Charge 3 is completely unresponsive

[Charlie432]

My Charge 3 began rapidly vibrating on my wrist late this afternoon. During the evening, it began vibrating constantly for a few seconds at a time.

It is now completely unresponsive.

I have tried plugging it into the charging cradle (both in my PC and in a USB charging plug) and holding the side button for 8 seconds. The Charge 3 does not respond to being plugged into the cradle, or to the button being held.

I have tried changing the clock face from the Fitbit mobile app, as has been suggested on some forums. This did not work, as the Charge 3 is dead and has not synced for 4+ hours. 

I have looked at various Community posts and none of the solutions there have fixed the error. I would like this to be solved as soon as possible.

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[Charlie432]

UPDATE: I took the Charge 3 off last night before going to bed. At approximately 11:30pm, it began a constant vibration that lasted for between 30-60 seconds. This was so loud that it caused me to wake up and remove the Charge 3 to a different room so I could sleep. As of 6am today, it is still completely unresponsive, as in my initial post. 

[WilsonFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hello @Charlie432. Welcome to the community forums. 

I'm sorry for the experience and thank you for the detailed information and for the troubleshooting steps you've tried. At this time, I'd recommend performing a long restart to your Charge 3. A long restart is different than the basic restart and you can complete the process by following the instructions below: 

1. Connect the device to the charging cable. 
2. While the device is plugged into the charging cable, press and hold the button down for 15 seconds. 
3. The device turns on and shows a battery icon. Two vibrations occur: first a short vibration, then a medium vibration. 
4. The device turns off.
5. The device turns on and shows a progress bar and short vibrations occur. The progress bar completes. Note: A total of 7 short vibrations occur. 
6. Remove the device from the charging cable. The device shuts down.
7. Important: Plug the device into the charging cable again.

If that doesn't work, my best recommendation is that you please reach out to our Support Team for further assistance. Note that you can contact them through chat or over the phone and you can click here to get connected. 

Please make sure to explain the inconvenience and mention the troubleshooting steps you've followed, this way they can assist you from there. 

See you around. 

[Charlie432]

Thank you, Wilson. I have tried the long restart and the Charge 3 is now stuck on the smiley face icon. I will get in touch with the support team. 

[WilsonFitbit]

@Charlie432 It's been a pleasure. 

Thank you for following the suggested tips and for the details. I was able to see that you have reached out to our Support Team and they have provided a resolution for you. If you still have questions or inquiries about the outcome of your case, I recommend replying back to your case and they will continue assisting you. 

See you around. 

[Cnaples79]

Mine has not synced since yesterday morning aroung 1130 and has gone completely blank.  None of the resolution solutions have worked.

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @Cnaples79. Welcome to the community forums!

Thank you for the detailed information and for following the suggested tips. Since the inconvenience with the screen persists, my best recommendation is that you please reach out to our Support Team for further assistance. Note that you can explain the inconvenience with the screen, including the syncing issue, this way they can assist you from there and give a prompt resolution. 

Note that you can contact them through chat or over the phone and you can also mention the steps you've followed. 

See you around. 

[Purpleq]

Hello,

I’ve had the exact problem with my charge 3. I did all the trouble shooting. I got the smiley face for a couple seconds and it disappeared. Charge 3 is still completely dead! The moderator said you have a resolution from contacting customer support.  Did you get it working? What did you do? If it didn’t start working what did Fitbit do for you?  Thank you.

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @Purpleq. Welcome to the community forums. 

Thank you for the detailed information and for following the suggested troubleshooting steps. At this time, I've noticed that you have reached out to our Support Team and they have provided information and assistance. If you still have questions or inquiries about the outcome of your case, I recommend replying back to them and they will be glad to continue assisting you. 

On a side note, please note that replacement devices are provided for products that are within the warranty period. If your original Charge 3 is no longer under warranty a discount could be an available option. For more information about our warranty policy, I recommend visiting the following link: https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/legal/returns-and-warranty. 

See you around. 

[Robyng50]

I've got a similar problem to that above. I tried the long restart suggested but the progress bar only gets to about the 5th vibration and then the bar just stays there. it has not connected to the phone for over 24 hours.

I have tried the live chat but that seems to be non existent as well.

[Habitaz]

Fitbit does nothing..This is a worthless product now..trash and wasted money. Will not recommend aFitbit to anyone.