Charge 3 display has frozen

[Trish22]

My screen is 'hung' on "Screen Wake" and "Notifications."  I cannot  seem to swipe the screen fact to any other screen, not time, or steps or anything.  Any tips?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[MarreFitbit]

Hey there @Trish22, thanks for stopping by! Sorry to hear that the display on your Charge 3 has frozen. In order to sort this out, I'd recommend restarting your tracker by following these steps:

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. 
4. Press and hold the button on your tracker for 8 seconds. When you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the tracker restarted.
5. Unplug your tracker from the charging cable.

Give this a shot and let me know the outcome! 

[sanman202]

Mine froze up this morning. That's great when you don't have the charger with you. ☹️ Why should ii need it with 80% battery going to work? So now all day I have a useless device. You guys really need to get things squared away there. Bluetooth issues as well with staying connected since I've had it. Not a very good launch. New devices always have bugs but this is not good. I may return this to Best Buy soon. You guys seem clueless on most of the issues presented. It's too bad because this really could be a great device. 

[DavideFitbit]

Hello @sanman202, thank you for sharing what you've been experiencing as well, I'm sorry to see that you had the same inconvenience with the screen of Charge 3 being frozen. Could you please confirm if you've already tried the restart process, and if you continued to have the same issue afterwards? We've seen this has helped other users; as you mentioned as well, it certainly shouldn't be happening on a daily basis. 

Regarding the Bluetooth issues you mentioned, could you please provide mode details? Are you currently using a compatible device to sync your Charge 3? Also make sure you've followed all the steps listed here to resolve syncing issues and that you meet all the necessary requirements. 

I hope this helps, keep me posted. 

[cyndyd16]

I just experienced the same exact issue. My charge 3 is stuck on a notification screen and I am unable to restart, charge (it doesn't show battery charging), I tried to change the clock on my app like other users have said and my app isn't showing that my fitbit is linked to bluetooth.  It's been working fine for two weeks with multiple charges but now this.. very frustrating!

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, thank you for your comments @cyndyd16, and welcome to the Community. 

I'm sorry to see that you've experienced the same inconvenience with the display; thank you for confirming that you already tried the restart process. I've gone ahead and sent your information to the Customer Support team for further assistance with this, you should be getting a reply soon. 

Keep us posted on the outcome. 

[SDadi]

My charge 3 faced same fate and this workaround worked!

[MarreFitbit]

Great news @SDadi! We're glad to hear that your Charge 3 is back on track after restarting it as suggested above. 

Hope to see you participating in the Community more often since I think it would be awesome for you to explore our Community. 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.

[SMM37]

I got mine as a gift. I used it 8 days. On the 7th it stopped detecting stairs.  Then on the 8th day it froze. I could not get it out of the notification screen. I saw the fix here and attempted a restart. I wound up with a line across my screen for many minutes. T reconnected and did the restart again and happily saw the happy face symbol. Now it is detecting stairs again and it is not frozen. 

[DavideFitbit]

That's great news @SMM37, thank you for sharing here the steps that you've taken, it's good to know your device is not detecting stairs and it's not frozen. 

[Nancer27]

My Charge 3 within 1 day of operation also froze on the Settings menu and would not move off despite the suggested work-around.  Fitbit replaced the device and the second one, after 2 weeks, has now defaulted to Fitbit error code 001 and will not move off of the error despite all suggested resets and work-arounds.  Beginning to think that the Charge 3 is a pile of ... faulty programming.  I could say what I truly think but the moderator would not allow that message to be posted.  

[DavideFitbit]

Hello @Nancer27, it's good to see you around in the Community forums. I'm sorry to see what you've experienced with the Charge displaying error code 001.

I've seen other users who have seen this same error message on the display, and it's usually resolved by just performing a restart. However, you mentioned that you already tried the suggested troubleshooting steps, and while sending your information to the Customer Support team I've been informed that you already have a case created with them and they're providing you with assistance. You should be getting a reply soon. 

Keep us posted. 

[SMM37]

I don’t have that problem. I believe someone responding to my post did. My only issue at this point is that it does not accurately record when I go upstairs. I try moving my arms but it doesn’t make a difference. I am wondering if going up more slowly helps.

Sent from my iPad

[Nancer27]

Hello DavideFitbit,

As I mentioned in my post, this is my second Charge 3 that has frozen, whether on the settings menu page or on Error Code 001.  The Customer Support team at Fitbit is replacing my second Charge 3 device so I wait for yet another 2 weeks to see if the next Charge 3 device that is sent to me will also fall prey to a fault that causes the device to freeze and die.  Crossing fingers that the next one will be more robust.

In the meantime, I have also been informed by the Fitbit Customer Support team that my warrantee on the Charge 3 devices that they send me, started from the purchase date of the original Charge 3 device and continues to run despite the fact that I have had only about two weeks of a working Charge 3 device since I purchased the initial device in early November 2019.  I also know (from my Charge 2 device experience) that once the 1 year warrantee period expires, I will be crap out of luck in terms of replacement (even if the device dies because of a Fitbit software update that precipitates the failure of the device). 

Given all of the problems that I have experienced with the Charge 3 device, Fitbit's warrantee policy is unreasonable.  The 1 year warrantee should extend from the date of receipt of each new replacement device. 

Regards,

Nancer27

[Nancer27]

Sorry - purchase was November 2018.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi @SMM37, thank you for this information, I saw you mentioned earlier that your device was detecting stairs again and was no longer frozen. Could you please confirm if you're still having trouble with this? Also, have you noticed by any chance if the problem with floors not being recorded happens after the Charge 3 is submerged in water? Make sure to try the restart process as well, this has been useful to other users. 

Thank you for the comments @Nancer27, as you've mentioned, the warranty period will start from the date of purchase. All feedback from users is always useful to continue improving products and services. 

[SMM37]

Hi:
Mine has never been submerged in water. Sometimes it detects stairs and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a full set of stairs in my home. I use them multiple times a day and it’s hit or miss. I’ve tried going up more slowly.
Otherwise, it’s been working fine.
Smm-37

Sent from my iPad

[Nancer27]

By the way, I find Fitbit's stock correspondence in sending out my replacement device to be completely inappropriate and infuriating  ... "Your Fitbit order is in the mail.   Are you smiling? You're totally smiling."   NO, I AM NOT SMILING.  Couldn't be further from smiling.  I need to take up kick-boxing or a martial art so that I can blow off my not smiling feelings in a socially acceptable and physically beneficial way.     
 
 

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for the reply @SMM37, the Charge 3 will detect floors using an altimeter, and it calculates altitude based on atmospheric pressure, your device registers one floor when you climb about 10 feet at one time, and it does not register floors when you go down.

Since your device uses changes in barometric pressure to detect elevation change, it requires that you physically change elevation in order to properly record floors. Please confirm if your device is counting floors correctly taking this information into account. If you're still having trouble, let us know how the device is performing after the restart process mentioned earlier. 

Thank you for this feedback @Nancer27, certainly these messages are sent automatically to all users regardless of their current situation with the device or case details, but it's a good suggestion to take into account, thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts on this. 

I hope this helps. 

[SMM37]

My Fitbit does not detect my stairs in my house most of the time. It is a normal set of stairs from my lower floor to my upper floor with 2 steps a small landing then 11 more. I would say it is detected 1/4 of the time. I’ve also had this problem in the basement. I tried going up slower and waving my arm but it makes no difference.

Sent from my iPad