Ionic battery short life

[Alex52]

Hi my ionic which is only 4 months old will only hold its charge for 3 hours any ideas why

Moderator edit: subject for clarity 

[LiliyaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @Alex52.

Thanks for the details shared in your post. I was able to see that you have already an open case with our Support team. They'll get in touch with you soon to help you with your watch. You can also contact them via chat or phone for faster resolution. Click here to get connected. Meanwhile, I recommend to force quit the Fitbit app. You can check our tips to maximize your Fitbit device's battery life in Can I extend my Fitbit device's battery life?

See you around.

[Gene12345]

I had the same problems with my Fitbit Ionc and they began shortly after the last Fitbit OS upgrade (27.72.1.9).  I tried starting and restarting the Ionic and even did 2 Factory Rests with removing the Ionic from the Fitbit App (Apple iPhone app).  But had no luck with getting the watch to last more than 5-6 hours.

I then started looking for possible issues and found that if I do not leave the iPhone Fitbit app open or if I turn off the Bluetooth connection on the iPhone so that the Ionic is not trying to update the app all the time I am back to the watch lasting 3-4 days on a charge.  So now I just can leave the app on the phone on and just enable the bluetooth when I want to update the app.  I also disabled the GPS and it is possible that I could just set the app to only update manually but I'm tired making the efforts to look at different work-arounds.  I believe that the last upgrade has broken something that is draining the battery when it is connected to the Fitbit app.

[LiliyaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @Gene12345.

Thank you for joining the thread and sharing that you're experiencing the same issue with your watch. I appreciate your troubleshooting efforts and thank you for sharing your solution. I understand your concern and thank you for sharing your feedback as it helps us to keep improving. Our team has started releasing a new version of the Fitbit app which brings fixes to bugs and improvements. Please make sure you have downloaded the new version when you see the update available: How do I update the Fitbit app?

Hope this helps.

[HMFMurphy]

I have just written to Fitbit about this. My problems really started in earnest a few days ago.. battery life went from 3 to 4 days or more, to less than a day. It reminds me of that update problem a few years ago that lead to many users being unable to turn on their Ionic after the update. I got a replacement then, and I strongly feel that the problem is not at the consumer end and that Fitbit should honour their obligation to provide a reliable and ongoing service to their loyal customers who have shelled out for these products with an expectation of long and reliable service. Dont just look to quote us any fine print in the warranty when numerous devices simply died or misbehave without explanation.

[HMFMurphy]

Update:

From draining quickly yesterday, I left it charging overnight and nothing. It won't even turn on. Screen completely blank. I am curious to know how many of us are in this fix and just being offered a moderate discount on a new device. We should be offered a new device or equivalent, or an alternative at 50% discount.

[Barbjudy2004]

Having the same issues. Was thinking about trashing it before finding this thread. Thanks for posting!

[DogLadyX9]

Thanks for the tips. I’ve been having the same issue. It started about a month ago after updating the app. Hopefully the fix will be published soon.

[LiliyaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @Barbjudy2004 @DogLadyX9. It’s good to see you in the community, @HMFMurphy.

@HMFMurphy I appreciate your participation in the Forums and sharing your experience. I understand how frustrating this is for you as you have been a Fitbit customer for a long time. Thank you so much for your feedback, we're constantly working on improving our devices and user experiences, and your comments are always welcome. I am sure our Support team tried their best to help you, each case is reviewed individually and a solution that's being provided is based on the Fitbit Warranty. I appreciate your understanding and hope to keep you in the Fitbit family.

@Barbjudy2004 @DogLadyX9 If you're on iOS, please keep an eye on the Fitbit app update (3.43). For more tips to maximize your Fitbit device's battery life, see Can I extend my Fitbit device's battery life?

Hope this helps. 

[HMFMurphy]

Hi Lilly
I have been here for a while 😀. I do enjoy my fitbit but I am disappointed that for an issue that appears to be widespread.. quite a few persons have indicated that they have this problem, all around the same time - that would point to something systemic or wide spread. Therefore there should be a collective approach, not the convenient warranty / individual approach as is being done. Your customers are not at fault and deserve better. I am reminded of the previous issue with the Ionic over two years ago, where our watches just stopped turning on immediately after an update was rolled out.
U would strongly recommend, as a gesture of good faith, ALL persons who have been affected by this apparent glitch and through no fault of their own, be given a replacement device or a minimum 50% discount on an equivalent or higher value device. It would set a good example of corporate responsibility for errors. Please don't shelter behind the convenient warranty issue on this one. You would lose more in customer brand loyalty that way.