Charge 3 vibrates but blank screen

[69olds442]

Fully charged.....blank screen.....vibrates when button is pushed

[shazzaH1]

Can you not send them a copy of your bank statement as proof of purchase? Or request a copy of the receipt from the retailer 

[DwightP980]

Maybe this will help someone with the black screen, and vibrating issue with the Charge 3.

I tried every reset method I had read of, or watched on Youtube with no luck in getting my screen back. Trying long press resets didn't help, Bluetooth would not find the Charge 3, so unable to change clock faces wouldn't help. My unit was charged to 85% battery life when the issue started, so the battery should not be the issue.

Here is what worked!

After doing a 30 second long press of the unit I placed it on the Fitbit charger, and left it attached for three days. A thin white line appeared horizontally at the middle of the unit and went from the left to the right seeming to become longer with time. 

EDIT:

Update! After thinking I was back in business with my Charge 3 I now believe the issue is the battery. after approximately four hours of use the unit requires recharging and this is completely unacceptable. As it appears the Charge 3 is a $150 disposable item, and there is no support for units outside of the warranty period, I will be searching out companies that make a fitness tracker with either user replaceable batteries or repair center battery replacement support. I hope others use of the reset method I wrote out above have better luck with battery life after the screen comes back.

Today (day 3) I noticed the white line had disappeared so I removed the unit from the charger, and did a short press and received the Smiley Face as you see when fully charged. It then displayed the date of Aug 26 which was the day it quit working and the distance I had logged that day. 

I did a Bluetooth connect and low and behold it reset to the correct date and went back to working correctly. 

It's a process but may save your device!

[Carolezh]

Wow Dwight, thanks!  I'm hopeful I can get my device back using this method!

[userinuae]

Hi DwightP980,

Thanks for the tip. I wish I had this earlier. In any case, my unit was under warranty and I have sent it back for a replacement. Hopefully, I will have the replacement soon and can get back to logging my workouts. I will archive this tip, just in case I need it in the future.

Thanks and best regards,


Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[DwightP980]

@Carolezh Please see my update to this issue. The screen may return, but it appears for me the battery is at the end of it's life. I hope your results are better.

[DwightP980]

@userinuae Please see my update to this issue. The screen may return, but it appears for me the battery is at the end of it's life. I hope your results are better.

[cneve1]

I've tried resetting my Charge 3 and it doesn't work.  When it is plugged in and the button is pushed, it vibrates for about 10 seconds and then stops.  My phone will not recognize my Charge 3.

Any ideas?

[Emmajh82]

My husband's charge 3 has this problem too. It's blank but vibrates when pressed. Doesn't sync with phone so can't change the clock face . Anyone any other ideas what to do? 

[cneve1]

Mine only lasted a year. ☹️ 

[TarJ_1974]

Mine didn't.. sucks no more fitbit for me

[Michele0105]

Don’t buy Fitbits.  This is my second Fitbit and as soon as you pass the 1 year warranty they do and  “update “ then your device stops working.   When you call support the offer a discount on a new one.   Complete scam.  They should be ashamed of themselves.  

[enigmatic64]

I've just received replacement tracker

[anthonybaldwin]

This is what happened to me. I left my Fitbit in the drawer for a couple of months, pulled it out, and now I am stuck with a black screen / button that does nothing but cause device to vibrate. (Mind you this was a replacement for the first one which died within a couple of weeks of owning.) Support only offered a discount instead of a replacement as I am past the 1 year warranty. Hopefully Fitbit reaches the Google graveyard...they have at least lost me as a customer.

[steelerfan36]

I am having this same problem with my Charge 3. Restart instructions dont work and the watch is not synching to my phone so I cant change the clock face.

[Shubham62]

I am having the same problem as @N1MU  

what should i do ? @MarreFitbit 

[Countertenors]

My Fitbit charge 3 is blank screen after reset and clock face change

[cneve1]

Buy another brand...

[Kay14772]

Hi! I've tried to reset my fitbit charge 3 all day. It vibrates when the button is pushed but screen is black. It wont give me the smiley face no matter how many times I try or how long I hold the button, super sad! I also cannot change the clock screen because it just keeps saying that its trying but nothing pops up on my fitbit and it never says that it's done changing.... please help!! 

[DwightP980]

Sorry to say this is very much along the lines of what my Charge 3 did. At first I thought it could be saved, but the battery was the issue. There appears to be no after market battery for this, no support from Fitbit except for them to want to sell you another device that is likely to suffer the same fate. I will think very long and hard before spending my hard earned money on a device without a serviceable battery again. Regards!