Cannot connect Charge 2 with the app

[Fox554788222]

I'm having problems connecting charge2. Installed the app, but cannot connect the watch. The app is only showing some default calories for the day. Cannot find the version of the app anywhere. On top of that, wrong language version installed by microsoft shop. Win10. Bluetooth pairing works, the app just doesn't see the watch.

Ok, reluctantly decided to use the phone instead. After numerous logins and verifications the app is installed. Looks too simple though, compared to the one I used years ago. That was with friend's phone because it wouldn't install on my old phone so I don't have access to that anymore. Here, pairing works fine, but it tells me the app is needed to use the watch. But I have the app! Showing me 523 default calories for this day. I pull the screen down and it's showing "refreshing". However, it is not connecting to watch, which is still showing time 11 hours off and October. I made some changes to my profile this morning and they show correctly on my account. Set up the device doesn't find my device, which is on and on my wrist. I did the pairing and bluetooth on/off couple of times but no luck.

Went to play store to check the app again but it's telling me it is already installed. I am running Samsung with Android 11.

What else could I try before trashing this watch?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity. 

[petitmiam · Accepted solution]

Is it within a year from purchase?  If you contact support you may be eligible for a replacement.  Regardless I’d contact support and they can talk you through some things.  Also apparently they offer 25% off a new device if yours is bricked and out of warranty.

Doesn’t seem like you’ve tried a whole lot to try and resolve the issue.   I’d try deleting and reinstalling the app at a minimum.  Also turn off Bluetooth and turn back on.  Reset your phone, usually done by holding two buttons together, on my iPhone it’s home and power buttons, on my android tablet it’s power and volume down buttons.  I understand you were trying to connect on your PC.  Did you have the Fitbit dongle plugged in?  I think that’s what it’s called, the tiny little USB plug in thing that came in the packet with your Fitbit. It’s required to connect I believe, unless maybe you have Bluetooth on your PC.

It doesn’t say if you’ve done a reset at all.  You can reset by plugging into the charger, then pressing and holding the button for about 6 seconds until Fitbit logo and version number appears.  That’s a soft reset which may solve some issues.  The other thing you can try is a hard reset, which will delete all unsynched data, but you probably don’t care about that at this point.  I thought a soft reset would wipe my data (it doesn’t) but I still tried it.  My issue is different, battery not charging, so I don’t have enough power to do a hard reset.  It’s pretty complicated.  Here’s the method:

Reset Charge 2 

You’re looking for the reset that involves plugging it in, holding button for two seconds then unplugging and continuing to hold for eight seconds.  It ends with saying “erase” then you release button and reset is done.  Scroll to the bottom of the link I gave above.  Actually it says how to do both resets, always try soft reboot first, as that won’t delete your data.  Then again if you haven’t been able to synch for that long, it’ll only have a week or so of data stored on the device anyway.

[Fox554788222]

Yes, got it! Thanks for your advice petitmiam. After soft reset I was able to connect it to laptop and it works as intended!

With the telephone no luck, reinstalled the app, I can pair the devices but it still says: "An app is needed to use this device". 😆 That's nuts. Anyway, I'll have to manage without the phone. I don't know about a dongle, there was no dongle delivered with this watch. Warranty has gone out long time ago (10 years at least) already...

[Fox554788222]

Now it works with the phone too!! Ready to go and log the data 😁

[AndreaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @Fox554788222 and thank you for your assistance @petitmiam. 

I´m glad that you were able to connect your Charge 2 and that is working with the phone too @Fox554788222.

I'd like to invite you to visit our Discussions board where you can share your experiences, meet people and create new topics.

Keep on visiting the forums. 

[petitmiam]

Glad to hear my advice helped a little.

Yep I thought your warranty was probably out. I put that comment there for the benefit of others like me trawling these forums for help.

Unfortunately mine is well out of warranty too, and I can’t seem to fix my issue of a empty battery indicator, then black screen, when PC and device itself said the battery was full seconds earlier. Hard reboot is not working. Seems advice on the internet is off. There is not really a hard reboot (factory reset) option for the Charge 2. Factory reset is apparently achieved by removing the device from your account. I presume the device is showing on your account, as you say it’s working on the computer. Perhaps you could remove it from your account so it does a factory reset, and then try attaching to your phone. Or maybe your phone is too old too? Although my phone is 6 years old and it works fine, well after battery replacement anyway.

Jody

Sent from my iPhone

[petitmiam]

Oh, I just saw it’s working with your phone now.  Yay!  Glad to hear my advice helped.

 I’ve been using Fitbit for quite some years now, so I think I’ve had a lot go wrong that I’ve had to resolve, even though I’m not graded so high on these forums as I don’t come here a lot.  I also like to pull things apart to see how they work, so I learn a lot that way.  I upgraded the hard drives in both my PlayStation and my TiVo on my own, as well as RAM in my computer.  I’ve also just started an IT course, so I expect my knowledge will only increase.

PS Now you’ve inspired me to post about my issue with my Fitbit.  Hopefully I can get some resolution here that doesn’t involve buying a new device I can’t afford.