Ionic died

[ladykayaker]

My beloved ionic died. It was working just fine, then sometime in the early hours  of September 10, it shut down, never to log another step again. I had a Fitbit ZIP since 2014. After that had served me faithfully for three years, it died in 2017, I made the leap and invested in an Ionic. Just shy of two years and the Ionic turned off in the night. It won't respond to charging or attempting to factory reset. RIP

[Fids]

Mines lasted 22 months until it died today (I did the latest update on Wednesday), contacted fitbit and they are sending me a replacement. I can't fault their support, but I suppose I'm lucky being in the UK with the 2 year warranty.

I just would have expected it to last longer considering how much it cost to buy in the first place, I doubt I will trust updates though from now on when I get the new one.

[jpk123]

sorry, but you will not get a new 1 year warranty. i tried.

[Fids]

That seem's so wrong, as technically it is a brand new product which it is being replaced with and should come with it's own warranty, regardless of the warranty on a previously owned product.

[jpk123]

Trust me - i know. Im on my 2nd ionic- had to replace the previous one, and now my other one just quit. Seems not the only one to experience this, losing time, battery fully charged only to die within less than 12 hours, not tracking my steps. Just happened since the new upgrade and im past the warranty limit from my original one.

[RickLoC53]

I had an issue with my Ionic with the GPS: if activated during a workout (like walking or golf), it would drain the battery from 80-100% down to completely dead within literally 45 minutes. I never called Fitbit service; just turned the GPS in the Ionic off and used Strava or Map My Walk on my phone (if I wanted a route map). I just figured it was a design flaw with the Ionic.

Sent from my iPhone

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone. It's good to see you participating in this thread and I'm sorry for the delayed response. I'll be here to help you with your Ionic.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I understand where are you coming from about your Ionic not working correctly and I apologize for the experience that you've had with it. Our team often reviews the Community and takes every feedback posted here to work on our products, so be sure that your comments won't go unnoticed as they help us to evaluate our procedures and implement improvements on our overall environment. For any warranty-related inquiry, please check our warranty policies here.

@ladykayaker, @KarolP, @Meloso, @SunsetRunner, @SunsetRunner, @Techjca and @Lori_T, thanks for letting me know about your Ionic devices and the steps that you tried on your own. I'm sorry that you've had this experience, after checking your information I was informed that you already have a case created with our Support team. Please continue working with them so you can receive more details about your case.

@DustyMoth and @RickLoC53, thanks for sharing that you're experiencing this situation with your Fitbit devices. Since your posts didn't include it, I'd recommend to try cleaning the contacts of your Ionic and the charging cable. Try a different USB port or a UL-certified wall charger, and perform a restart to refresh its performance. Keep me posted so I can continue working on this with you.

@JIMMUR, @ZenDada, @amithcd, @chrittymack, @TiRider and @Fids, thanks for taking the time to contact our Support team. I'm glad that you received assistance from them and check this help article to set up that device in your existent account.

As a side note, we want our Fitbit Community to be a place where users can come to share their feedback and stories in a positive and conducive manner, so please keep in mind the Community Guidelines when posting. Your opinions are always welcome.

I'll be around if you have another question.

[RickLoC53]

> Thank you Lizzy,
> My Ionic was working just fine with an 80% charge at 3 AM. When I went to check the time at ~6 AM, it was deader than a rock. Tried 2 different charging cables and multiple outlets (my Ionic was a bit sensitive - didn’t like being on a tower charger with other cables plugged in (even without appliances). Could not revive it. In all fairness, at about 18 months it did last longer than any previous Fitbit (Charge HR @ less than a year -warranty; and Blaze at 13 months).
>
> Which leads me to another question: I have a Versa that I won in a team fitness contest @ work. I received the Versa in February 2019, but just took it out of the box a couple of weeks ago, when my Ionic bricked. Since you can tell when the Versa was activated, does my one year warranty start from “purchase” or from activation? If it’s from purchase, I would lose 7 - 8 months warranty while the Versa sat unopened in a drawer.
>
> Thanks,
> RickLoC53

Sent from my iPhone

[TDiringer]

I am having the same issue since the update. I bought mine over a year ago and far it's not under warranty anymore. I've tried cleaning it and even tried putting it in rice in case it was water damage, I shower with my watch on.  Is there anything else you recommend? 

[RickLoC53]

I am probably the wrong one to ask. I tried every button combination, multiple chargers and outlets, even threw it across the room a few times (admittedly last resort). It remained completely unresponsive. I wouldn’t think water exposure would cause it to brick - Ionic and Versa are supposed to be good to 50 meters and for swimming. Wearing it in the shower shouldn’t hurt it (that’s actually the only time I take mine off, along with charging of course).

This is where I think Fitbit gets it wrong. Up to a year, under warranty, their service is truly outstanding. After a year, their basic response is change the charger. They are not much help after a year. As other folks have mentioned, do you spend $200-300 for a Fitbit with the expectation it will last a year and anything else is gravy? That’s OK if comparable competitive devices have similar longevity. How long do Apple watches, Garmins, and Samsung (Android) watches last? Honestly, I don’t know. But I’ll check it out when my new Versa is over a year old.

Sent from my iPhone

[Iain_K]

Just to let those in this thread know that eventually after I whined and complained a lot here and elsewhere Fitbit did agreed to replace my out of warranty Ionic pebble.  I was at 14 months or more when my watch bricked on the update.   I dont understand morally / ethically  how Fitbit can give replacements to some users, but not others. 

Not sure its enough to save my relationship with Fitbit, but eventually they did the right thing by me.  Im not overly optimistic that the new one will last all that long, but lets wait and see.

At first they offered the discount to waste more money with them, but in the end they decided to send me a new one.  Maybe you can use this information for leverage? I hope this helps some of you.

[Ajesh]

I got my first one in Sep 2017. It died in march. After lengthy chats with Fitbit, they sent me a new one. 

This last update killed my Ionic. 

It pairs with my Android phone, then asks to enter the 4 digit number on the watch's screen. But the Ionic screen shows nothing.

I have tried multiple times to reset ( 3 buttons, 2 buttons ) It's been charging for days now.

I'm quite fed up with Fitbit.

[TracyWilkins]

Having seen a "few" of your posts on here, I have not yet initiated the update for my Ionic.  I have recently upgraded my phone, it comes with a Samsung Galaxy Active watch. I am awaiting delivery of that first to see how I get on with it before actually updating my Ionic.  I am literally days out of my warranty (14/10) and am not looking forward to the update but just in case it "bricks" it I already have an alternative as will not be going back to Fitbit.  I have been a loyal customer for over 6 years but looking at the comments and previous experience with their customer service, we shall see for how much longer.

[Ajesh]

Yup - that's it! Spoke with Fitbut support on chat.

Original watch - 18-Sep-2018. Died.

Replacement : 1-Jun-2019. Died after FW 4.0.2 update this past week

Warranty expired a few days ago.

Options provided: spend more money on Fitbit and get another Ionic at 25% discount. 

I think I'm done with Fitbit. What other options are there, people? 

[Debbiefit45]

Same thing happened to me today. It won’t respond at all. I’m so disappointed. I’ll not get another Fitbit; 2 years is too short a lifetime for an expensive watch.

[TracyWilkins]

As I said, I'm lucky to have a replacement on the way before I initiate the upgrade. Hoping to keep my ionic but not holding my breath.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone. Thanks for continue posting in this thread and welcome to our new members. I'm sorry for the delay.

@RickLoC53, thanks for trying the steps suggested above, as well for sharing more details about this situation. Since your Ionic is still unresponsive, please confirm if this started after the firmware. I'll also request a case on your behalf so our Support team can give you a hand via email.

About your other question, the warranty will cover our products from the purchase date. You can always check our warranty policies here for any other inquiry.

@TDiringer, thanks for troubleshooting your Ionic on your own. Since the issue persists, please try to thoroughly dry your device before charging it. Try a different USB port or a UL-certified wall charger, and then restart it with the steps described in this help article.

@Iain_K and @TracyWilkins, thanks for your feedback and I'm sorry for the experience that you've had with your Ionic. I totally understand where are you coming from since your devices should have worked correctly. Our team constantly works on our devices based on the comments posted in the Community, and I'm sure yours will not go unnoticed. Feel free to reply back if you have any question about your new Fitbit device, and for any warranty-related inquiry, you can check our Fitbit Limited Warranty.

@Ajesh, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I see your point of view about your Ionic's behavior after the firmware update and I'm sorry for this inconvenience that you've experienced. I was checking your details with our Support team and it seems that your case is now under review. They'll continue working with you via email, so keep an eye on your inbox. 

@Debbiefit45, thanks for sharing that your Ionic is having the same behavior. Just to confirm, did you have this issue after updating the latest firmware version? Also, have you tried the troubleshooting steps described in this help article? Please confirm these details as this will help me to continue working with you.

Keep me posted.

[Deninvic]

My relationship with Fitbit is definitely broken. I have had two devices, the surge and the ionic and not broke within two years. I would hope a device would last longer than that. I am not sure what caused my ionic to break. Just woke up in the morning and it was dead. Tried working with Fitbit support but nothing was able to bring it back to life.

[Debbiefit45]

Exact same problem here.

Sent from my iPhone

[Debbiefit45]

Yes it stopped operating after an update; and i did get it started again.

Sent from my iPhone

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Deninvic and @Debbiefit45, I'm glad to see you here again.

@Deninvic Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback about your Ionic and our Support team. I'm sorry that you went through this situation and appreciate your efforts while working on your watch. Our team receives every feedback posted in the Community as it helps us to improve our devices performance, and I'm your comments won't be taken for granted.

@Debbiefit45, thanks for getting back with the requested information. Since your Ionic is still not working correctly, I've requested a case on your behalf so our team can give you a hand. They'll send you an email with more details, keep an eye on your inbox.

I'll be around if you have more questions.