Charge 2 screen flashing after not being used for two weeks.

[GreginJaxFL]

Got my new Series 2 black stainless Apple Watch a few weeks ago and put my CH2 that I have been using in the drawer.

Today I get it out and of course the battery is dead as there is no way to turn it off. When I put it on the charger the entire screen, all pixels flash on and off with a quick weak vibrate at the same time. Even holding the button down while on the charger does nothing to get it to stop.

This is my 4th defective Fitbit device and I tired of dealing with support. They take forever to reply and when they do you get some canned message that has nothing to do with what you asked.

Looks like the Apple Watch will continue to get the wrist and the CH2 hit the garbage.

[John917]

If you want to call Fitbit, the wait times are generally short and the customer service  is U.S. based.  The phone number is 877-623-4997.  It says M-S (I presume Monday through Saturday) 4 am to 9 pm Pacific Time.

[GreginJaxFL]

Sorry but I no longer wish to have another. Looking for a long term device where I can build up some long term data and Fitbit has let me down too many times.

[MarreFitbit · Accepted solution]

I'm very sorry to hear about this @GreginJaxFL, don't give up yet my friend! What would do in this case is a restart... would you mind trying it at least 3 times in a row?

1. Plug the charging cable into the USB port on your computer or any UL-certified USB wall charger.
2. Clip the other end of the charging cable to the port on the back of the tracker. The pins on the charging cable must lock securely with the port.
3. Make sure the button on your tracker is aligned with the button opening on the charging cable. You’ll know the connection is secure when the tracker vibrates and you see a battery icon on your tracker’s display. Your Charge 2 will begin charging.
4. Press and hold the button on your tracker for four seconds. When you see the Fitbit logo and the tracker vibrates, this means the tracker has restarted.
5. Unplug your tracker from the charging cable.

Thanks for offering a hand @John917, how you doing?

Cheers up! 

[Rich_Laue]

I would try the phone charger, and a restart in an hour or two. I.have found with a dead tracker, even if it only has been 3 hours, it might take 3-6 hours of charging before it will work.

[talltexan58]

I'm having the same issue.  I took my fitbit charge 2 on vacation but forgot the dongle.  When I returned the fitbit was completely dead.  I hooked it up to a charging port making sure the pins were aligned and complete screen flashed 10 times vibrating weekly each time it flashed. The battery icon never showed.  I attempted this several times with the same result.  Even left it overnight to see if it need to charge to a minimum level before displaying information but that did not work either.  Any suggestions or should I return it?

[MarreFitbit]

Thanks for stopping by @talltexan58! Did you try the restart I recommend here? If so, but it didn't work for you, please reach out our Support Team so they can do a deeper investigation and see where the issue is coming from. Just don't forget to mention the steps you've done so far to avoid getting the same ones. 

Fingers crossed! 

[talltexan58]

I went back yesterdat and did the steps again just to make sure nothing was
missed. I attached the cable 3 times "in a row" on the 3rd attempt the
battery symbol displayed and it began to charge! Took about 2 hours to
fully charge. Thanks for your assistance

[MarreFitbit]

Amazing news @talltexan58! I'm glad to hear you're back! 

Hope to see you participating in the Community more often since I think it would be awesome for you to explore our Community, so you can go ahead and log to any of the topics that might be of your interest in our Discussion boards. Feel free to comment and contribute with your knowledge and experience.

Happy stepping!

[Swati0107]

I had the same problem. This is what I did.

Plugged the charging cable. Pressed the power button for 4 seconds. Unplugged the cable.

Followed the above steps couple of time till the battery icon displayed. It could take three or more turns. 

[VCMommyto3]

I had my Charge 2 on the dresser charging for about a month because I would run out the door and forget about it.  When I finally went to put it on this morning (new month - new goals!), the screen was blank.  I removed it from the charger and it was completely dead.  When I put it back on the charger, it did the same thing - the entire screen glowed white and flashed on and off ten times with a weak vibration each time.  I just purchased this at the end of October - please don't tell me this is a frequent occurence and a waste of my money!  Has your Charge 2 come back to life, talltexan58?

[Rich_Laue]

Any lithium battery does not like being discharged, i find that if my tracker goes dead it might need a few hours of charging before it is usable. Also since it was dead, and there not being a start switch, it might not have turned on correctly. Did you try the restart procedure posted in the accepted solution? 

[talltexan58]

It has, the fix is easy just follow instructions in the post. Important
not to let the watch drain completely to keep from happening again.

[Yes123]

Seems like a design flaw with the Charge2.  My older Fitbit One has enough intelligence to turn off before a complete discharge.  I'm wondering why the Charge2 wasn't designed this way?

[Rich_Laue]

@Yes123 all my Fi5bits shutdown before the battery goes dead. 

[Rich_Laue]

@Yes123 all my Fi5bits shutdown before the battery goes dead.  The probl3m comes when th3 trqcker hasn't bee tou c hed or charged for a few weeks. Th3 trqcker tu4ns off wh3n tge battery ge5s low, im not su43 of 5h3 point, lets say 5%. Unfortunately for the lithium battery this is way below the 30% minimum that the battery  likes.3 weeks at 0+ will kill a battery. 

[FlanPat]

Same problem here! Got the fitbit charger 2 for Christmas and couldn't get it to turn on or charge. Followed the suggested steps and after several unplugging attempts it finally showed the battery icon. My first place to look for a solution was on the fitbit Troubleshooter page. Nothing is mentioned there! Sure seems to me if this is a major problem with this watch it should be listed there. OR, maybe fitbit would not want the consumer to know there is a defective problem with this watch? Most people wouldn't know to check a forum page for solutions. Honesty is the best policy!!!

[Beezy1978]

How funny!

when anything goes wrong for me, forums are the first place I go! Haha

take care have a good day♥️

[ilias010]

I had the same problem, with the flashing screen after not using my tracker for 1 month. The problem was solved using those steps but only after my sixth or seventh try. I guess 3 tries are not enough...

[kizzy16]

Same thing happened to me...followed instructions - needed to do it about 10 times, finally got the fitbit logo.