Fitbit Sense shows "Slow Charging" message

[WehuttyWanker]

With every power source I've ever hooked my Sense up to, I get a "Slow Charging" message. What do you do here plug it into 120 AC outlet or something to satisfy its demands?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[SunsetRunner]

I have now tried 3 new cables!!!!! I STILL have the slow charging issue! After experiencing two failures with my Ionic and being forced to move to a Sense I am afraid I will have to look at another smartwatch vendor. 

[kittrav2]

I had a Charge 2, worked well.  Different charging system.  I might try a Charge again.  Between this and a garbage phone, dont know which is worse!!

[jce48]

My slow charging was due to two different issues. One was the charging adapter that attaches to the back of the sense had one pin sticking in not extending to contact the sense. The second issue was due to the battery charging memory. Fitbit suggested I run my sense battery to Zero only then recharge the battery. This seemed to work. I have not had another slow charging warning on my watch since I fixed the charge connector and ran the battery to Zero.

Good Luck

Jack

[kittrav2]

Thanks for your reply. I will try the to zero option and see what
happens. If that doesnt work, am going back to a Charge or another
company. Will keep you posted.

[down_and_out]

I had the slow charging and the rapid draining of the battery when it was supposed to charge as well as slow charging.

The Sense drained itself to zero all on its own initiative within a very short time so that was checked off the to do list without my participation.

Recharged from zero with a new cable.   Still get the Slow Charging message somedays but it doesn't seem related to the actual charging rate.  It charges by 25-40% at the same speed  (time to shower & shave) whether the message pops up or not.  Not a confidence builder when an "error" message pops up but means nothing.  That may not be the experience others have with the Slow Charging.

I did find that some lamb's wool I have worked well at keeping contacts clean.

The new charge cable does not drain the battery when attached so a small blessing.  However the battery does drop up to 40% in a 24 hour period.  Far from the 7 days promised.  That is with clock face requiring button push to show up, no connection to Spotify or other apps and using Dim to Normal brightness.

[eezeepee]

I know this is kind of an old thread now, but I started using my wife's Fitbit Sense at the end of December since she wasn't using it anymore and I noticed this alert as well. That being said, it still charges plenty fast. I don't know if it's just a software error saying it's slow charging but I can get to 93% and 45 minutes. Getting to 100% is the slowest part but it's still plenty fast to just top off while showering and getting ready. Here's the times and percentages for my testing:

9:45 PM - 7% put on charger

10:15 PM - 69%

10:30 PM - 93%

10:35 PM - 96%

10:40 PM - 98%

10:45 PM - 99%

10:50 PM - 99%

10:54 PM - 100%

[Casual-User]

I’m glad that you’re satisfied. At $300 I, like many other users, was not satisfied with glitchy hardware and software. Our (collective) experience(s) were slow charging, sometimes losing charge while plugged in. I have moved on to another device, from another manufacturer, that actually works as advertised. I hope your luck holds. My Sense, and my $300, has been written off and stuffed in a drawer.

[pbug56]

I have not found a single 3rd party stand or charge cable that works properly with Sense.  Yes, regardless of price they are very cheaply built.  But the pin method just doesn't work - getting good contact on Sense is like spinning the dice.  Awful design.

[Irish57]

So agree!

[eezeepee]

I'm just using an old Samsung 5v2a charger. So when you plug and get the message, how much charge do you get in 30 minutes?

[pbug56]

Less than you would with a fully functional charge and charging cable
combination. Results vary.

[eezeepee]

I guess I'm lucky. 🤷🏻‍:male_sign:

[eezeepee]

I just topped off for 23 minutes and went from 40% to 70% even with the slow charging notification.

[pbug56]

Results vary with 'slow charging'. Sometimes zip, sometimes almost as fast
as normal. Some non-OEM charge cables work fairly well at first, but from
anywhere from days to months stop working. I've had a few with pins that
retract and don't come back out. Most are very poorly made.

[MHV]

Same issue. Contacted fit bit support. They told me they’re working on it and for me to keep checking their updates. And that a lot of people are impacted by it. But they didn’t give any expected fix dates nor were they able to tell me if it’s a hardware or firmware issue. They just don’t know anything. So frustrating. 

[Guy_]

How do I clean my Fitbit device?

It cannot be stressed enough the need for watch contact cleaning which must be done very carefully. Especially if there are signs of problems.

Whilst the watch may appear clean, the 4 contact holes are prone to collecting a fine layer of grime [not easily apparent to the naked eye] which can cause all sorts of charging issues, besides any inherent additional hardware or software issues.

Charging issues which may occur are: Slow charging, poor charging, no charging, sparking, overheating damaging the charger pins, possibly the watch contacts too if left unresolved. This may be aggravated by a poor charge cable or result in the need to replace the charge cable.

Unless there is an obvious message the user may be unaware of the problems with the charging which may cause longer term deterioration.

I use the SimpleClockPro watch face which not only predicts the charging duration, it logs each charge session so it's easy to look for any anomalies or inconsistencies from a normal charging.

[KB9WNS]

"Rated: 5.25V DC, 0.5A"   That is a standard default USB voltage/current spec for USB 2.0 and higher.  Any good quality charger will work. Any USB port on your computer will work. I strongly advise NOT to use the cheap knockoff chargers readily available on the online flea markets or "Dollar Store" specials.

[KB9WNS]

The FitBit charger does not communicate with the PD (Power Delivery) spec so the charging will revert to 100 milliamps which is the default current limit for USB 2.0 spec devices when connected to unknown chargers.

[pbug56]

That begs a couple of questions;

1. What is a 'known' charger? And what is the charger - the cable or the
power brick? I've seen 3rd party charger stands charge at a rate that does
not say it's charging slowly - at least some of the time.
2. What rate can a Sense charge at if it's happy?

[KB9WNS]

I took several photos of the contacts using a Keyence VHX laboratory microscope.  The image shows substantial wear and pitting of the charger pins, however, the Sense contacts look like they have minimal wear.  Looks like the charger pins are sacrificial instead of the Sense.  Maybe too sacrificial.

8 month old charger pin.Charging contact on Sense500 x magnification of Sense charging contact