Firmware Update Stuck

[Mark_F]

My Charge HR is 2.5 years old, all has been great until this week. The display has been stuck in the same place for 4 days now. It tried to update the firmware and now I have the infamous half-bar of death.

Here is what I have tried:

1. Restart with the charging cable plugged in, hold the button, 2 seconds later disconnect and continue holding button for 7-9 seconds. I am a pro at this maneuver now, having done it about 50 times.

2. Remove the Charge HR from the Fitbit app on my iPad, then add it back in. I am unable to "forget this device" in the Bluetooth menu no matter how many times I tried, so I have to disable Bluetooth before I can remove the tracker in the app. I have gone through this about 20 times now.

3. Same process with the Windows desktop app. I have plugged in the dongle, opened the app dashboard and removed the tracker, and closed it. I then added it back in but no change. Yes I made sure the iPad bluetooth was turned off while trying this on my desktop.

4. Deleted the Fitbit app on my iPad and then re-installed it, added the tracker, but no change there. I have done this about 4 times now.

5. I just saw another thread where someone recommended turning off Notifications from Fitbit on my iPad while deleted and re-adding the tracker. Done, restarted, no difference. 

6. Let the tracker completely discharge for 3 days and then tried removing and re-adding it to the app. No change.

Today I have just left it connected to the recharge cable, and left the Fitbit app running, and it is cycling through "updating", "syncing", and "locating" continuously for about 4 hours so far.

Any other suggestions?

Moderator Edit: Updated Subject for Clarity

[SantiR]

@Mark_F Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Thanks for reporting the situation you are experiencing with Charge HR being stuck in the middle of a firmware update. Also, thanks for trying all of those steps to sort this out.

I'd recommend checking my post here. You will find two links with steps you can try. The first one pretty much includes what you already did. However, you could try the steps listed there once again in the order given for best results.

If that doesn't work, you could try the steps on the second link on my post. It is about how to factory reset your Charge HR. This has helped other users in the past.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes! 

[Mark_F]

Hi Santi, and thanks for your reply. I have a Charge HR, not Ionic.

Yes I have tried the restart, remove and re-add the tracker, and the factory reset, in that order, as described in your article.

The restart will clear the display at about 10 seconds and the green light flashes, but nothing else changes.

When removing the tracker from the app, I am unable to "forget this device" in the Bluetooth menu, so I disable Bluetooth instead. Other than that, I have followed those instructions to the letter multiple times.

The factory reset steps result in no change whatsoever on the display. I have held the button for the recommended 7-9 seconds, but I never see ALT or anything other change to the display. Other times I have held for as long as 30 seconds. The display never changes.

It's such a surprise because this tracker has worked flawlessly for over 2 years before this firmware update.

[SantiR · Accepted solution]

@Mark_F Thanks for your reply! Sorry about that one, my bad. Thanks for trying the steps provided above!

I went ahead and contacted you via PM. Please keep an eye on your Community inbox.

Keep me posted! 

[amxcollect]

I'm having the same issue and have wasted WAY too much time playing with it.  I have a new one I got as a gift and can start using that, but am an addict to Fitbit and hate to lose all the steps and records stored since last update.

[SantiR]

@amxcollect Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Thanks for sharing the experienced you had with Charge HR. Thanks for trying the troubleshooting steps to sort this out.

I'm glad to hear you got a new one as a gift! If you set up that one as a replacement device; you should not loose any of the previous data you had on your account with your previous tracker. All the data that was synced will remain on your account.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes! 

[okrunner]

I'm having the same issue.  My fitbit charge HR has worked wonderful for the last 1.5 years.  Now, all of a sudden, today, screen went blank, it's not responding to anything, it can't sync as my phone keeps searching for it.  I've held in the button for 10-12 secs and saw a green light flash, unplugged from the charger and held the button in again, but nothing.  Everything now and then I get to a screen with a thin white bar half filled in, but it only stays a short while and then disappears.  

[Smithme2322]

I am having the same problem and mine is brand new. I've tried it over 10 times the past 2 days and called customer service who told me to do the same thing and it's still not working. 

[amxcollect]

Gave up and bought an alra. Just what they hoped.



Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Deviceg

[Coldam]

Same here @okrunner  I'm not sure if it's a bad firmware update, or if it's just coincidentally a lot of Charge HRs time to fail.  Keep checking back here every couple days with hope there's a fix, but haven't seen anything yet.  Let me know if you find something that works.

[okrunner]

Yea, I think that is the route I have to take too. Just tossed up between the alta, charge HR 2, and the versa.......I don't really need all the apps, just use it more for fitness. Although, waterproof would be nice so I don't have to try and keep it dry. But I guess that was not a big problem over the last year with my old tracker. What are your thoughts?

[Coldam]

Weird.  Customer Service just told me mine is dead and didn't get offer a discount on another.  My wife has the Charge 2 and likes it, but I'm pretty sure the Charge 3 will be coming out in Sept or Oct this year, so I'm planning on just waiting till it comes out to get a new one.

[Twins2me]

Mine is doing the same thing. I’ve tried all of the resets, but nothing works. It’s stuck on the update bar.

[Canada14]

Good luck, just was on the phone with support. They have no fix but will give me 25% off a new one, even though it worked perfect before there update! Then they had the nerve to say it was a blue tooth problem, I was talking to them on blue tooth!! Bottom line is there update froze my fitbit and now I'm out $180 bucks, what a joke!!

[SantiR]

Hello everyone! Thanks for sharing your experience with Charge HR being stuck in the middle of a firmware update. Also, thanks for trying all of those steps to fix this.

If you haven't done so already; I'd recommend checking my post here. You will find two links with steps you can try. Try the steps listed on the first link once again in the order given for best results.

If that doesn't work, you could try the steps on the second link on my post. It is about how to factory reset your Charge HR. This has helped other users in the past.

If non of this works; please report this to customer support for further assistance. 

Keep me posted!

[Chrisakeith]

I have had same Charge HR problem where it is stuck 1/2 way through firmware update. Tried many things to resolve with not success. Please help!!!

[okrunner]

I have not found a fix. Had to buy a new one.

[SpeedRacer31]

That is the fix. If a restart and a reset does not work, buy a new one.

[SantiR]

@Chrisakeith Welcome to the Fitbit family! Thanks for reporting the situation you are experiencing with Charge HR stuck on mid firmware update. Thanks for trying some steps to sort this out.

I'd recommend making sure you have tried the steps shown on this post here. That has helped other users in the past. Also, forgetting the device from Bluetooth settings has helped as well.

@okrunner @SpeedRacer31 I hope you're doing well! Thanks for sharing your experience on this thread!

Keep me posted! 

[PossumBaby]

Same thing has happened to me.

I have also tried the hard reset as well as removing the device from the app and my Bluetooth and so far nothing has worked.

This is the first FitBit  product I have bought and after all the good things I have heard previously I'm frankly really disappointed.