Charge 3 vibrating and flashing continuously

[SunsetRunner]

Last night my Charge 3 started going crazy. It was continuously vibrating and the screen was flashing between the home screen and menu screen. I connected it to the charger to restart but this seemed to make it worse. I took it off and let the battery drain. This morning I connected to the charger but as soon as it got enough charge it went crazy again. Has this happened to anyone else? Other than restarting, which is not working, what else can be done to get my Fitbit back in working order.

**I have not gotten my Fitbit wet, except for the usual sweat from working out.

Thanks!

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[Julia_G]

Hi, @SunsetRunner , if you have tried the restart at least 3 times and it has not solved this issue then the next step would be to get in touch with Fitbit Customer Support on contact.fitbit.com.  Be sure to tell them the troubleshooting steps you have already tried, as that will save time.

[jaysin]

Mine did the same thing. After speaking with a most unhelpful person in support over the phone, I have to send it in to be replaced which he said will take about 30 days. I'm trying to see if there is any way around this, but if not, I will never purchase another Fitbit product ever again.

[KoryDub]

Mine is doing the same. It’s crazy - just going bonkers.

[flen]

My Charge 3 just did the same thing.  They're sending me a replacement but I've only had it just over a month.  Obviously, there's an issue.

[Ikoroh]

I’m having the same experience! This is so disappointing.  I used the first charge HR, it went bad, then bought charge HR 2, working well, but need something I can use to track my swimming so I bought Versa.  Versa’s screen is going bad after little below 1 year. I bought charge HR 3 recently and my disappointment continues.  Really thinking to move out from Fitbit now.

[EwaT]

Has anyone managed to find a solution to this? I’ve had my Fitbit since Oct 2018 and never failed me until now - it died earlier today and once I charged it it started going crazy - it keeps vibrating and lighting up and going to home screen or settings, and the screen does not react to touch - it just keeps going on and off on the mail page. I tried restarting number of times but doesn’t seem to help...

[bribar]

I just had the same problem (March 17, 2020) on a Charge 3 purchased in October 2018.  Tracker went nuts vibrating and switching screens.  I tried resetting/restarting it in the charging cradle - got the smiley face but the problem persisted.  I was able to sync it with my laptop but the vibrating/screen switching problem continued.  Finally I got a horizontal bar across the screen then the tracker died - no display, no lights on back,  Called Fitbit  support (Emmanual) and he had me clean contacts with alcohol, then reset/restart in cradle again.  That woke up the tracker (got a display and lights on back) but it started vibrating and switching screens again.  Emmanual said since warranty is only 1 year, best  he could do was offer me 25% discount on new Charge 3.  He emailed me a link to redeem the discount.  So I got less than 18 months service out of a $149 (Amazon) Charge 3.  The tracker has never been dropped or wet (other than sweat). That's poor value and poor customer support.  Buyers beware.

[Laurarose2108]

Exact same thing has happened to me today but I can only get through to customer support via email with a two day response time! My fit bit is 14 months old no prior issues until today! 

[bribar]

Sorry to hear that laurarose.  The fitbit customer support number I called was 877-623-4997 - I got a tech support person right away.  If you are in the US that number might work.  The primary problems I had with my tracker before this were double counting steps and heart rate readings during strenuous exercise that were 20-40 bpm lower than those given by dedicated heart rate monitors with a chest strap.  Not sure if I'l take them up on their 25% discount on a new Charge 3. Good luck.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Laurarose2108 , due to the current worldwide virus situation responses from Fitbit may be significantly delayed.

In the meantime, often the Community can help.  Have you tried giving your Charge 3 a restart: 

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 to restart your tracker
   
   • For Charge 3—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.

Your tracker should now work normally.

Sometimes you need to try this procedure 2 or 3 times, or to hold the button significantly longer than the recommended 8 seconds.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.  Welcome to the forums!

[Lori_Y]

My Charge 3 is also going bonkers. Switching between screens and buzzing continuously until the battery runs out. Recharged the batter twice but same thing happens as soon as it's charged. I've tried the restarting procedure 3 times with still no luck. Any other options to try?

[lauriejo3]

It is Monday, 5/4----still my fitbit is NOT working!!!   Since last week!   It won't even connect to the charger now!   I'm very frustrated---ready to order a different brand.   What's going on?  

[pkstorms1826]

Please stop! It's not the device - it's a system wide software glitch you can't fix. Thousands of devices are experiencing issues. Complete incompetence. How are we all going to be compensated for now having devices that are just useless because you have a backend tech issue? Figure it out and send a global update. This should go out to the media - maybe then you'll step it up and correct it.

[clairelise]

Same issue here. I called support and was told that because my fitbit is more that one year old, I can have a discount to purchase a new one. Pretty worthless. It's not like the heart rate function worked all that well anyways, basically just an expensive pedometer. Time to move on.

[flen]

My fitbit is a year and a month old so I get the discount on a new one.  It's my third fitbit that's gone haywire.  I like them when they work but there is obviously a major recurring problem.

I'm done with fitbits.

[bribar]

I know how you feel. The "discounted price" they offered was about what I'd pay for a new one on Amazon.  I cut my losses after one.  I might have tried another one if the heart rate and step count weren't so inaccurate.  Now I use a pedometer to count steps and a heart rate monitor for exercise.  Thanks for posting and good luck.

[Bjrozsa]

Mine is doing the same thing too.  One month past warranty date.  After reading these comments I think I will switch to apple.  Sounds like Fitbit could care less.   Thanks for sharing. 

[sdidarom]

same exact thing happening today, I noticed a couple days ago the screen started to cut out digitally  here and there  but the battery was running low so I accounted it to that. This morning I charged it. It got to 85% charge then started flipping out.  wont stop flipping from the time screen, to the  awake & notifications icons, to the steps taken, and back over and over again buzzing all the while..  Did anyone find out how to solve this? 

[sdidarom]

p.s., I also tried the restart multiple times---- still nothing