Charge 3 only charging to 99% then after restart drops to 88%

[_Katie.Mae_]

I have had the Charge 3 since it came out. I have had minor issues that I've worked out before using the community, this however I can't find an answer to. The last couple of weeks, I have connected my charge 3 to the cord to charge. Everything seems fine until it charges to 99% and stops. It can sit there for an hour and not reach 100%. I read that I needed to restart the device. When I do, the battery drops back down to 88-87% and starts charging again. It'll go back up to 99% and stop. Please help!

[MarreFitbit]

Welcome to the Community Forums @_Katie.Mae_! Thanks for the detailed information about your Charge 3's behavior. Note that restarts and firmware updates are demanding on the battery. 

In this case, I'd recommend letting your tracker to run out of battery to charge it again. Then, keep an eye on it to see how the battery goes. You can also see: Can I extend my Fitbit device's battery life?

As a side note, we recommend to charge your trackers via the USB port over a wall adapter. However, it is also possible to charge your Fitbit tracker with a UL certified wall adapter. What may actually cause damage to the tracker's battery (either on a computer or a wall adapter) is the charging time, which if excessive over time may damage the battery and therefore cause quick battery drain or prevent the tracker from charging at all. 

Tips to best charge Fitbit trackers are:

• Use only genuine Fitbit charging cables
• Use only UL-certified wall chargers
• Avoid USB battery packs
• Charge at room temperature

For charging purposes, your charging cable can be plugged into any USB power source, including but not limited to:

• A computer
• A Wall A/C to USB adapter, commonly found with smartphones
• A DC to USB adapter (vehicle power port)

Let me know how it goes, I'll be around.

[_Nona_]

I also have a similar problem.  As much as I appreciate your helpful tips on charging, I didn't see any real solution to getting the tracker back up to 100% charge and it having a happy face.

Letting it run completely out to determine how it "goes" - does that mean it should go back to 100% or are we just looking at how long the charge lasts before it goes completely down again?

I agree that keeping it in charging mode for an excessive time isn't good for the battery overall.  Unfortunately if you're waiting for it to reach 100%, without realizing it will NEVER get there, you're defeating the purpose of charging altogether and damaging the life of the tracker.

The bottom line for me is whether it will ever get back up to 100% or after only owning the Charge3 for 8 months will I need to replace it if there isn't a way to replace its battery.

[_Katie.Mae_]

I have done all the tips you have suggested and nothing changed. However, now my screen will no longer come on. It was working perfectly all day today then all of a sudden the screen went fuzzy and everything was flipped backwards. Now it will only vibrate when I press the button or get any type of notification.

[blondeFury]

I have also just had the exact same thing happen to my Charge 3...restarting it landed it back at 87%. Mine is also only around 6 months old!

[Joi4]

My charge 3 is only 8 months old and does exactly the same. I think it has charged to 100% twice since I have had it and now only charges to 99%. My battery last 4 or 5 days so I don't think there is anything wrong with the battery life. But I do charge it with the USB plugged into an iPhone USB plug socket,  so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. I haven't tried to reset it, but if anyone can shed any light on why it won't charge fully, I would be interested to know.

[_Nona_]

I'm not sure anyone is still moderating this problem as there was only one response and it was two months ago.  I'm still experiencing the same problem.  I've been charging via USB direct to power outlet.  Charging goes to 99% and if you press the side 'button' it drops immediately to 88%.  Then I leave it on the charge hook-up until it gets to 99% and figure it's as charged as it's going to get.  Hasn't been back up to 100% in months now.  No smiley face for me!  😞

[BriiSeels222]

Something very similar happens for me. Only mine WILL get to 100% and have a smiley face BUT when I unplug it, its instantly back at 88%. Also something I don't think I've seen anyone on this post relaying to is that my screen will not react to any touch whatsoever anymore. Screen comes on when I push the button and then goes off. Vibrates for notifications but doesnt show me them. I've done MANY resets. Very upsetting.

[JudithR]

I've had my Charge 3 since October 2019, now it won't charge beyond 99% and it's dropped from 99% to 40% in 2 days . It used to last almost all week. Very unhappy with this. 

[_Nona_]

This is an update to my problem - 

After NEVER seeing an update here for this issue (since then it never did reach 100%), in February my Charge3 started displaying streaked white vertical lines on its face, making it difficult to read. I was in touch with Customer Support to resolve that and the battery issue.  Lots of back and forth charging and resetting it.  By the time I had gone through all their instructions it was even worse.  It now had a nearly white face and pressing the side slot or swiping did nothing.  I was given a discount to purchase a new Fitbit, which is was I had to do if I wanted to maintain continuity in my Fitbit account.  The new Charge3 has been working as expected.  Had the vertical lines not appeared until a few months later, I probably would have opted to upgrade to the new Charge4.

[Sugarphix]

BriiSeels222, the 100% issue (which I also have) aside, mine also stopped reacting to touch and kept going off like yours does when my fitbit was still only a couple of months old. Interestingly, I found an odd way to repair the issue online that actually worked for me. Don't ask me why it works, but it did. 

Go into your app on your phone, and change the clock face to any other different one. Wait till that takes effect. I switched mine back immediately, but that totally worked for me. It was over a year and a half ago. I can't remember if I had to restart it after that or not, but since I did that, no issues with the screen on the charge three.

I am still having the 99% issue, and I wonder if it's just related to the gradual death of the battery. Does anyone know if it will harm the battery or unit to just accept 99% as the new 100% and unplug it when it gets that far?