Charge 2 battery draining in 5 minutes

[sjlabrie]

My 18 months old Charge 2 tracker was fantastic with a battery life of 4-5 days. But recently after charging it, it would not last more than 5-10 minutes  - indeed not very useful. I restarted it, plugged it in a wall outlet, plugged it in my computer, let it charge overnight and nothing worked. I contacted support and, after verifying my account, they told me that the battery was draining unexpectedly fast - well 4-5 minutes I would qualify that unexpectedly extremely fast. They told me that I was not lucky, that I picked a bad apple, that the only thing they can do is to offer me a discount on my next purchase. Is it only me but 200$ each 18 months is a little bit pricy !  

Any other user experiencing the same problem, is there anything else to do ? 

Thank you for your help. 

[bmor65]

I'm having the same problem - mine is just under 18 ms old.  It looks like it is charging and at a full charge but then within 2 minutes it is dead again.  I got the offer of 25% off of a new one...but if they are not going to last any longer than just over the warranty period, then I'm not sure I can keep spending money on them. I'm going to explore other options...which I hate to do because I talked multiple friends and family into purchasing Fitbit products so we can do the challenges. 

[MarreFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @sjlabrie and @bmor65! Sorry to hear about the battery inconveniences you've been having with the Charge 2.

We don't want to create frustration in our customers. Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on that feedback.

The warranty in most of the regions is only for 365 days. (In Europe due to the law, is extended for 2 years). This mean that your tracker will be cover for a full year and in this period of time you can received any replacement is require in case of a defect. But this warranty does not apply to that new tracker extending the time. The period of warranty would be only applicable on your original purchase until the 365 days have expired.

Also, if you received a replacement within the warranty (365 days) it does not mean it won't be valid after this. So, if your tracker fails again and your tracker still is between the time of the original warranty, you might be eligible for a replacement based on the resolution of our Support Team, this apply until the stipulated time of the warranty has expired.

In regards to the 25% discount option as per our Warranty Policies please know that this is the best option to help you get back on track with the Fitbit family and I'm sure our Customer Support team will be more than glad to help you further with this. I understand you've invested in the Fitbit Family; however, we as any other company have policies to follow through.  While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently.   

If there any questions present, please let me know and I'll be glad to help. 

[sjlabrie]

Exact same situation... 25% off is nice, but I am not sure I want to spend this money each 18 months... That is a deception for me... 

[Cr17]

Mine is 16 months old, same thing and they wont stand behind it, tell me 365 days, but offer a discount on a new one. I'll go galaxy instead

[Treebles]

Mine has died after two years and three months.  Gutted. Can't afford a new one. Bye bye fitbit Community 😭

[schmooopiee]

My charge 2 is less then 2 years old as well.  The battery is dying in one day and it won't sync to my phone.  After reading this thread, I'm not sure I will invest in a new fit bit if they die in less than 2 years!

[sjlabrie]

I bought the Garmin Forerunner 35 and I am more than happy with it. 

[Pederson141]

Mine does the same exact thing it is 14 months and was offered the 25% off. So disappointed in Fitbit, can't see purchasing a new one to have it last right over the year. Sure do not get your moneys worth from Fitbit.

[Kkarn_99]

Mine is doing the same thing. It goes from 100% charged to dead within 5 minutes and it only 17 months old. If I need to purchase a new Fitbit every year and a half, this does not work for my budget. Very disappointed and will be purchasing Garmin or another brand shortly to replace my Fitbit. 

[DebbieM19]

Just like the representative I dealt with online, not helpful at all. Not only does my battery die in a few minutes, I had my screen crack right after the 365 days were up. I will be researching other options when I buy another fitness tracker. This is my second Fitbit. The first one lasted less than two years. Can’t keep replacing ever 18 to 24 months 

[DimMi]

Unfortunately, I have exactly the same problem. One day my charge 2 battery drained down in a few minutes. After this, it was charged really fast (less than 15 minutes) and its battery empty again in a few minutes. Is it a battery problem?? Should I change the battery of the tracker?

[Obsidian203]

I’m on hold now trying to determine if they fix these devices or if the Charge 3 is the dimensions as I have several Charge 2 wristbands that I purchased.  Mine is constantly scanning for a heart rate versus going dormant without movement as it has always worked. The fact that I have to hold in this faux cue forever suggests to me that Fitbit doesn’t support its products so perhaps I need to not put good money after bad.

[Cr17]

I don't think the batteries are changeable. Fit but did nothing for me. Now I wear a galaxy watch and love it.

Get Outlook for Android

[SunsetRunner]

I have had the Charge-2 for over two years, whilst on holiday recently I could not recharge the battery and now find the tracker has died completely.

– Why is there no option to switch the tracker off ? –

Clipping it into the charger produces the reboot screen and very soon after battery full.  Removing the charge, no display after only 2-3 minutes.

It is possible, but very difficult and quite pricey to replace the battery, the problem is, one wonders how long Fitbit will support this device, is it worth the expense?

With nothing to lose, I tried a possible ‘fix’ which is to freeze the unit for 24-hours.  There are several examples of this on the Internet.  This may not be a safe option, so be wary, but I sealed the Charge-2 in a plastic bag and left it mid-shelf in our domestic freezer.  I unwrapped it and warmed it slowly in the sunshine.  I put it on charge for four hours or so, then turned off the charger.

The next morning it still had 91% charge and I wore it all day leaving 88% charge, I use two buzzing alarms each day, plus notifications and so far the battery looks to be back to ‘normal’ again.

I will return in a couple of weeks with a longer-term results.  But this seems to have worked, it must be better than simply throwing the Charge-2 away.

[SunsetRunner]

Sadly this fix (freezer for 24-hours) did not last.  I also noticed that the charger probes had cut through and damaged the two pads on the back of the FitBit and repaired these as well, however I am back to no battery duration at all.

So I will be looking to replace the tracker with something that lasts at least a little longer than this.  I’m hoping for a better return than £5 a month.  (£120 / 24 months)

[SunsetRunner]

My Charge 2 just stopped being able to charge.  It was a replacement for a defective product.  Initial experience was frustrating, but eventually worked.  Been using it off and on and now it is not working again.  I found it useful and motivating to get moving.  I am doing some trouble shooting that seems promising.  Hopefully it works.  Good luck!

[Tamsam3]

I am having the same issue with my charge 2. Battery is not holding the charge for one day! It will be three years old next month. I was looking to upgrade to the Charge 3, they offer a service for three years, but if it is going to die within three years not worth it. 

I had to reset it everyday. Could not track challenges or sleep. Now it will not charge at all. What other options have others moved on to?

[Neverlyn]

I have a Charge 2 that recently stopped charging after a firmware update; dies after 5 min. Looking at some other threads this seems to be a bit of a common issue; one thread went on for 35+ pages... If your device stopped just after an update I recommend contacting support even if it's a little out of warranty. I was pleasantly surprised by their willingness to keep me as a customer.

Separate to the issue of warranty; if you like swimming I can highly recommend upgrading to Charge 3. Been pleasantly surprised with how well it tracks my laps/lengths. (I also like the higher-res screen.)

[GeorgeAb]

Mine is doing the same thing, I'm going purchase a tracker from a company called Wyze. I believe their tracker is called  "Band' around $24, if you have any of their other product they are controlled from the Band also. Check them out at Wyze,com