Charge 3 not pairing or syncing and time wrong

[SunsetRunner]

My Charge 3 (bought in Aug 2019) has been acting up since Friday: doesn't want to sync or pair, and it keeps losing time.

I've followed all the Help topics - to no avail ...

I've restarted and rebooted the Fitbit multiple times.

I've uninstalled the app on my phone and reinstalled - at least 3 times.

I've switched off Bluetooth and back on multiple times.

I've restarted my phone (Samsung S9) several times.
At the moment it is about 20 minutes behind, but at the worst it was an hour an a half behind over the weekend.
It does, however, sync at some stage, but I don't know when and how as it is not paired to my phone. 

Also, sometimes the correct time shows, but there is no guarantee for how long.
In an effort to correct it I unpaired the Charge 3 from my phone on Friday. I've been trying to re-pair numerous times over the weekend, but it just doesn't want to connect. It keeps saying to check the device's settings. Any advice you can give me?

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there @SunsetRunner, welcome to the Community Forums. Thank you so much for troubleshooting the syncing difficulties prior to contacting us. Nice way to go!

Keep in mind that your Charge 3 may be showing an incorrect time if it hasn't synced or if it has been unpaired from your account. Note that your Fitbit grabs the time of the device you're syncing with so it can update the time throughout the day. Have you checked that your Charge 3 is still linked to your Fitbit account and your phone's Bluetooth settings?

Besides the steps you've done, I'd like to confirm that you've followed the steps provided in the help article: Why won't my Fitbit device sync?

Another thing we can do is start from scratch, so I suggest performing the steps below:

1. Remove the Charge 3 from the phone's Bluetooth settings.

2. Turn off other Bluetooth connections when not in use.

3. Make sure that the Fitbit app is up-to-date.

4. Plug it into the charging cable and open the Fitbit app.

5. Setup your Charge 3 as a replacement.

If the time keeps showing incorrect after setting up and syncing your Charge 3, I recommend changing your timezone to a complete different one, sync your device, put the correct time and sync again. To change the time make sure you are following the instructions provided in the help article How do I change the time on my Fitbit device?

Give this a go and let me know the outcome. 

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks for replying.
I have really tried everything.

Also in communication via Twitter, after which I tried twice this afternoon to re-setup my Charge 3.

All this resulted in was the "old" one being deleted, and nothing added. It goes up to "We found your tracker" with the tickmark, and then it just keeps saying "connecting ..." for about 2 minutes. Then I see it says "Not working?" and if I want to try again. Did that twice - not working.\

I also tried changing timezones before via the dashboard. It also did not work.

I've also uninstalled and reinstalled the app twice since this all started with no luck and success.

So at the moment I have an unpaired Charge 3 that is 40 minutes behind in time and still not syncing.

At least it is counting steps and tracking sleep - I hope.

I really hope that this can be resolved.

[SunsetRunner]

I still have no answer, also not on your Twitter feed.

Do I need to return my Fitbit?

[SunsetRunner]

I still have no answer, and still my Charge 3 is not on my arm.

It is currently more than a day behind on time.

Any solution yet?

[Rosiematilda]

I am having the same problem & I have rang Fitbit to no avail . Don’t feel that they are helping 

[SunsetRunner]

Still no real solution, although @LizzyFitbit replied on another post, but the suggestions also did not work.

So we are now at a stage where my Fitbit's face does not even come on any more, it doesn't vibrate when plugging in to USB, but vibrates when pressing the button.

I am moments away from returning it.

[SteppingSusan]

Thanks for this; I’m also thinking about returning mine. It’s ‘reassuring’ to see others having the same issue. 

[staalmannen]

I have exactly this problem. 3 days ago the fitbit stopped syncing and time is falling behind.

I tried everything that has been suggested, reboot, removal and reactivation, ...

I have noticed that the  fitbit bluetooth only manages to connect when the cable is plugged in and it is fully charged (was needed to reconnect and reactivate). A few hours later (after sleep), the time is again wrong and syncing is not working.

[lexancer]

I faced the same problem as the OP. And this is the second time. The first time, I had to delete the tracker from the app, then clear user data on the device, and then restart the entire setup process. so whatever progress i made in the intervening period was simply never recorded since the device could not sync with the app. 

that was quite traumatising. and just a few days after i took the steps i mentioned earlier, the problems resurfaced. I use a Huawei P30 lite, which is on the list of devices considered suitable according to the website. Also, I tried to sync with my Windows laptop instead of the mobile. And the laptop app can't detect the tracker either. 

So it seems to me that a whole bunch of Charge 3 trackers have faulty bluetooth settings or they were just badly built. Is there actually a solution available? 

[grammy1027]

I'm having the same problem.  But - mine isn't tracking.  Shows calories where it's supposed to be showing steps.  One thing I know for sure - I will never do another update. 

[staalmannen]

By the way is the time always off by about 20 minutes. No idea if this can give further technical clues about what's wrong.

EDIT: I also did a factory reset of the charge 3 and the problem persisted so I guess it is a hardware issue.