Charge 3 shows a smiley face only after a reboot

[wki]

Hi, thank you for welcoming me to this forum in advance.  I have an issue with my Charge 3 and I think I know what the issue is but I don't know how to resolve it, I hope you can help.  This is what happens:

* connected to USB (device is charged), I attempt a hard reset and press the side button for 15 seconds (when I press the button, I can feel the haptic vibration)

* after 15 seconds, the thin progress bar starts to show and I release the button mid-way

* the smiley face shows for a bit and then disappears, nothing happens after that

I have done extensive searching and I THINK it has to do with the format of the display. Most forums advise the that the display of the Charge 3 be changed in the app, which for many customers fixes the issue. HOWEVER, I never got around to syncing with my phone app in the first place and therefore cannot see if this would fix the issue. I have tried syncing now, but it understandably does not detect the phone as a device. Is my diagnosis of the issue correct and if so, is there a way to resolve the issue, either through a desktop webapp or some other trick that I am not aware of?  PS I am outside of the warranty 😞

Thanks!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[JohnnyRow]

Are you just setting this up for the first time?  Or is it that you had some problem and decided to do a restart  (not a hard reset, not trying to be picky but using correct terms can help to make thing clear and avoid confusion)?

[wki]

Hi @JohnnyRow , thanks for your reply. I tried both the 8 second and the 15 second restarts, both outcomes are the same, i.e. I get the smiley face and then it disappears, nothing happens after that.  The Charge 3 was working before but I never synced with my iPhone as I only wanted to view my daily steps, didn't need to track over time.

[JohnnyRow]

So you never even had an Fitbit account or set up the tracker through the phone app before this?  You were using it strictly stand-alone?  Is that correct?

[wki]

Yes, that is correct.

[JohnnyRow]

Sorry, but I have never done anything with a Fitbit before going through the set-up, linking it to the Fitbit app.  But I am fairly confident you will not be able to change the clock face, if that's what you mean by the format of the display, without going through set-up and linking tracker to app. 

If you wish to set up an account and link your tracker to it, see

How do I set up my Fitbit device? 

[wki]

Thanks again for your reply and for the link. I was hoping I could connect the desktop app to the Charge 3 via a USB cable and fix the issue from there but alas, the desktop app is only compatible with Charge 2.  A real bummer they made Charge 3 100% bluetooth :-(.  Are there only 2 reset options: the 8 and 15 second ones, ie is there no "back to factory settings" one (or is that the 15 second one). Ah well, if anyone else has any other ideas, my Charge 3 will be packed away in my cupboard.