Heart rate not working on my Charge 2

[Jenn1011]

Today I noticed my Charge 2 not showing heart rate, only shows two lines (--). Immediately went to tracker user guide, troubleshooting guide to try to fix the problem but so far no luck. In reviewing my heart rate history, I see that the last time it worked in reading my heart rate was on March 8. I have tried restarting, changing heart rate settings (off, on, auto), re syncing, and nothing has worked. Previously I owned a Charge HR but broke and I replaced with Charge 2 thinking it would be a nice upgrade with new/improved features, don't want to regret making the purchase. I've only had it for about 2 weeks. Please help!

[Zeki198140]

Mine is 14 months old. Won't do a thing. That's why I'm switching to Garmin

Sent from my iPhone

[david.steadson]

I sent a message to customer support and never received a response - not impressed. On a more positive note, after letting the battery completely drain itself the HR monitor seems to have reset and is now working!

[Shanni4]

Thank u sooo much! Resetting my Fitbit 3 times worked! U r awesome! 

[Waffleman]

Yep they die as soon as the warranty ends. this is my 3rd one from them and they have all only made it a year. I am pretty done with this fit**ahem**.

[AMS123]

Same issue. Heart rate doesn' work. My little glass chip is cracked also. Any luck?

[TheFunkeyGibbon]

Oh, I've given up with my Fitbit and won't be buying another of their
devices, not recommendeding them to anybody else either.

[lescaut40]

I have today noticed the exact problem at the back of my fitbit, but the 2 green lights are flashing but not giving me a heart rate. I bought mine in Oct 2016, so don't stand a chance of getting a refund! Not happy, as I paid £129... 

[yerffej]

I think I got lucky. Resetting the device 3 times didn't work, so I next followed Fitbit's online instructions via my Iphone Fitbit app:

1. From the Fitbit app dashboard, tap or click the Account icon  (your device image.)
2. Tap or click the tracker tile.
3. Tap or click Heart Rate and make sure it's set to Auto.
4. Sync your tracker.

Mine was already set to Auto, so I tried the following variations:

A.  I clicked myCharge 2 Account Icon and under Heart Rate: I ticked OFF, went back to the Dashboard, synced.

B. I went back to my Charge 2 Account, under Heart Rate and this time I ticked ON, went back to the   Dashboard, synced (at this point, the Heart rate function started working again.)

D. I Again went back to my Charge 2 Account, this time ticking AUTO under Heart Rate, went back to the Dashboard, synced, and the heart rate tracker was back!

Hope this works for you too.

[NorwalkPhil]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try this and let everybody in
on the results.

[SunsetRunner]

I’ll try this as a last ditch effort. I’m on my second (and probably last) Fitbit. I had a Charge 1 - the plastic wristband disintegrated shortly after a year. No replacement band available even though the device itself still worked. They gave me the standard 25% off so I bought a Charge 2. It’s 17 months old and the original plastic band disintegrated this week, right on schedule. This time, I was able to buy a replacement. The HR monitor has been an on and off thing for quite some time and, honestly, I don’t depend on it anyway. This time it hasn’t tracked my heart rate at all in several months. I contacted support via chat and they did a cursory “try a reset, try setting it to off, then sync, then on, and sync again” routine. When that didn’t work, the referred me to “second tier support.” The only thing tier 2 wanted to know was warranty status. When they found it was past warranty I got the standard “here’s 25% off - go buy a new one” email. (Although interestingly, the discount does NOT aply to an Ionic or Versa). Disappointing, to say the least. I love my Fitbit - wear it everywhere but in the shower, but I’ll think twice before buying another. These things are too expensive to be throwing away every year, even with a 25% discount. Maybe it’s time for an Apple Watch. They’re overpriced and definitely have their shortcomings, but I replace my Macs and iDevices because of compelling new functionality, not because they just stop working.

[AMS123]

I bought a cheap 25 dollar knock off and love it.

[c2gemineyes]

Was urs under warranty still?

[AMS123]

No. It was 2 years old

[SunsetRunner]

No, it wasn’t, and I couldn’t seem to make their “second tier support” understand that I wasn’t demanding a free replacement - I was just put off by their “oh, it stopped working? Too bad, so sad - here’s a coupon - throw it away and buy another” attitude. Seriously? Seems like there’s a known problem with the HR circuitry in the Charge 2 - they never even tried anything - just asked about the warranty, then sent me the stock “here’s 25% off - go buy another one” email. This one was already a replacement (bought with another 25% off coupon) for the first one I had which died just after the warranty expired. I’m not signing up for another round. I’m careful with my tech toys and don’t think it’s reasonable to have to replace them on a yearly basis.

[c2gemineyes]

Absolutely. I agree completely



Chauntelle Russell
210-618-0608

Please excuse any mistakes as this was Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note8, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

[LaceyLuce]

I noticed my Charge 2 wasn’t tracking heart rate or the advanced sleep metrics. I cleaned and reset and realized that one of the sensors wasn’t lit. I contacted customer support and after a lot of back an forth their final answer was that my device was past the warranty (by one month) so the best they would offer me was 25% off. I pushed back. They can do better than this. I appreciated that they need to stick to their warrranty policy, however, their device should last longer than 13 months and if they stand by that they should have let me buy a new one at cost. If they don’t stand by that then I’m happy to see that Garmin is getting really great reviews and gaining on Fitbit. I did love the Charge 2 while it was working but at $150 it has to last longer than 13 months and they need to stand behind their product. It’s also worth noting that by the end of a week, the second sensor was failing and they never responded to my suggestion of a bettter discount. They simply kept sending me the same canned response. Their customer service is prompt, courteous and uses all the right words, but when it comes to action it leaves a lot to be desired. 

[SunsetRunner]

I hear you. Not really sure about mine - both sensors are working. I’ve cleaned it, reset it, tried all the prescribed configuration changes as well as run the battery completely down, recharged it completely and tried again - all to no avail. Hardware? Software? Firmware? No idea. All I know is that HR isn’t working and Fitbit isn’t interested in pursuing it any further. I know they have to make a profit, but that’s not my primary responsibility. I was considering a Versa, but given my history with Fitbit, I’m just not comfortable with the much of an investment on a device with no track record. Good luck with your quest - keep us all in the loop - your experience might help someone else.

[NorwalkPhil]

Now my band is broken. i nearly lost it when it fell off of my wrist while
I was working if the yard. Luckily I found it. I was a Christmas gift so
I've only had it for six months but I don't know if I can get the receipt
if customer service requires one to honor the warranty. I really can't
believe how frustrated I've become over something I was looking so forward
to owning....

[AMS123]

I ended up getting a knock off on for 24 dollars. So far so good

[GlockQueen]

I have used my FitBit for 19 months and my heart rate monitor did the same thing.  It quit measuring my heart rate and only showed dashes. The lights on the underside would sometimes illuminate and sometimes wouldn't.  I went through all of the "help" tips  on the forum to no avail.  I then contacted customer services.  They were very pleasant and responsive but recommended the same things listed on the forum.  After a week of trouble shooting, I was informed that my warranty was expired and there was nothing they could do.  They were very kind and offered me a discount on a future purchase but it excluded all newer products.

My husband works for Costco which is where I purchased my tracker  His response was along the lines of "Why is my company carrying a product that won't even last 2 years with normal wear and tear?"  I took my tracker back to Costco and they graciously gave me a full refund.  

If you are having the same problem and are frustrated with the quality of the product, I would suggest taking it back to the retailer where you purchased it (Costco, BestBuy, Target).  When the big companies carry a product, they fill out a brief description of why the product was returned.  The buyers monitor that information and if they have too many returns for a product they will quit carrying it.  The other  advantage of returning it to the retailer is that they will back the product when FitBit won't.  You can then turn around and spend your refund with that retailer on a product that you want and that you trust.