Charge 3 stopped tracking heart rate data

[Dakotalas]

My heart rate function suddenly stopped 2 nights ago and will no longer register any heart rate.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Paula1964]

Mine also stopped back on 5th April and hasn't started back again 😞 very annoying!  the heart rate is working on the dash board and on the watch but its not recording

[MarreFitbit · Accepted solution]

Welcome on board @Dakotalas and @Paula1964, it's nice to see new members around! If your Charge 3 devices stopped tracking your heart rate, I'd recommend restarting them by following these steps.

If the restart did not work, from the clock face, swipe to Settings and tap Reboot Device. Then, try the following troubleshooting tips in the order shown. After each tip, view your heart rate to see if you solved the problem.

• Open the Settings app and find Heart Rate. Make sure Heart Rate is On. 
• Make sure your device is positioned correctly on your wrist:
  • Tighten the band just enough so it doesn’t slip on your wrist. Your device needs a solid contact with your arm to reliably track your heart rate.
  • Heart-rate tracking may not work with certain accessory bands, especially if they’re loose fitting. Move the band to a slightly different position on your arm—a little higher or a little lower.

For tips on wrist placement and how to wear your Fitbit device for best heart-rate tracking results, please see our help article: What impacts the accuracy of my heart-rate readings?

You can also try moving your device to your other wrist.

Heart rate tracking may not work with certain accessory bands, especially if they’re loose fitting. For best results, we recommend wearing a Fitbit-branded classic or sport band during exercise. For more information, see: What should I know about my heart rate data?

[Keoniwoods1]

Does the Heart rate icon always on or does it go off  then on again. Is it suppose to be constantly on?

[Paula1964]

Hi thanks for the response, mine now seems to of started tracking again, from yesterday 

[65tpt]

Heart rate stopped working yesterday. Tried the following: 1) rebooted Charge   2) verified Heart Rate is on   3) Made band tight   4) made band loose    5)  switched arms 6) repeated 3 and 4,  

No Heart Rate means calories are not tracked accurately and sleep is not tracked at all. This Fitbit is on;y a month old -  How do I return it? 

[MarreFitbit]

Hello there @Keoniwoods1! In regards to your question, this will depend of how you set the heart rate settings on your Charge 3. If you set it to be on, it will be on until you change it to off. 

Hi @Paula1964! Thanks for coming back and for letting us know your Charge 3 started tracking your heart rate again. 😉

Welcome to the Community Forums @65tpt! Thanks for trying the tips and recommendations provided above. Nice way to start!

I'd recommend restarting your device by following the steps below:

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. Release the button. When you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the tracker restarted.
5. Unplug your tracker from the charging cable.

[65tpt]

I restarted my Fitbit 3 times prior to my original post. I have restarted it 5 or 6 times since. It tracked by heartbeat for less then 30 minutes on one early restart but not since. Any other suggestions?

[Dakotalas]

* I found that mine had turned to "off" in the settings which I was having trouble finding on the app or webpage, but when I found it on my device and turned it back on, it has been fine since. I have no idea why it turned off, I woke up and it had quit tracking. Maybe I did something to it in my sleep. To reset on your device, you swipe left until settings shows up and then set, so hard to imagine all that happened in my sleep.😳

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @65tpt and @Dakotalas. It’s nice to see new members around.

@65tpt, thanks for having tried the restart. Please confirm if the green light on the back is blinking? If you've checked the suggestions provided by @MarreFitbit above, please try the following steps:

1. On your Charge 3 device, swipe from right to left.
2. Tap on settings and then turn off the heart rate settings.
3. Allow 10 seconds and turn the heart rate settings back on.

Then wear the device and check if the heart rate starts working again.

@Dakotalas, I'm happy to hear that your device is now working. I remember that one night I took my device from my wrist while sleeping. When I woke up, I noticed it was on my nightstand next to my bed. I'll never know how I did that, but hopefully I'm not being haunted 😅

[65tpt]

No lights on the back.  I've checked and rechecked all settings, restarted multiple times. 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @65tpt, thanks for getting back!

I appreciate your efforts in trying our suggested steps. Because the heart rate is still not working, I've gone ahead and requested a case for you. Our Support Team will contact you via email shortly, so keep an eye to your inbox.

I'll be around, so let me know the outcome.

[Orvis]

I have same issue, shows heart rate on watch but will not track as it did in the past during my hour long swim, makes is kind of useless.... I have reset, rebooted, removed app, replaced app, updated, messed around with other positions on my arm, nothing works. Very disappointed with this device and how finicky it is. This is the third issue I have had in 4 months.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Orvis, it's nice to hear from you.

Thanks for sharing detailed information about your Charge 3 behavior, as well for the troubleshooting steps tried.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience and I'm here to help you. Your Charge 3 was designed to record your swim duration when using the exercise app. However, even though the green LED may continue flashing on the back of your device, the heart-rate tracking will be disabled during your swim workout. You can find more about this here.

[Orvis]

Odd considering it worked for two months but has now stoped. Oh well technology is not always our friend ( Speaking as an Analogue kind of guy).

Sent from my iPhone

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Orvis, it's great to see you again.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this. The heart rate isn't intended to be recorded for swim because the heart rate readings that are tracked under water could be not accurate most of the times. You could have seen heart rate readings when your device automatically recognized your activity, however, for accuracy reasons, Fitbit recommends using the Exercise app from your device to record your swimming sessions.

[HayShanna]

Thank you for that info -my heart rate wasn’t tracking for a week but I think the day it started not tracking a child was playing with my Fitbit on my wrist so maybe he managed to swipe it and turn it off.  Don’t know how it turned back on by itself though.  😕

[Orvis]

I think everyone is missing what I am saying. My Fitbit is not tracking during my SWIM. It shows heart rate in all other activities just not LOGGING it after my swim. And quiet frankly the ONLY reason I bought it was to swim. Now before you say again it can’t track a heart rate during a swim it did. Yes it DID for three months then it stoped. Yes it just stoped. I have reset it multiple times with no luck. I have removed the app and reset it. I heave tried wearing it tighter, looser, other arm I just want Fitbit to tell me how to fix it! As you can tell I am getting very frustrated with the lack of support from Fitbit.

Sent from my iPhone

[Melaine2209]

Fitbit charge 3 purchased in December 2018. Has worked well until yesterday when heart rate monitor stopped working. Have tried all the recommendations more than once....reset through charger, reset through device, tighten strap etc. Light at back is solid red, not flashing green. Any suggestions to resolve?

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @HayShanna and @Orvis. I'm glad to see you around. Welcome on board @Melaine2209.

@HayShanna, I'm glad that the heart rate is now working. While the heart rate settings can be changed just through your device's settings, keep an eye to your device and let me know if something similar happens again.

@Orvis, thanks for getting back, as well for checking the information provided above. Let me share that when your device records your swim with SmartTrack, meaning that it'll automatically recognize your activity without using the exercise app from the device, you may see heart rate readings. This may be the reason why you were able to see heart rate readings before.

That being said, since the Optical sensor doesn't record heart rate in swim mode, the heart rate readings may not be accurate as light travels differently through water. This is why Fitbit recommends to use the Exercise app for your swimming sessions, so your device can accurately record your distance and duration.

@Melaine2209, I appreciate you for trying some steps to get the heart rate working properly. Because the green light on the back isn't blinking, and just if you've not done so, I'd suggest to try the following:

1. On your device, swipe from right to left and tap on settings.
2. Turn off the heart rate settings.
3. Restart your device one more time.
4. Turn back on the heart rate settings.