

What help are you providing?   I as well have had my watch "die" and been in contact with Support.  All they have been able to do is offer a discount on buying another watch that wasn't more than 15 months old.

What a scam!

[JRandy]

I believe we have a one year warranty. I would call Fitbit today. Seems
you are right at the wire for replacing. Have proof of purchase with date
in hand for the call. Good luck. R

[Yopper33]

warranty past last month....funny how that works

[rainfactor]

Something is totally not right with this.It seems like a very expensive disposable watch.

Can't believe after reading all the messages that a 300$ device lasts only a year or less

Replacing a defective unit is not gonna wipe off the loss of trust in this brand.(IF you are eligible for a replacement).

Some people have had the replacement failing on them too which is as bad as it sounds.

[RickJS]

I agree!

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Moderator edit: personal info removed

[Jeff_Metze]

Interesting as I just called Fitbit about the exact same issue.  They offered the 40% off a replacement Ionic device.  Doesn't represent Fitbit well that everyone is experiencing the same issue, but getting different responses. It would be different if the failure was not the same for everyone on the post.  Mine was a Christmas 2017 purchase and so it is in the same age range as many others who have posted about problems with their Ionic.

[Pagey1966]

Thanks I have been told that I'm eligible for a replacement and sent my broken one off today so hopefully will get a new one soon. Hopefully without the same issue. Fingers crossedSent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Update: Hi I'm having a replacement sent (soon hopefully). If it turns out to have the same problem my trust in this company will be as broken as my watch.Hope you get the response you are looking for soon.Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

[rainfactor]

UPDATE:

After sending an email this morning to FItbit Support and after couple of emails back and forth I got a confirmation that an order for a replacement has been placed.

I cannot fault the Support/Customer Service as they moved rather fast and they did what they were supposed to do however, seeing the pattern here I am a bit uneasy about the future.

Are all Ionics prone to this? Was mine (along with others) part of a bad batch? Will I have to wait another year to discover the same problem?Or maybe will die earlier or...?

Cannot tell obviously since I do not have access to the company's records/statistics.

All this to tell that so far Fitbit Ionic didn't impress(me) with its longevity despite being sold as a rugged fitness tracker, waterproof...etc

Will have to wait and hope for the best or else they will be losing one customer.

PS: My gf Charge HR died after less than a year too so that is why I am a bit pessimistic. I swallowed the loss and said, OK here is a newer shiny Alta, maybe the Charge was just not that good.She has had it for the same time as I had the Ionic as I bought them all together. Crossing fingers.

I also own an Aria scale which didn't give me much grief aside from being incredibly clunky and counter intuitive  to pair and connect to a WiFi network.

So I am pretty invested in the Fitbit ecosystem but I will leave it without any remorse if they keep dying on me.

[Willar]

I purchased mine May 2018. I received a replacement because mine was still under warranty.

Respectfully,

Update: I received my replacement May 10th. I did purchase an Iwatch. If the Fitbit bites the dust again. I will not be asking for a replacement. I was vested in the product, but if this one brakes. I have the Iwatch as my back-up. I have spent almost a grand within a year on fitness watches

I contacted them May 6th and had the replacement May 10th. They were pretty responsive. It was still under warranty.

Mine was still under warranty. Mine was less than a year old. I contacted them May 6 and received the replacement May 10th. In the meantime I side purchase an Iwatch. This will be my last Fitbit either way.

I think there is a bug in the program because the soft ware was working on my phone as long as the phone was attached to me.

This will be my last Fitbit product. I did purchase an I watch.

It is not going to restart. It needs to be replaced.

[rainfactor]

I have owned several big brands smart watches(Android only) and as much as they seem to have a better overall quality than Fitbit's product line they lack a lot on the health front.

I am not a fitness hardcore individual but some basic things were off, at least for me.

Heart rate, movement tracking were not as good as a dedicated "fitness tracker". Battery was weak too.

They have definitely made some progress lately but they seem to be more focused on the "smart" features: notifications, ability to control remotely other devices...etc. The health portion seems to be an afterthought.

I have researched prior to be purchasing the Fitbit and it seemed a good compromise (at the time) but for the serious athletes or for very health conscious people that want accurate tracking neither Fitbit or smartwatches are good. Garmin seems to be a popular choice but can also go for as much as 1000$.

Also from a social perspective the motivation to be active sometimes comes from your friends, colleagues etc. Most of my friends have Fitbits so I guess there is a bit of  peer pressure(indirectly) to be social and participate to all those fun challenges.Fitbit did a good job convincing many people to be part of its platform. Their trackers are relatively cheap and do a good job (when they work properly)

I am monitoring the "health" of my Ionic for now and will decide

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in my reply. 

Thanks for the troubleshooting that you've tried @JRandy. I've shared your post with our Support team and they've mentioned that you already have a case with them. Please continue the communication through email. 

Hey @rainfactor. Thanks for providing your feedback. Fitbit is always improving its watches based in your feedback. Hope you can continue enjoying your Ionic and track your steps. 

Welcome to the Community @Xertion. I appreciate the troubleshooting that you've tried. I've shared your case with our Support team and they've mentioned that you already have a case with them, please continue the communication with them. 

Hey @Yopper33 and @Jeff_Metze. Thanks for sharing your comments. Our Support team reviews each case individually and provides options based in the Fitbit Warranty. 

Great to see you around @Pagey1966 and @Willar. I'm glad to hear that you got a replacement, hope you can continue enjoying it. 

I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[mpittsjohnson]

Tried new charger. Tried plugging it into the wall. Tried cleaning the connections. Tried restarting several times and several different ways. It’s still a paperweight. I was able to connect my husbands old one to my account since he upgraded to a garmin, but I am worried that it won’t be too long before the same thing happens to his.

[rainfactor]

HI SilviaFitbit,

I am not sure how the moderators work on these forums but it certainly seems odd to pop in every now and  then always apologizing for the always "late reply" and make a weird long answer quoting every single disgruntled member with awkward thanks.

Like I said I may not be aware how the Fitbit forums operate but it certainly doesn't look like "moderating" but rather "oh snap I forgot I gotta say something on that thread"

I do apologize if I seem harsh as I do not know your affiliation with Fitbit or on what basis this forum is "moderated".

It just seems like everyone is ranting and asking things that never get answered but someone labelled "moderator" comes in "late" and offers some greetings and canned responses,

I guess I will thank you for noticing my nickname and taking my suggestions up the ladder.

Will you??

[kenchen27]

Mine has just done the same thing yesterday and I believe I am not the same one. Offering a discount for a new replacement for a $400 watch that lasted only 1.5 years is simply not good enough. I would like to know what has happened to my watch and what can be offered to fix it. This does not give me confidence to purchase another product from Fitbit again

[CharlieEth]

I have just received my replacement Ionic my original packed up at 15 mths

it appears that in the UK at least, there is a 2 year warranty.

I was offered a replacement or a discount on another product. I decided to go with the free ionic rather than invest further - I’m not particularly confident that this one will last much longer after reading all the posts on the subject, but hey ho only time will tell

[CapeGreco]

Hi,

Yes mine was replaced and was under a 2 year warranty, I was offered the chance to exchange it for any other device including Garmin, but took the Fitbit but this is the last time when this fails I will be going for the Garmin which my daughter an son in law both have and It is much more reliable and more features although more expensive.

Sent from my iPad