Charge 3 won’t light up only vibrates

[sc3321]

I got my fitbit not long ago and it was working perfectly fine today until I looked at it and saw the screen wouldn’t light up. I tried double tapping the screen, hitting the button and charging it. Nothing works, but it will vibrate if I get a text or hit the button on the side. I tried resetting it but that didn’t work because I can’t see the code on the screen to plug into my phone!! So now it is not even connected to my phone and I have no clue what to do.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[dir57]

As stated earlier, I tried changing the clock face.  Several times.  If I use "Asymetrical Clock", the numbers can be seen in dim light.  But the screen is mottled with lighter and darker areas.  It is still dim and can only be read by going into a closet and closing the door.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @dir57. It's great to see you here in the forums. I'm sorry for the delayed response.

Thanks for letting me know about your Charge 3 and the steps tried to get the screen working correctly. You did a good job! I've checked with our Support team and apparently they already took your case under their wings. They're working with you via email so make sure to keep an eye to your inbox.

If you have another question, feel free to let me know.

[dir57]

I worked with Aldo in tech support over the weekend.  Aldo was quite helpful, but it appears the unit's screen has died.  It is useless.  I am surprised that Fitbit seems to think it is perfectly acceptable to spend $100-200 every 18 months for a new smart watch/fitness device.  IMHO, that is ridiculous.  I appreciate the offered discount, but I can get a Charge 3 on Amazon for $50 less than the offered discount price.  
In the end I decided to give Fitbit another chance - solely because I don't want an Apple watch that needs to be charged in the middle of each day - and purchased an Ionic.  The offered discount was about $13 less than I could get the same device on Amazon, though it is more expensive than a Charge 3.  The device arrived today.  I have set it up and I am figuring it out.  I can already tell you the 'small" wristband does not mate properly to the watch unit and falls out.  So at present I'm using a mixed wrist band.  But it fits me well.  I sure hope this device has the durability we've come to expect of our mobile devices - cell phones, pad computers, and laptops.  Those last for years and so should wearable tech.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @dir57. I'm glad to see you back.

I appreciate you for sharing your feedback regarding our team and your experience with your Charge 3. I understand where you're coming from about this situation and thanks for giving us one more chance with your Ionic. Our team constantly reviews the feedback posted in the forums as it helps us to evaluate our products and enhance their performance to make sure that we are delivering what our users want and need. About your new watch, if you continue having issues with the band not staying attached to your watch, please let me know so I can help you with that.

[dir57]

Thank you for the follow up.

I finally got frustrated enough that I pushed the band into the watch housing with considerable strength.  There was an audible SNAP.  I thought I might have broken something.  But it turns out, that was the band securely connecting into the watch.  Viola'!  Fully functional band.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @dir57. I'm glad to see you again and I'm sorry for the delay.

You're welcome and thanks to you for the update. I'm glad that you were able to snap your wristband on your Ionic. You did a great job and I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience with this one. In case you have some spare time, I’d like to invite you to visit our Discussion Board where you will find great tips and encouragement from other members and if there's anything else I can do for you, please keep me posted.

[ImikeAug]

I have tried both remedies but the screen is now showing a white horizontal line across the middle. My phone isnt synced and cannot see it. It was working fine this afternoon, and I believe it is fully charged, I have it on the charger yesterday for a full charge.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @ImikeAug. It's great to have you on board! I'm sorry for the delayed response.

Thanks for letting me know about your Charge 3, as well for your efforts while troubleshooting it. Since the lines are still displayed in the screen, I've contacted our Support team who informed me that your case is already on their hands. Apparently they're working with you on this matter and will send you an email with more details. Make sure to check your inbox.

[ImikeAug]

Thanks for responding, they are checking into my warranty coverage, it
appears to be dead.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @ImikeAug. I hope you're doing well.

You're welcome and thanks for sharing your experience with our Support team. Your case is on good hands, so make sure to keep an open communication with them. That way you'll receive further assistance.

By the way, I'd like to invite you to visit our Health & Wellness board where you can share your experiences, meet people and create new topics.

[hanh2904]

Hi, I bought my Charge 3 about 3 months and now it just went black. I've followed the instructions on the community to reset the device by plugging it into the charging dock and pressing the side button for 8 secs/15 secs, but nothing happens for that matter. There is no green light on the back of it. It does respond only by vibrating when it's connected to the cable and I press the side button.

The Fitbit app doesn't find the Charge 3 (says "Looking for device" when trying to sync) so I can't change clock face. The iPhone Bluetooth settings also shows that the Charge 3 is not connected to the iPhone. Tried restarting the phone and connecting to the Charge 3 from the bluetooth settings but no go.

How should I proceed?

[LizzyFitbit]

Welcome on board, @hanh2904! It's great to see a new face around.

Thanks for letting me know about your Charge 3 as well for explaining all the steps tried prior posting. You did a great job with them! I know how you feel as this isn't the correct behavior of your tracker. That's why I went ahead and requested a case on your behalf so our Support team can give you a hand. They'll send you an email with more details, keep an eye on your inbox.

Let me know how it goes.

[arjian]

Same exact ting with mine. Really frustrating as my Fitbit is not even a year and a half old.

[ImikeAug]

Mine died, it still would do random stuff for a while I had to take it away from me to link the new one. 

They were good about replacing it, but it wasnt a year old yet. Not sure if your within your return date, but I would email them after I tried all their suggestions, make sure you give details on the steps you take or they will want you to play email tag with them with suggestions.

Good Luck

[dir57]

Thanks for the suggestion.  Mine was past the warranty date, but less than two years old.  They offered me a discount that made no sense to replace the Charge 3 as I could get a new one on Amazon for less than the discounted price on their web site.  So I opted to give them another chance and applied the discount to their top of the line Ionic.  I like the color screen and additional apps.  But the apps are quite primitive and require a lot of manual intervention if you want to use Blue Tooth, for example, to listen to audio.  

We will see if the Ionic lasts any longer.  I stayed with FitBit because the Ionic lasts a couple days on a battery charge as compared to about 18 hours for an Apple watch.

[arjian]

Thank you!!

[Bhabhoz]

Hi 

I also have exact same issue. I have done the normal restart, the long restart, changed the clock face but nothing. It vibrates and syncs to my phone but screen is still black 

[arjian]

I just contacted Fitbit. I've had this watch since January 2019. If you read the forums, this is clearly a known issue with the Charge 3, yet the best Fitbit will do is offer a weak discount on a few items of their choice. REALLY disappointed with the watch and the company. Awful product.

[arjian]

Same offer for me. Very bad customer support as, judging by all the comments on this forum, this is a known issue with the Charge 3. Now why in the world would I want to spend more money on a company that is clearly more interested in getting money than making sure their customers have a quality product.

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you for your advice. I have had a Fitbit Inspire for the past 6 months and it was working out great. But the past few days I couldnt figure out why it would vibrate but have no screeb display. I left it on charge for 2 days, it never disconnected from my phone so I knew it was still on. So this morning I finally googled the problem and so the Fitbit community popped up with answers. Lol.  I changed the clock face, click suggested & tada! Its back on and working! Thank you again! 🥰🤗