Experiences of Charge 3 with water.

[Laloyosoy]

I open this thread so we can talk about our experiences of Charge 3 when it has had contact with water, whether it be swimming, washing our hands, in the rain, etc.

Your performance has changed? Have you noticed any change in the operation of the screen or similar?

In my case, none.
Only once did he get wet by washing my hands, dry it and ready, like new.

[MandaJ21]

It has been over a year and they just made a new model. I don’t expect they will be making any changes to the charge 3. Most companies feel that it’s cheaper to deal with the problems as they come up rather than do a recall. It’s unfortunate because they lost me as a customer permanently due to bad customer service for the 3 I had.

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[frank999]

I showered a few times without taking it off when finished and now my HR monitor stopped working, lights stopped working.  With no heart rate, it can't calculate anything except steps. Same with charge 2 but it was not waterproof at all.

[Meowmy]

My first Fitbit Charge 3 died in 7 months.  I almost never took it off, including showers, bathing, etc.  I was sent a replacement, and it also lasted about 7 months.  What you describe with the erratic vibrations, pixel loss, sync issues is the same for me.  I checked in with my mom, whom I bought the same one for her, and hers lasted just shy of a year before it died, and she also got a free replacement.  She, however, never took a shower or went swimming with it.  I have a sneaky suspicion that this device is not appropriately water resistant.  I love the rest of the features, so I will plan on trying to keep it drier by not showering or bathing with it.

[SunsetRunner]

I just received my fourth replacement. The display started messing up and I
had trouble charging. I think it would be a good idea before one buys to
make sure it's compatible with their device. My new one seems to sync just
okay I'm beginning to think that the fault would syncing is not with the
device that the app is on but rather the Fitbit itself. I have another five
months on my warranty so hopefully everything will go well. Hopefully your
Fitbit still working properly.

[frank999]

Not related but has anyone had experience with buying Charge 3's thru
Bonanza?

Price is $55 vs $99 at Amazon. They sell things for people like eBay.

--
*Frank*
ᐧ

[SunsetRunner]

I'm not familiar with that. What is it?

[paradawks]

Same problem as many other people. Normal usage of a Charge 3 with it only getting wet in the shower. Worked fine for a year, but is now a couple months out of warranty. It started continually buzzing until it died, then got stuck in a reboot/crash loop once charged again. After reading these posts, I've checked out the sensors and can see some condensation inside. I wouldn't call them waterproof, despite that being the reason I got one over other options.

[Sunsetlady1]

I only purchased the charge 3 because of the wearing it in water feature.

The 1st year it worked beautifully

This past May I wore it in the pool

I got out of the water and the screen was black then it started making weird vibrations on my wrist???

I called fit bit and because it was out of warranty they couldn't help me, but lucky for me I had purchased the extended warranty so they sent me a new one ...that was the end of May

Yesterday I was in a friends pool

Got out and it starts to vibrate like crazy.. sure enough no screen again

I just got off the phone after 1/2 hour and they are sending me yet again another one..But i literally live by my fitbit steps diet activity so I am without any till I get the replacement

What is the problem with this charge 3 and water . That was the whole premise behind the charge 3????

[frank999]

They are a great watch with all the software but keep them out of shower
and they only good for 2-3 years. Probably by a 4 when my 3 goes out and
it will.

--
*Frank*
ᐧ

[SunsetRunner]

It is supposed to be water resistant, I don't think it is sealed properly.
I don't swim with mine. I got caught in the rain with it and it crapped
out. In fact you have to be careful how you clean it. LIquid could still
get in it. Mine band cracked and they sent a new one. This was 2 days
before my warrenty was to expire. Because of my inconvenience, they gave me
an extra 30 days. MY fitbit charge 3 just bit the dust. They are sending me
another one which will be my last as my warrenty has expired. This will be
my 6th replacement in one year. I am through with fitbit. I will look for a
pedemeter or another brand of fitness watch. Good liuck!
Nancy

[FlanMan9000]

I had the first experience with this recently, wearing the Charge 3 on a rainy day for 1h or so. Once I got home it started vibrating erratically. The fitbit evetually stopped doing this (prob when it exhausted the battery).

After this, battery life went from 6-7 days to less than 48h.

Same thing happened today, no rain, just a lot of sweating from running on a hot day. I noticed condensation inside the sensors on the back... I put it in a vat of rice to see if it resurrects.

Charge 3 was meant to be sold as being water resistant... this is very disappointing, and sadly it was bought Dec 2018 so it's out of warranty.

Anyone know if the Charge 4 is better built to prevent these issues?

[frank999]

Charge 2 and 3, no difference. Just bought a charge 4 and plan to keep out
of water and not even sweat. I like the software of the fitbit.
Bought a $50 smart watch to wear as a work watch.
I just guess the 4 will not be any different.

--
*Frank*
ᐧ

[SunsetRunner]

Take my advice and don't buy another Fitbit watch. I've just not too long
ago got my sixth Fitbit charge 3 and less than a year and of course I'm out
of warranty. If this one goes that's it. In fact, when this one goes it's
it no more Fitbit for me. I even had trouble syncing with the app so I
decided to delete the app. Good luck.

[misskeylacruz]

That's happening to my second Charge 3 too and there are black lines across the screen.

[misskeylacruz]

I used both my Fitbit Charge 3 in the shower most of the time for about 6 months and they both started being affected (black lines on the screen). 😞

[mhynson]

I've had similar issues. I work with kids, so have been showering with it everyday for almost 4 months with no issues. This past week, I noticed it glitching. Today, lots of moisture, it won't turn on, and it's past warranty. 

[rupnzul]

I actually just started a different thread as this one didn't mention my issue. The trouble I'm having is my Charge 3 has been recording swim events event though I don't go in the water. At first I thought it might be related to showers, but when I started watching it more closely I see that it doesn't even match up with that. And the times are extreme, like 40 mins, or 1.5 hrs.?  My showers are 7-12 mins long.

[flen]

Mine just died after a short swim in the pool.  It's the fourth fitbit that has died.  I love them when they work but they are the most unreliable brand I have ever experienced.

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello everyone. @flen. Welcome to the community forums. 

Thank you for the detailed information and for your feedback.  Please note that our team is always working to enhance your experience and your feedback is a big part of that process.

On a side note, if restarting your Charge 3 didn't work, my best recommendation is that you please contact our Support Team for further assistance. Please note that you can explain the inconvenience and mention the troubleshooting steps, this way they can assist you from there. 

On a side note, this thread is now closed. If you have any other questions, please post them in a new thread.

See you around.