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]

@PossumBaby Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Thanks for trying the troubleshooting steps you found on the Community in order to sort this out.

I just want to make sure you followed the right troubleshooting steps. You can find them in this helpful article. This article will give you some specific steps, please follow them in order (If you haven't done those already).

If you already did and still nothing; the next steps is to perform a factory reset on your Charge HR and then the firmware update once again. Check the steps on this article to complete a factory reset. After this, update your tracker once again. This should certainly help you out with this.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes! 

[PossumBaby]

I've already tried everything you have listed, repeatedly. 

[amxcollect]

Don't know why, except addiction, but I bought another charge hr!
Tried Alta and didn't like it.



Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[MLAB-67]

I have the same problem with both my original charge he and my replacement. I haven’t used it for at least 18 months, so should be flat but when I put it on to recharge, it is exactly the same. I ha e tried all the troubleshooting tips and still nothing . 

[PossumBaby]

Bump

can someone please get back to me. 

Feels like Fitbit isn't trying to help anyone who still has issues that a hard reset and general factory solutions can't help. 

After all all the talk about how good the customer service is I'm horribly disappointed. 

[amxcollect]

I just answered yesterday that I gave up and bought a brand new charge HR. Can you imagine it's only holding its charge for less than 24 hours? When I originally bought them they would last for 4 or 5 days



Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[SantiR]

@PossumBaby @MLAB-67 Thanks for your reply and for trying all of those steps in order to sort this out. I went ahead and created a case with customer support in your behalf. Keep an eye on your email inbox for next steps.

@amxcollect Thanks for your help on this thread! Please check this thread about battery draining to get some steps to sort this out.

Keep me posted! 

[Norsewalker]

Add me to the list of disappointed fitbit victims of the half bar of death.  How is this thread marked as having a solution?  Mine is just under 2 years old.  I did think for the price that it would be usable longer.  Of course, I was also naive enough to think that apple would have worked on a proper fix, since the problem goes back years.

[SantiR]

@Norsewalker  Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Thanks for trying the troubleshooting steps you found on the Community. That usually helps the users.

I just want to make sure you followed the right troubleshooting steps. You can find them in this helpful article. This article will give you some specific steps, please follow them in order (If you haven't done those already).

If you already did and still nothing; the next steps is to perform a factory reset on your Charge HR and then the firmware update once again. Check the steps on this article to complete a factory reset. After this, update your tracker once again. This should certainly help you out with this.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes! 

[Chrisakeith]

I’ve tried all of this without positive results. Still stuck halfway through the update and nothing I’ve tried has changed it.

Chris

Sent from my iPhone

[Norsewalker]

I have tried the factory reset several times with no success.  I have tried many and various suggestions found on these community forums with no success.  I did not initiate the firmware update, it just appeared.  Aptly nicknamed the half bar of death.

[sphill14]

Hi @SantiR - I've just started experiencing all of the issues that everyone else has had in this thread.  I've gone through all of the steps in both articles you suggest (in older threads) but with no luck.  Is there anything that can be done to help?

---

@SantiR wrote:

@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! 

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[Norsewalker]

The short reply to your question is....Nope.  Best to contact customer support.  They might advise as a last resort to attempt a reset.  But customer support is the best place to advise you.

[sphill14]

---

Thanks @Norsewalker.  They offered a free replacement or 50% off of a new FitBit tracker.  As I have the Charge HR, do you know if the replacement would be another Charge HR or a Charge 2?  Thinking it doesn't make sense to get another old model.

@Norsewalker wrote:

The short reply to your question is....Nope.  Best to contact customer support.  They might advise as a last resort to attempt a reset.  But customer support is the best place to advise you.

---

[Nb1210]

Hi 

I tried to update my charge HR and for a few weeks now it has been stuck in a loop 

can anyone off advice 

I’ve tried letting it run flat and starting again 

I’ve tried forgetting it on the app the re adding it 

any tips or ideas would be appreciated 

[SteveH]

Fitbit's troubleshooting guide for this is at: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1742/

The most likely thing to fix it is the restart procedure:

1. Plug your charging cable into the USB port on your computer or any UL-certified USB wall charger.
2. Insert the other end into the port on the back of your Fitbit Charge or Fitbit Charge HR. Your tracker will begin charging.
3. Press and hold the button for 10 to 12 seconds until you see the Fitbit icon and a version number (e.g. "V30").
4. Let go of the button.
5. Unplug your tracker from the charging cable.

[GOBUDDYGO]

Tried all steps to fix this problem and even contacted customer support. This is the second one in which I have had a problem with all they want to do is sell you a new one in which I have had a problem with. All they want to do is sell you a new one and and I told them to keep their discount and I am done with Fitbit go to Garmin it is a better product.

Moderator Edit: Format

[Norsewalker]

My charge hr is also d.o.a., stuck half way through the update bar.  I was pleasantly surprised that customer support offered me anything, since the fitbit was almost 2 years old, and the warranty is for one year only.  I now have the charge 2, and love it.  Hopefully, your garmin will give you good use, happy jogging.

[GOBUDDYGO]

Don't have the Garmin yet but talking to many customers of this product they seem to like it because it has a lot less problem then the Fitbit trackers.

Good luck with your new one.

Moderator Edit: Format

[Radhesh]

Hi, I am also struck with same issue. None of the recovery steps are working for me. I believe, the recovery depends on where/at what stage the update failed ! if it failed at later stages, where the factory reset image also flashed with buggy firmware, then there is no going back.

My observation is, when I did factory reset, the firmware version should have gone to older version ! which didn't happen ? So it is not showing me to update to the latest firmware !

Can fitbit release a new firmware version, just change the version no (if there is no bugfix), so that our Charge HR can properly flash the firmware ? 

Let us know, when can we expect updated firmware version ?