Lifespan of a Charge 2

[kelephant13]

Hello! I am currently almost 1 1/2 years into my ownership of a Charge 2. In the past week, I have had to reset it anywhere from 2-5 times a day to get it to sync to my iPhone. In the past few days I have noticed the heart rate monitor no longer is working and I am getting blank lines down the screen, which I assume is pixels burning out.

My question is how long have people experienced their Charge 2s lasting in general? I know there is a year warranty, so I have surpassed that. But it just seems for all it does and what it costs, we should get more than a year and a half out of it. I take very good care of it, never get it wet (except sweat) and have worn it pretty much everyday since I got it!

I have enjoyed this version much more than the others I have had (the very first one which I cannot remember the name, a Flex and a Charge HR) and want to get another. 

Thanks for your information!

[Julia_G]

Hi, @kelephant13, obviously every user's experience varies, and it sounds like your Charge 2 has worked hard for you!

Having said that, I doubt whether your syncing issues are related to your Charge 2's age.  Sometimes this just happens spontaneously and then clears up... It is more likely to be related to Bluetooth intereference, server issues, internet issues, etc.  

Your other problems are a little more concerning.  When you say the HR monitor is no longer working, do you mean the lights don't flash, or something else?  It ould be that this is also aconnectivity issue.  Not sure without more information...

Blank lines on the screen may very well be pixels dead or dying.  If this doesn't interfere with your readings then it is probsbly not a worry, but may be an indication that your Fitbit is coming towards the end of its life.

You mention that you are regularly giving it a restart so I won't suggest that here....

I suspect that the sync issues will resolve themselves, or else you will get used to the restart routine.  Hopefully you can get the HR monitor going, or with some more information someone will be able to help (as a first step I eould suggest going to the app, turning OFF HR and syncing and then turning back ON again, and see if that helps).

It may just be that after 18 months your Charge 2 is getting a little bit elderly and cranky, thoguh hopefully there is life in the old girl yet... I note that these days people expect to replace their phones -- which cost many times the price of a Fitbit -- after only 2 years.

Welcome to the forums!

[1swat1]

the reason why its dieing on you is because you may be going to hard on it or it could be a bit waterlogged if your still have warranty

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@kelephant13 wrote:

Hello! I am currently almost 1 1/2 years into my ownership of a Charge 2. In the past week, I have had to reset it anywhere from 2-5 times a day to get it to sync to my iPhone. In the past few days I have noticed the heart rate monitor no longer is working and I am getting blank lines down the screen, which I assume is pixels burning out.

My question is how long have people experienced their Charge 2s lasting in general? I know there is a year warranty, so I have surpassed that. But it just seems for all it does and what it costs, we should get more than a year and a half out of it. I take very good care of it, never get it wet (except sweat) and have worn it pretty much everyday since I got it!

I have enjoyed this version much more than the others I have had (the very first one which I cannot remember the name, a Flex and a Charge HR) and want to get another. 

Thanks for your information!

---

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@kelephant13 wrote:

Hello! I am currently almost 1 1/2 years into my ownership of a Charge 2. In the past week, I have had to reset it anywhere from 2-5 times a day to get it to sync to my iPhone. In the past few days I have noticed the heart rate monitor no longer is working and I am getting blank lines down the screen, which I assume is pixels burning out.

My question is how long have people experienced their Charge 2s lasting in general? I know there is a year warranty, so I have surpassed that. But it just seems for all it does and what it costs, we should get more than a year and a half out of it. I take very good care of it, never get it wet (except sweat) and have worn it pretty much everyday since I got it!

I have enjoyed this version much more than the others I have had (the very first one which I cannot remember the name, a Flex and a Charge HR) and want to get another. 

Thanks for your information!

---

on it you cant get a new one 

[Terpgeek]

I too am experiencing lines horizontal lines running through the data which makes it hard to read. I’m missing 11 and 1 on the clock face.  The Fitbit has lasted me less than 1 year and 5 months. It gets damp once in awhile but never abused. I agree it should have a longer life span. It’s a shame if that’s all I get out of the Fitbit because I’ve gotten very accustomed to the app

[kelephant13]

An update - it is time for pallative care and making it comfortable. It died yesterday, I threw it on the charger for the rest of the afternoon/evening and then put it on before bed. It was dead again this morning. I think the ol’ girl just can’t handle one more day of step counting. RIP Charge 2! Thank goodness Mother’s Day is this weekend!! 🎁 

[kelephant13]

@Julia_G Do you have the Ionic? How do you like it? I am trying to decide between another Charge 2 or the Ionic. My husband suggested an Apple Watch, which the Ionic seems to be similar to. If you have any insights, that would be great!

[Julia_G]

Hi, @kelephant13, I do have the Ionic, and before that I used a Charge 2.  I have to say that I love the Ionic, though I am really surprised to find myself wearing such a big watch.  I do like the extra features over the Charge 2.  Also clearer / quicker colour screen, no problem seeing in sunlight, excellent battery life.

Main disadvantage (to me) of the Ionic is how big it is (but that does mean I get one watch face that shows Time, day, date, battery capacity, sunrise, sunset, predicted high, predicted low, current weather, active minutes, kms walked, steps and HR...which is pretty cool!)

Main disadvantage (to me) with the Charge 2  was 'Connected GPS,.  I just couldn't get it to work consistently.   And would often come home after a long hike, or jog to find it just hadn't mapped me.

I don't really have any experience with the Apple watch.  I think it is a little smaller than the Ionic, and in looks I think is more like the new Fitbit Versa (at least in pictures -- I haven't seen the Versa in real life).  I am told that the Apple Watch battery only lasts a day or so.  For me the Ionic lasts 4-5 days (without GPS turned on), which I think is important for a watch designed to monitor your HR constantly and for you to sleep with.

I hope that helps.

[kelephant13]

@Julia_G Definitely helps! Thank you so much!!

[Julia_G]

@kelephant13, be sure to tell us what you decide, and what you think of your new Fitbit, whichever it is.

[kelephant13]

Ok, my husband got me an early Mother's Day present and bought me the Fitbit Versa (after some research on my part and a suggestion email!) Ha! After talking to some people about the Apple Watch - most people confirmed it only lasts a day for charging where as most of the Fitbits last 4+ days. Although I think the Charge 2 is a sufficient Fitbit for most (and I thoroughly liked it), I liked that the Versa has some water resistance to it. I also like the more watch-like feel.So far so good! 🙂 

[Terpgeek]

So I contacted Fitbit customer support to see if I could get some type of satisfaction and I heard their customer service was really good. I heard they stand behind their product. The customer service and communication was excellent. However the best remuneration they had was a 25% discount from their on line price. Nice proposal but the Charge 2 is available at Best Buy’s and Kohl’s for the same price point and I don’t have to wait for the shipping however free it is. I did accidentally just mp into a swimming hole in Australia back in December so may be I got it wet and it’s my fault. I may give the Charge 2 another go but a I will look at the other model

Sent from my iPhone

[Julia_G]

@kelephant13, thanks for letting us know what you decided!  I hope the Versa works well for you.

@Terpgeek, if you are ready to give Fitbit another try, then I would say that the Versa has all the features of the Charge 2 and more.  If your 25% off works for that, why not give it a try?

[Irisita]

Hello, I have seen many say between 1-1/2 years. I have had mine since October 2015 and it is now May 2018. I do not see horizontal lines. I use it daily, charge it when it's time. It wasn't until 2 weeks ago that it finally did not sync to my phone, but I turned everything off and turned it back on and now it is working fine! I probably use mine like yours, so I guess it varies.

[Julia_G]

@Irisita, thanks for adding your experience.  Mine still works fine too.

[Alvito]

I've owned my Charge 2 for about 10 months and hope it lasts more than 18 months.  My main complaint is not about Fitbit electronics but the lak of attention to details that make it less than ideal.  For me it has been the strap which has been replaced two times in 10 months.  I think I have a 50%/50% chance of losing he device in the next eight months as the strap is likely to break at least two more times.

The analogy I would use is having a car but 2-3 times a year it won’t start because the ignition key does not work.  So is it really an unreliable car or a just a faulty igniton?  On the positive side Fitbit customer service has been efficient and accomodating as I am still in the 12 month warranty period.

[kaskey]

I have had my Charge 2 for 4 years and last night the battery went dead. I charged it and this morning I came out to check it out and it is just constantly vibrating. I tried the reset 3 times and it's not working so I think it has finally died. So I think it lasts about 4 years.