charging issues

[liz4cps]

It used to be when I charged my Fitbit One, there'd be a nice little animation when you clicked the button, showing the battery level going from 0 to the current level 2-3 times after you plugged it in.  That animation would show up each time I tapped the button to check the progress until the battery was full.  Now, it only shows that animation when I first plug it in.  Once the battery gets to maybe 3/4 full, it just shows the level without the animation, leaving me wondering.

Last time I charged it was only a day or so ago.  I had unplugged it when it was mostly full and no animation since the iOS app showed it was full and I figured it was close enough.  However, it's already showing only half full, so I thought maybe it wasn't and plugged it in again.  This time, the animation stopped but I left it plugged in until it showed mostly full and unplugged it.  I came here to research the issue, but didn't find anything.  I then plugged it back in.  I didn't get any animation again, and it showed almost full like before, but then about 5 minutes later, it shows it's completely full.

This is just weird and a little concerning.  I have reset it a few times but that didn't seem to help.  I also cleaned the contacts in both the cable and on the One.

So, why did the animations mostly stop?  And is the battery starting to die?

Thanks.

[SantiR]

@liz4cps I hope you're doing well! I have never heard of something like that. Very strange indeed. 

A battery indicator will appear when the Fitbit One is first plugged into the charging cable. You can hold down the tracker’s button while it is charging to see its current battery level. Are you doing that or are you just pressing the button once? 

Charging should take about an hour. Make sure to check these charging best practices to keep the battery healthy. Doing the opposite may affect the battery life. 

The battery on your One should last around 14 days before having to recharge. Of course, this depends on the use you give to the tracker. Options like all day syncing, alarms, tapping the display too much, syncing it too many times; may drain the battery faster. 

Keep me posted! 

[liz4cps]

I replied once before but it apparently didn't show up.

I decided to check how long I've had this Fitbit -- it's been since August 2014!  So I'd be surprised if the battery wasn't starting to wear out but it still holds a charge for a week or so, at least.  I don't usually push it too much.  I still wish the app would show the battery level with a little more precision.  The only time it didn't hold the charge long was when I unplugged it after the animation stopped but before it showed the level all the way to full.  I'm thinking it simply hadn't charged long enough that time.

I always just tap the button while it's charging; I've never held it down except when I'm trying to reset it.  However, simply tapping it used to show the little animation; now it shows the battery level without the animation, normally.  I just plugged it in to try this and it's pretty full as I recharged it two days ago.  When I plugged it in, it showed the battery level but not the animation.  Tapping it brings up the same picture, again without the animation.  If I push and hold the button down, it stays blank.  So, I'm not sure why you want me to hold it down.

As far as the charging tips are concerned:

• I don't leave it plugged in long after it shows it's charged.
• I do use the cable that came with the One.
• I don't use a wall charger at all; I plug it into my Mac.
• I have tried to use a USB battery pack but the pack would just turn off and the One didn't charge, so I don't do that any more.  It's probably well over a year since I've even tried and it was only within the last month or two that the animation stopped.
• I do charge at room temp.

I'm making a copy of hit post before I hit "Post" in case it doesn't work again!

Thanks.

[ShaiKingTroy]

You could try resetting you're Fitbit, by holding down the button for around 20 seconds

[SantiR]

@liz4cps Thanks for your reply! The battery level shown on your One's display when charging is the most accurate you can see. Is the One displaying the battery indicator on screen when its plugged in? Tell me, what do you see when you plug it in.

@ShaiKingTroy Thanks for your suggestion! 

Keep me posted! 

[liz4cps]

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@ShaiKingTroy wrote:

You could try resetting you're Fitbit, by holding down the button for around 20 seconds

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Good idea!  Unfortunately, it didn't make any difference.

[liz4cps]

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@SantiR wrote:

@liz4cps Thanks for your reply! The battery level shown on your One's display when charging is the most accurate you can see. Is the One displaying the battery indicator on screen when its plugged in? Tell me, what do you see when you plug it in.

Yeah, I know; I'd discussed this somewhere here before. I do see the battery level when it's plugged in but I wish the app would show something more than full, half full, and nearly empty.  For example, if the app showed full, 2/3rds full, 1/3rd full and nearly empty that would be a big help.  Too much of the time, it's on full very briefly, then on 1/2 full for days, and then suddenly on nearly empty.  So, I plug it in when it's half full and much of the time, it's not even half empty yet.  It would be helpful to have a little more info.

For now, I guess I'll just ignore this missing animation thing.

[ShaiKingTroy]

There is probably a problem with the battery. You can start a live chat with someone and discuss getting a new one for free

[SantiR]

@liz4cps Thanks for your reply! I recommend taking a look at this suggestion I found on the Feature Suggestions Board. I think it is asking something similar to yours! You can also create a new suggestion if that one is not the same. This is the best place to propose your ideas to Fitbit and its users.

See you around! 

[liz4cps]

@SantiR wrote:

@liz4cps Thanks for your reply! I recommend taking a look at this suggestion I found on the Feature Suggestions Board. I think it is asking something similar to yours! You can also create a new suggestion if that one is not the same. This is the best place to propose your ideas to Fitbit and its users.

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Yes, I'd forgotten about the suggestions forum, though I have been there and posted/voted before.  I see a lot of folks want to see the battery percent in the app.  I don't know if that's realistic but more precision in the app would be helpful.

Thanks!

[SantiR]

@liz4cps Thanks for your reply. Yes, the main suggestion has some votes now, a lot of users likes the idea. Not sure how realistic it could be, but it will be certainly helpful. We'll see what happens in the future! 

See you around!