Charge 4 - Black screen

[CBot1013]

My Charge 4 screen is black. At first it just kept vibrating when I hit the reset button. Now it won’t respond at all. I have tried plugging it into the charger and resetting the clock display as suggested in another post. When I did that I did get a line on the screen while it synced but it was still unresponsive after that. When I sync the charge 4 with the app it seems to be still accurately tracking my steps and my heart rate.

update: I got frustrated after trying everything with no luck. Lucky for me, I got insurance on it through Amazon when I bought it and they have already reimbursed me. A Charge 5 is in my future… but from all your responses something is definitely up. Was there a software update that went wrong for our devices?

Moderator edit:  updated subject for clarity

[CoreyMac]

I see the same things, but since I do not have a Charge5 with the problem, I can't be certain.

[VG1000]

I had seen the update for the charge 4 and would have done it that day but it “died” before I could do it!

[JuanFitbit]

Hi everybody! Thank  you for your messages, updates, and feedback. If you already contacted Support, and the steps provided did not improve the situation, please let them know, so that they can investigate your case further. 

If you haven't done so, please contact our team, they'll be more than glad to have a closer look at each of your cases. 

See you around. 

[JQandSS]

This has also happened to me. All was well until yesterday, suddenly watch is black and unresponsive. Updated just a few days ago. 

[sjhowe]

I just got a new app update and with that came a software update for the Charge 4 itself and mine is now working! I wonder if Fitbit knew they screwed something up and released a fix without saying anything.

[Sdnative73]

I have come to the conclusion this an app update issue, creating problems where there were none with the devices.  Let start my saying I have avoided the dreaded update, because I had the same problem last year with a 6 week old device, they sent me a replacement, and I refused to update again.  I notice that the update banner was gone on my app when the device went black last week.  It seems as though updates were forced through.  Now my device only vibrates when I press the side button.  I tried all “fixes” available, but nothing works, the restarting, all of it.  Fitbit told me I am past the warranty and offered me the coupon.  My last effort was to remove the app from my phone, and drain the battery down to zero by pressing the button over and over.  Once it was dead, I plugged it on the charger, and like magic, it buzzed, and the happy face I hadn’t seen all week appeared.  It then displayed the time/date, but it was wrong, it was the time/date from the last sync.  It also was connected to Bluetooth.  I couldn’t believe it.  I wanted to use it like that, but I decided let me try to reconnect to the app.  Big mistake.  After reinstalling, I hit “add device”, as it was literally starting the process of searching, my screen went black, and I was back to square one!  I managed to duplicate the app causing my Fitbit to crash again, so I now know that the app is causing the device to not function.  Why should I be told I must purchase a new device, when the one I have is perfectly fine, but the app we are forced to use is the real issue.  Seems very fishy, and unethical, that Fitbit will not fix their end.  It can’t all be a coincidence.  Fitbit needs to recognize that we will and are going to stop buying their products if this continues.

[AmyinColorado]

So, after weeks of trying to fix it with the various suggestions listed on this post to no avail, my Fitbit Charge 4 is now working. I tried one last ditch effort. I took it off the charger and let it sit over night. It then appeared completely dead, no buzz or anything. I then charged it and low and behold after a full charge I saw a clock on it today. I then reconnected it to my app and downloaded the update. I should note that I previously had followed one advice saying to remove it from my app and then reconnect, but that didn't work because even though sometimes the green lights were working on the back, since the face was black I couldn't see the code to pair it. I'm not sure what happened before. Sometimes it was black and would connect to the app (before I removed the device from the app) and sometimes it was black and wouldn't connect. Sometimes it would allow me to do a reset and show the smiley face but wouldn't do anything else. So I'm not sure if this post will help anyone else, but just note that after spending way too much time researching and resetting, miraculously it is now working again with no rhyme or reason. 

[AlexKahler]

Same here.

I could restart and show the screen for a few seconds and then it would go back again. Button vibrates and it syncs with the phone, however screen is black.

[JuanFitbit]

Hi everybody! Thank  you for your messages, updates, and feedback. If you already contacted Support, and the steps provided did not improve the situation, please let them know, so that they can investigate your case further. 

If you haven't done so, please contact our team, they'll be more than glad to have a closer look at each of your cases. 

See you around. 

[JQandSS]

Well, they didn't admit the issue was an update error, they merely gave me
35% off my next purchase....which I did, but feel like it shouldn't have
happened that way since my charge 4 was all good up too the update...not
real happy...

[AmyinColorado]

Well that was short lived. Last night it went black again. I'm done with it. 

[CoreyMac]

@AmyinColoradoThat is unfortunate that it failed again for you too.  It does not appear Fitbit is interested in resolving these issues they have created with their updates (yet again) in a reasonable fashion.

They have a reasonable platform, with issues, but still.  FitBit keeps snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with their customers and it REALLY makes the customers NOT want to to trust FitBit and/or be subscribers which seems to be their actual stated goal.  They just so often don't act in ways that encourage loyalty or commitment to their platform.

This is a primary issue with devices we "purchase" that we no longer actually have control over as these industries march on.  Not forward so much as sideways or backwards...

[SparksofHealing]

I had given up on mine. Hubby had it on charge st his repair station. All of a suddEn it started connecting to my phone again. I put it back on my wrist this morning, so far so good. 

hope it continues to work. 

~~Patricia. 

[Curleycat]

HAAAAAAALLELIJAHHHH!!!!  ITS ALIVE!!!! 
Well!!! after dying a death back in beginning of August (2022). And despite doing all the stuff advised online & advice given by fellow community members, I chucked the dam thing in my draw and left it there, unused, untouched for the last few months because as far as I was concerned, the dam thing was dead/busted/kaput and I wasn’t going to fork out for a new one just yet! 😫

Anyhow, thought id stick it on charge today (3/Oct/22), just to see if there was any hope 🤔  (plus I saw a post recently where someone said theirs had miraculously started working after a time).

Also I reactivated the app on my devices (as I hadn’t used them since the watch died ☠️ a few months ago) and noted that since my Fitbit died back in August, there has since been 8 updates to the app by (I guess) Fitbit themselves!!!!! So I’m guessing (as someone comment on this thread a while back) there MUST have been an issue with Fitbit’ app update back in July causing watches to get knocked out :black_large_square:️ 😡

So good news, it’s now working (for now). 🥳🥳🥳  We’ll see how long for mind 🤪

But now it’s working, I did uninstall & reinstall my watch from scratch on the app so as to start from new. Fingers crossed the dam thing will stay working and I can get back to monitoring my fitness/walking (and everything in between) progress 😎

Wish me luck 🤞🏼🤪🤪🤪🤪

[mikeyy55]

I contacted Fitbit support and they are replacing mine free of charge. I reckon there may be a fault or a dodgy firmware update caused the problem.

[Curleycat]

*******************Ahhhh UPDATE! Watch & SCREEN stopped working AGAIN and it stopped recording everything. Seemed to get to 89% battery and BOOM 💥 Black screen, can’t even press the side button.

Total bollocks this watch. Have Tweeted & DM’d FITBIT as they had requested info on this problem!******************

[Politza]

Thanks for sharing. I gave up on the 4 and got the 5, which had been working fine so far.

Sent from my iPhone

[OlekViking]

After the last update it happend with mine too. At the beginning it didn't want to sync. Then I did a hard reset of my Charge 4 I removed the device from the app and connected everything again, I got it synced once then never again. I did a hard reset again and removed it from the app, turned off  then on the bluetooth, reinstalled the app, called NASA to align all the antenas they have, I prayed ten Our Fathers and Hail Marys, and... nothing! It is stuckes all the time "Found a device" and just before get the 4 numbers code from Charge 4. I used Charge 4 like 2 years ago and had a lot of sleep and spO2 issues and I started to use it again the last week and got synced for 3 days then nothing during another 3 days until todays issue. Holy moly, I don't know how this product is still alive!!! Is this a joke??? Hire good developers and create a good QA workflow, holy poop 🙂

[MonicaBarreto]

Me too. Just happened today, 29 days past warranty. Need a new one. Another $100. Crazy. 

[MonicaBarreto]

I did that. It can’t be fixed. They said I need to buy a new one, 29 days past one year of purchase. Rip off. As you can see here, many of us have exactly the same problem. Black screen, smiley face upon resetting and then the random buzzing but no display. It’s a pattern. It’s also $100 more