Versa no longer holding charge

[CristenMcCarthy]

I’ll start by saying I have already tried all of the recommendations given on the FitBit forums, and I don’t think I’m having the same problem as others.

My Versa is about 16 months old and I’ve been using it daily to track heart rate and for my morning alarm. Normally I’ve been charging it every 2-5 days and that has been sufficient. I’ve changed nothing about how I use it or how I charge it, however now my watch isn’t even holding a charge over night. I noticed 2 days ago the green heart rate light wasn’t flashing when I took the watch off, but seemed to start working again after about 36 hours. I charged the watch to 100% last night and my alarm did not go off this morning because the battery was nearly dead (battery icon flashing red).

I’m pretty sure that the battery is simply dead since I’ve had it for so long and I’ve changed nothing about auto-sync, alarm usage, quick view, etc that would elicit this new charging problem. 

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

[JuanJoFitbit]

Hi @CristenMcCarthy, due to the recent events, I apologize for the delayed response. However, let me welcome you to our Fitbit Community.

I'm sorry to hear that your Versa's battery is draining fast. I totally understand how you feel about this. By the way, thank you for troubleshooting this issue before contacting our forums.

Please confirm if you tried the tips listed in this help article. This article contains steps that you already tried but you can skip them and proceed with the rest. If you tried them, let me know and I'll be happy to follow up and assist you accordingly. Thank you for your time and patience with this.

I'll be around if any question arises.

[Amartinez12]

I am also having the same issue. My versa will no longer hold a charge as of today I have already charged it twice within 24 hours (and the day is not even over yet) I set my alarm as well for a meeting this morning and my versa died over night after charging fully prior to bed. I have already tried all of the recommendations given on the FitBit forums as well and still nothing. I believe I have had mines for about the same time 16 months or longer.

[Laurchi]

I too am having this issue and have had my Versa for 2+years.  I have changed no settings on my device. This began happening 3 days ago.  I have tried all the troubleshooting steps recommended in the reply from Fitbit above.  On a whim, i also tried the complete reset of the device, still no luck

[Laurchi]

Juan Fitbit, Did you have any other suggestions?

[bbailey328]

I’m having this issue as well. I have had my Versa for 3+ years and could go 4-5 days between charges. Since the new update and the SpO2 sensor has been added it is almost dead when I wake up on the 3rd morning. I love my Versa and don’t want to have to purchase a new one if this can be resolved!

[Duc916]

I'm with you on the battery being potentially dead.  Li-ion batteries only have so many charging cycles in them before they can just no longer hold a charge. 

[JP-Y]

Sadly this is a common problem across all Fitbit products and I believe it is deliberately built in by Fitbit (the technical term is built-in obsolescence) to ensure that you purchase new models on a regular basis. All manufacturers of all domestic products from boilers to vacuums to washing machines and, of course, cars do it. It's a dirty and nefarious practice but it's not illegal.

I bought a Fitbit One about four years ago, after about 18 months the battery would no longer hold its charge. I contacted Fitbit who, without quibble, replaced it but what they didn't do was replace the two-year warranty. No surprise there and, again no surprise, here I am nearly two years on from receiving the replacement having the self-same issue, the difference being that now I have to buy a new device but whether that will be a Fitbit device (almost certainly not) or not remains to be decided. My current thinking is to grit my teeth and go to a more reliable but much pricier manufacturer such as Samsung or go way down market and get a cheap tracker for £20 or £30 from Amazon.

This doesn't solve your problem but at least you now know you need to claim a new one under your warranty and that you should expect to have to buy a new model in about 18 months when the battery in the replacement fails.