Ionic battery short life

[SunsetRunner]

I bought my Ionic during the first week it has been available, and up until now, it has been working just fine.  I have been taking it off and charging it when I have gone into the bathroom to take a shower, every morning before I head out for the day and every evening before I head to bed.  Usually, after a charge to 100% in the evening, it has been down to the mid-90's in the morning -- 94 or so.  During the day, after a charge to 100% in the morning, it may be down to around 90% or so in the evening.  Bottom line, it was always quick and easy to get it back to 100% while I was in the shower.

But just a few days ago, I started seeing the battery percentages in the low 80's.  Then the low 70's.  Yesterday, after a 100% charge in the morning, the battery was DOWN TO 51%.  If this keeps it up, my Ionic will not last a full day without needing to be charged.  At which time I might as well toss it in the trash and move on to some other company's technology.  I am NOT happy to see this three-hundred-dollar purchase utterly die as I watch it over the course of one week.

I have NOT been doing anything strange that seemingly made this happen.  It didn't happen "right after a firmware update" or anything like that -- I have been updating things as they have happened, but the last one was months ago.  I did NOT install any new apps or anything like that.  It was just functioning normally, and then it went to hell in a handbasket one day, and it just keeps on getting worse, every day.

I have been doing daily "reboots" with the Ionic.  I have uninstalled every app that I could uninstall.  I am using a very simple watch face.  I have fully uninstalled the Fitbit app on my phone, and reinstalled that.  Nothing has helped.  It simply appears that my Ionic's battery is going to die within the next week or so.  By all means, if you can suggest anything else I could do, I would appreciate it, but I think I've gone through the gamut of what can be done with the thing, already.  I can tell you one thing, though -- if this thing dies on me, I sure won't be buying a new Ionic, given how this thing hasn't lasted much more than about six months.

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity 

[Colinm39]

@Bldem  Great news... Was the replacement via your retailer or Fitbit themselves..?

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@Bldem wrote:
I got in touch with company. My Fitbit was still under warranty. They are replacing. They did not have a fix.

Sent from my iPhone

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[Steph11321]

I've had my fit bit for almost a year now and the battery is dead by the end of the day I've restarted it. What to do?? I would love to get a new one sent to me. Who do I go through?? So sad.. 

[Adventurer]

I have an extra Ionic charging cable if anyone is interested.  BTW my new Vivoactive 3 Music is working great and the app is sooo much better than Fitbit's assuming more data and detail is your preference.  However, I'm glad I spent some time with Ionic and just wished Fitbit improved sync reliability, battery life and features.  They really need to study Microsoft Band 2 and Garmin Connect apps.

[Hockey1982]

Bought my Fitbit Ionic in March. Worked great for 5 months now it only holds charge 7-8 hrs just got off the phone with said they can do nothing because it was not purchased with authorized retailer. Not happy at all They should warranty there product. 

[catperry]

@MaginB I hadnt yet written in because I was just over it, but I do love certain parts of this Fitbit Ionic and its app. I'll spare you the long backstory: The battery last only 12 hours, even with all notifications off, screen autosave off and few apps. That means I can track only my steps or my sleep, never EVER both. It's SO disappointing... this all started about 3 months after launch after a firmware upgrade, where it went from roughly 2/3 days to a useless half day. 

What on earth could create such a dropoff? I figured all this time that other people must just be ok with charging this thing multiple times per day. But to me that's absurd and totally not doable. I switch back and forth to my Garmin instead for its 7-8 days battery, no joke. But I love the lightweight feel and touch screen of the Ionic, and love the sleep tracking, so want to use this beauty rather than totally waste it. 

I appreciate your help. Let me know what I can do to get this watch back on track!!!

[Hockey1982]

If you call Fitbit it could be under warranty if you bought it from a authorized dealer. Mine is only 6 months old no warranty. I have to do the same  have to charge 3 times a Day never get to use sleep tracker which Would like to use . For 5 months worked perfect now won’t hold charge very disappointed thought there is 1 year warranty. Wasted $230. Customer service was no help for me but maybe they can help you 

[MneimnehMo]

This is a serious NONO.... I want to get the inoic and upgrade from my charge 2 because it has a GPS, but given the short battery life, i'm really worried... I need a watch that can last at least 7 days without recharging... otherwise it becomes a nuisance... hope you improve the tech in upcoming models

[Bldem]

I really like my ionic. I upgraded from the blaze    The usual life of the battery is 5-6 days.

[MattJ71]

I finally decided to do a factory reset on my Ionic, to see if this would improve my battery life.  I did it 4 hours ago, and after that time I have been wearing it and even had an hour workout.  The battery life is currently 98%.

I will monitor this over the next few days to see if this actually made a difference and will report back.

[Hockey1982]

I’ve tried that and also cleaned the ports with rubbing alcohol didn’t seem to help at all. Fitbit still loses battery power around 7-8 hrs. No fun  

[MattJ71]

It is now 7 hours since my factory reset and I'm at 96%

[Hockey1982]

I’m glad it worked for you. Mine now completely died  Tried 3 different charge sources no luck.  I’m done with Fitbit for good.  

[MarreFitbit]

Hi everyone! Sorry to hear about the inconveniences you've been having with your Ionic's battery life. Thanks for the tips and recommendations you've followed to improve the battery life. Nice way to go! 

Since it seems you've exhausted all the steps in order to fix this, I'd recommend doing the Factory Reset on your Ionic, as you were also advised along this thread. Note that you’ll need to reinstall any apps and music on your device after the reset, and since you haven't synced your device, then any data on the Fitbit device will be lost. 

On your watch, open the Settings app > About > Factory Reset. 

When the watch successfully resets, use the normal out of the box process of updating the firmware or you can see How do I update my Fitbit device? article.

If the issue persists after doing a factory reset on your Ionic, contact Customer Support for the ones who haven't done it yet.

If there's any questions present, let me know.

[MattJ71]

I'm at 55 hours since my factory reset and my battery is at 56%.  If this continues, I could get 5 days on a single charge.

What a difference the factory reset made!

[catperry]

That's awesome for you. But my factory reset did zero; same lame 12-15hour
battery life. So annoying. I dont understand how the battery quality can
swing SO wildly for different people. I have no notifications, no actually
synced apps besides step counting.

I contacted cust serv and they are having me do a 24hr battery test. We'll
see how that goes.

[Hockey1982]

My Fitbit is a black screen now won’t charge or do anything had it on the charger fir 2 days still nothing. I know the charger works because my wife has the same Fitbit Ionic and it charges hers just fine was a 16% when I put it on charger when I went to check how full the charge was it was black. Any suggestions. 

[MattJ71]

I'm going on 75 hours (over 3 days) and my battery is at 33% since my factory reset.

[MarreFitbit]

I'm glad to hear that your Ionic is working as expected after the Factory Reset @MattJ71! Thanks for sharing your results during the last few days! 

Sorry to hear that you're still facing this inconvenience with your Ionic's battery life @Hockey1982. Since you've been in contact with our Support Team, I'd recommend reply back with the results so they can move forward. 

If there's any questions present, let me know. 

[Hockey1982]

Tried the factory reset twice didn’t help at all. Lasts only 4-5 hours now.  The support team is not helping either. $230 bucks for a watch that works for only 5 hrs a day. Went from a awesome product to one of the worst I’ve ever bought. You would think Fitbit would take care of there customers and stand by there warranty. Which is 1 year. My Fitbit is only 6 months old   

[Lawsonjake]

I’m having the exact same problem. What was the solution? Did Fitbit help you out at all? I’ve had mine for about 9 months. 

Moderator Edit: Format