Charge 3 Not Working

[Bm003]

Since Sunday I've been experiencing a ton of issues with my charge 3:

• On Sunday the screen on my charge 3 froze randomly so I decided to charge it to see if it would help - it did and it started charging fine. It charged to about 80% so I took it off the charger and after about half an hour it stopped working completely. None of the buttons worked and charging it didn't do anything. I tried to restart it by holding down the side button but it didn't do anything no matter how long I held the button down for. I left it for about 24 hours and then attempted to charge it again:
• (Monday) I plugged it in and it vibrated, and when I pressed the side button the watch vibrated too but the screen was still black. However if I swiped on the watch and clicked randomly it would vibrate every now and then, so it seemed as though the watch was still working and interactive but the screen just wasn't working. Once again I tried reseting it by holding down the side button but the screen still didn't turn on.
• I left it until today (Tuesday), when I realised my watch had died and the side button didn't vibrate when pressed so I plugged it into the charger and suddenly the screen came on, however it said the watch was on 1% so I decided to leave it in the charger. However, even after half an hour it was still on 1%. I attempted to restart it by holding down the side button until the screen went black and a smiley face appeared but it didn't help and it was still stuck on 1%. I cleaned the charger and the back of my watch but nothing, I tried to charge it from my laptop and then from another wall socket and still nothing until it randomly jumped to 100%. I thought maybe it was charging all along but the percentage number was stuck on 1 for some reason, however after wearing the watch for literally about 30 seconds it died so I plugged it back in only for the exact same thing to happen - jumped to 100% but died seconds later. This cycle of jumping to 100% and dying has now been going on for about 3 hours.

I really don't know what to do about this, it feels like I've tried every solution but nothing works. I've never had any issues with my Fitbit (I've had it for about 2 years and 8 months) so I don't know why it has randomly stopped working.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙂

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

Hello @Bm003 

First and foremost your post was very detailed and I can admire all the troubleshooting tips you attempted to fix the issue on your own. You have performed all the standard troubleshooting advice but what sticks out to me was the age of your Charge 3. You stated it was 2 years 8 months old. The average lifespan of a Charge 3 is about 2 years (according to multiple articles I can find across the internet). I’m wondering if your watch is at this point I’m afraid. 

You can try changing your clock face going through the Fitbit App but I’m afraid that may not resolve the issue either but I guess it’s certainly worth a shot. Look here to see how: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2311.htm

I understand this may not be the response you were looking for but I do hope it does provide you with the best answer I can provide to your particular issue. 

[Bm003]

Thank you for your reply, I was hoping maybe there was something more I could do but after reading some other posts I can see other people tend to have similar issues after about a year or two. Kind of a shame since they cost so much but don't seem to last too long. I tried to change the clock face but unfortunately it didn't help. I guess this is the end of my charge 3.

Thank you for your help.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi there, @Bm003. @SunsetRunner Thanks for your amazing help!

@Bm003 I've moved your post to the Other Charge Trackers board so you can receive related responses. Thanks for the detailed information and the time taken in troubleshooting your tracker. I also appreciate your feedback, and I'm sorry you've had this experience. Our team constantly works to improve our devices, and the input we receive from our members is a big part of the process.

About your Charge 3, I went ahead to check your details and I noticed you already contacted our Support team. Because they have access to your details, let me recommend keeping an open communication in order to receive further assistance from them.

[catevans79]

Hi - this happened to my charge 2 as well - it feels they only have a shelf life of 2 - 3 years which really isn't good enough. My charge 3 has just started doing what yours is so I am sure it will stop totally soon. I was offered a discount on buying a new one last time, but not on the latest model. Not sure if it is worth buying again if it is just going to do this again in a couple of years. 

[LizzyFitbit]

Welcome to the forums, @catevans79.

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback about this situation. I understand your concern and I'm sorry you've had this experience with your trackers. Our team constantly works to improve our devices and the input we receive from our members is a big part of the process. If by any chance you want to take advantage of that discount or you have more questions about it, I'd suggest contacting our Support team so they can provide you with more information.

[Tillmint]

Just happened to me also.

fit bit team - your reply isn’t good enough. Where are your sustainability ethics - ignoring the obvious value for money issue. You are stating that  we should only expect a charge 3 to last 2 years and then we throw it away and replace with a new one? Not good enough .

I would suggest that the fitbit team should be working to improve product durability. I’ll be switching to a better provider now 

[willjoe]

For Charge 3—press and hold the button on your tracker for 8 seconds. Release the button. When you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the tracker restarted.

Regards,

Will

[Subhashg]

Similar issue is with Fitbit charge. It has stopped charging exactly as mentioned in above question .My Fitbit 3 is  nearly 1years 8 months old.About two days back ,my steps count was around 12000 steps. After I removed my Fitbit charge3,it was showing 8% charge .it went upto 14% .However immediately it went down to 3%. I kept charging for sometime.On next day ,it was totally dead. Now there is no vibration while pressing side button. My question is 

1.Is there a battery in charge 3 which needs replacement.

2.As stated in above question ,life of Fitbit is 2 to 3 years at the most,which is very less.

3. Can my Fitbit charge 3 be repaired .

I would like to hear answers to my questions from any one from company OR Fitbit community.

Subhash Gandhi

New Delhi,India

[Chrissy1959]

Hi I have a charger 3 I brought it just over 2 years ago. It worked perfect at first but then it started playing up the screen is blank and it doesn’t make any noises I’ve tried charging it but nothing works does this mean  it can’t be repaired or can it thankyou