Fitbit Sense Stuck in Startup Loop

[atazia]

Back in March, out of nowhere my Fitbit Sense got stuck in a startup loop.

Going through steps mentioned in countless youtube videos and forum posts ranging from pressing / holding the button every which way possible to all the voodoo chants required before startup 🙂 , I decided to get on with my life and purchased an Apple Watch instead. 

After being  a long time Fitbit loyalist and using Charge 2 for quite a while, I switched to Sense for over $300 with a lot of excitement and saw it all flush down with only a couple of months of use. 

Disappointed is an understatement. 

Moderator edit: format

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @atazia. Welcome to the community forums.

I'm sorry for the experience and thank you for the detailed information and for the steps you've followed. At this time, I'd like to let you know that if you still have the Fitbit Sense and you still require further assistance, I'd recommend reaching out to our Support Team and they will be more than glad to provide assistance. 

Please note that you can get in touch with them through chat or over the phone, but phone wait times have been longer than normal. Click here to get connected. 

See you around. 

[CherylMorty]

I’m also having the same issue. I had a Versa and it got stuck on the startup screen. I called tech support with no help. I decided to buy a Sense and now it is stuck on the startup loop. Logo appears, disappears, reappears, disappears. Tried restarting more times than I can count. Removed the device from the app, tried to add it back with no luck. Removed the app from my phone, added it back- no help. I even tried draining the battery in efforts to reset. So here I am with two Fitbits in less than a year and none working. I got the Sense less than a month ago. I’m super disappointed.

[Cseus]

Don’t plug the Fitbit device into the charging cable. Press and hold the button for about 8 seconds until the screen turns off. After the screen turns off, you'll feel a short vibration: When you feel the vibration, release the button and immediately press and hold the button again. Wait until the blue logo appears, then disappears: Immediately release the button and then immediately press and hold it .again, until you feel a vibration. After you feel the vibration, release the button. This vibration indicates you started the factory reset. Wait for approximately 12 minutes while the device clears all data. Eventually, the Fitbit logo appears and the device boots and displays Fitbit.com/setup  Wait for a couple of minutes. wait until the Fitbit logo comes back with different languages. You just have to setup it up on your phone again just like you did the first time you setup the Fitbit. On the setup page, you will see the "Replace". Tap that then proceed. During setup, it will ask you to update the firmware that will take a while. But after that, you are all set. I hope this helps.

[RLoscar]

Thank you for the instructions. This fixed my sense that has been stuck in a reboot loop for weeks. I have seen similar instructions before but I couldn't get them to work...i tried your. Instructions — paying attention to the details and to my surprise it brought it back to life but it didn't do a factory reset or upgrade the firmware. It indicated that it didn't factory reset and that my data/settings were preserved.

I found the instructions easier to follow broken out into a list. I am pasting for someone to find. 

Reset:
1. Press and hold the button for about 8 seconds until the screen turns off

2. After the screen turns off, you'll feel a short vibration:

3. When you feel the vibration, release the button

4. And immediately press and hold the button again.

5. Wait until the blue logo appears, then disappears:

6. Immediately release the button

7. And then immediately press and hold it .again, until you feel a vibration

8. After you feel the vibration, release the button

[007User]

There's a fix after you reported the problem. Keep going down the forum where you posted your comment.  The solution worked for me.

[scottmillson74]

Disappointed is an understatement.

My sentiments exactly!

$400 smart watch lasted 6 months, died.  It's replacement lasted 7 months, now in this boot loop.

And Fitbit offers a pitiful 35% off the purchase of a new one if used in 30 days.

As if I'd pay another $400 for something that will likely only last 6 months.  

[Tazo]

Hi there

i am experincing the similar problem but more complex on my sense device. First i charged device anf after reached to the  full charged state i was wearing it for aprox 1 hour. I recognized that sense was empty and not responsive again. Strange,  it was not overheating during these time. I charged it again and affter it was fully charged i found it in very strange state. If i press the buttom it shows the face but it disapered in second. It went cyclic reboot sequence which can not be stopped. In between it shows half done fase and some unknown characters or shapes i newer saw before. I let it drain the battery but after recharging there was the same situation. After reading this blog i tried proposed sequence. It recovered but touch screen is not working. If i check the device over apple app ot shows it is operating. What should i do to recover the device which is pretty costly and stopped working after recharging sequence. Br Matjaz. 

[scottmillson74]

Your sense has a 1 year warranty. Is it under a year? If so I'd call
support and let them replace it.

[scottmillson74]

I wanted to follow up from my previous post and respond to yours.  After Fitbit support deciding my Fitbit was "having a battery issue" 🙄 they said I could buy another one and save 35%.

Being stubborn I kept following the steps from your tutorial.  I have to say, the timing is very finicky with this fix, but after a solid day of neurotically doing this (and two sore fingers from squeezing the dumb fake button) I finally got the timing correct and my sense is working again.

As for Fitbit support, thanks for nothing🖕🏻

[Tazo]

Thx for idea. Unfortunatelly my sense has 18 months of usage and today it happened as i described. Just now after whole day of of operation - without touch function, it drained battery in 15 minutes. So it is dead again. Will write to support. 
thx again for support. 

[onus2021]

this worked for me - thank you!!!

[clintco1]

Thank you for posting this (and figuring it out?).  It took me a couple days to get the timing right, but this process (and the step by step of this process posted by RLoscar) finally worked.  Timing is really hard to master, especially since you have to use the no button "button", but it does work!

 

[clintco1]

Thank you for posting the step by step to the process Cseus posted.  The sequence and the timing are hard to master, but I eventually got it to work after having my Sense locked up for a few days.

 

[Maxthor]

has to be exactly the right combination

[Celtic0999]

Have the same issue with no resolution when trying the various fixes in this thread and others.

I have spent over $600 on sense, ionic, and others over a 3-4 year period.  I think i am going a different direction this time - Apple.

[Maxthor]

I got rid of my Fitbit and went to Apple and it was the best thing I did...Fitbit supports sucks

[Celtic0999]

Thanks for the reply.  I just turned down the 35% discount.   Supper disappointed in Fitbit which have been using since the charge hr x2, ionic x2, sense (x3 - 1 mine and 2 older kids), premium member.  Loved the competitions, but every time I have an issue it’s always out of warranty and their only recourse is for me to spend another $$$ minus 35%.

so much for loyalty and support.

Will be spending $$$ at apple.

[Maxthor]

I already tossed my fitbit in the garbage and got an apple...better
hardware and better support

[ShArkFinn]

Thank you, Cseus. Your instructions are the best I've seen, and that includes similar instructions I received from the FitBit Support chat last night (which did not work for me.) I've had my FitBit Sense 2 for 6 months, and two days ago it started the "boot loop", where it would power off for 3 seconds, then power on with the logo for 4 seconds, and then it would repeat. Off/On/Off/On/Off/On ... All without me touching it, and it even happened whether the watch was on the charger or not.

I've had a 3rd-party watch face app installed for at least 5 months with no issue ... but I suspect the watch was trying to update and the 3rd-party watch face app was crashing the update process (likely because the app is not updated). Very frustrating, I'm using the watch for health reasons to monitor A-Fib post-heart-ablation until next month when I wear the Holter Heart monitor again for a week ... so I'm really hoping I don't have any data loss, as I'm planning to share with my doctor.

Also, here's four observations:
1) The steps to factory reset the watch are comically complex. Why not a tiny recessed button you can hold in with the end of a paper clip, like a router? (plus, the Support chat sessions time out and close after 1 minute of no response! While you're fiddling with the convoluted reset steps, of course the chat times out and goes away. Of course it does.) 

2) I had more success pressing my thumbnail into the slot, instead of "fully covering it with my thumb" as instructed.

3) After futzing with it for a few hours one evening, I left it plugged in for 18 hours (even though it was turning on/off every few seconds). Somehow, it managed to fully charge. Tonight I took it off of the charger, and followed Cseus's directions to resolve.

4) None of the videos I found showed this Off/On/Off/On cycling every few seconds. Most show the normal watch face, and people going to settings. That does not apply when your watch is just cycling off and on continuously. However ... pushing the side button according to the specific instructions worked anyway, even though it seemed hopeless.