Ionic stopped working

[notty22]

I believe the app upate for the IONIC that happened on or about 3/5/19 broke the Ionic's ability to hold a charge.  Like others, I have been unable to restart my IONIC after it went to zero charge.  When I called the help desk folks, the first thing she did was tell me to update my Fitbit app on my phone via the playstore (android).  And then we tried to change the watch face, ie: sync the phone.  It's unable to connect.  I believe the new update is Fitbit's attempt to correct their last update problem.  If you are lucky to enough to get the Fitbit to connect, you will likely be able to fix the issue by following this plan.  Because my device is dead and unable to sync, I'm out of luck.  I got the 40% discount offer, which I am not going to use. 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity and word choice.

[bmw54]

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@goldsm wrote:

I suspect something is happening that the product and support teams dont understand.

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After 16 months of frustration with my Ionic (and replacement Ionic) I came to suspect that there is no product support team.The Fitbit business model doesn't require customer support nor satisfaction.

[SunsetRunner]

@Jnutt05 @The case you provided what’s it for and who’s is it? I’d love to know more before calling and referencing it. 

[kwojcik]

Mine became a brick as well. I'm so upset right now. It worked fine all day yesterday until later in the night when I noticed that it wasn't turning on. I don't know if it's because of the update but I'm frustrated. Is there anything to do about this?

[DanSimp]

And I am allowed back on.  I bought a gear 3... no longer going to support fitbit with them ignoring this issue.

[Jnutt05]

It is for the ionic getting bricked by fitbit. 

[AndreaFitbit · Accepted solution]

Thanks for getting back to us. I apologize for the delayed response and will be glad to continue assisting you. 

I don't have any reports about latest Firmware update making devices go down until this thread. I will report this and let you know what the team tells me about it. 

If you´re experiencing battery issues and using a third party clock face, I would recommend changing your watch clock face to a Fitbit clock face. 

I really appreciate your patience and comments. See you around.

[SunsetRunner]

@AndreaFitbit so you are saying that all the reports from 26 pages long thread about latest firmware update were ignored? Just use "Search" option and you will find a number of reports that say latest update bricked devices for some people. Don't make it look as if it was something new because it shows how little Fitbit cares. The reports coming from frustrated users appeared shortly after release of the update. Just quick lookup results:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Any-news-about-the-next-firmware-update/m-p/3247934

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Bricked-Fitbit-Ionic/m-p/3153179

December 2018, a thread about OS update ( there are plenty of replies indicating bricking the device 😞

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Fitbit-OS-3-0-Ionic-Firmware-Release-27-33-1-30/m-p/3127200/hi...

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Fitbit-OS-3-0-Ionic-Firmware-Release-27-33-1-30/m-p/3126376/hi...

( see other related replies in this thread )

"I don't have any reports" only means to me, that this forum exists as a buffer separating Fitbit from angry customers and we may moan all we want here and nothing will get to the developers. I was expecting that closing that thread was nothing more like an attempt of shoving lots of dirt under the carpet. Seems like I wasn't wrong.

[SunsetRunner]

@AndreaFitbit  It’s irrelevant, I have. Watch face from Fitbit and still my Ionic is a brink. I ran the update last Thursday and the following morning my watch was dead and hasn’t worked ever since. 

I charge it and in the the app It shows that my watch is fully charged but the actual way h shows as 0% charging and only turns on when plugged in but won’t pass the charging stage.

This all occurred after running the update. 

[AndreaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back to us and for your comments @SunsetRunner and @SunsetRunner. I appreciate the information you have shared with us @SunsetRunner. 

@SunsetRunner, thank you for your information. If you're still experiencing issues, I recommend following a Factory reset: 

On your device, open the Settings app > About > Factory Reset or Clear User Data. Take into consideration that this will delete all your devices data. 

Thank you for visiting the forums. 

[Jnutt05]

Oh I love it.   Do a factory reset on a device that won't turn on. 

Please give us more wisdom. 

[KIMBERT34]

I have just had the same mine wont sync iv lost loads of steps since I have updated today. I'm gutted iv not had this one a year yet. No way will I be buying aanother one... 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Jnutt05 thanks for getting back. @KIMBERT34 welcome to the Fitbit Forums! Sorry for the delay.

@Jnutt05 and @KIMBERT34 I really appreciate the time you've taken to troubleshoot the issue with your Ionic. I noticed that you contacted our support team a couple of days ago about this issue. Would you like me to reopen your case so they can check with your the next step. @Jnutt05 Factory reset is the last steps that we suggest since there is not other option at this point.

Please keep me posted.

[Jnutt05]

Only if you have the intention of getting it replaced.

[Jnutt05]

i bought a new ionic with the 40% discount i was given for my out of warranty ionic and my BRAND NEW ionic just bricked like the old one.  I am absolutely expecting a replacement this time for being sold a faulty product.

[MR095Sic]

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@notty22 wrote:

I believe the app upate for the IONIC that happened on or about 3/5/19 broke the Ionic's ability to hold a charge.  Like others, I have been unable to restart my IONIC after it went to zero charge.  When I called the help desk folks, the first thing she did was tell me to update my Fitbit app on my phone via the playstore (android).  And then we tried to change the watch face, ie: sync the phone.  It's unable to connect.  I believe the new update is Fitbit's attempt to correct their last update problem.  If you are lucky to enough to get the Fitbit to connect, you will likely be able to fix the issue by following this plan.  Because my device is dead and unable to sync, I'm out of luck.  I got the 40% discount offer, which I am not going to use. 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity and word choice.

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Wow. Their support team is so tone deaf to issues with the Ionic.

I just had a  syncing issue with the app, contacted Fitbit support, got halfhearted, useless ‘troubleshooting’ advice, and then was offered a 40% discount on purchasing a New Ionic because my Ionic is out of warranty. No real solutions were offered.

I have come to believe that, when you purchase a Fitbit watch, you basically need to know you are spending money on a watch that in less than a year will stop working.  They will send you a new tracker, but that one will also stop working in less than a year, and then you are out of luck! Great business model, Fitbit!!!

My favorite part of this whole thread is that the support person that keeps appearing from time to time continues offering completely useless advice that offers no real solution to the problem and then marks the issue as solved! This is like a metaphor for their whole customer support model. Fitbit will not survive long if this is how they treat their customers.