Sense Boot Loop/Dissatisfaction With Lack of Fitbit Accountability

[Yu270050]

For about two weeks now, my Fitbit sense (15 months old) is stuck in a restart boot loop.

I tried to start the Exercise app, which only displayed the Exercise icon for about a second, before returning to the clock face.  Did this several times before I did the hard reset of the watch (holding the main button down till the watch restarts).  This put the watch in this loop that it's been in since.

I looked online and all over this forum and tried all solutions presented with no luck.  Chatted online with customer service, who walked me through a bunch of trouble shoots, none of which worked.

I was not offered a discount on my next watch, which is fine as I'll never purchase a watch from this company again. 

I am really disappointed in the lack of accountability, as this is OBVIOUSLY an issue on their end that they either know about and are burying their head in the sand about (which is such shady/unethical business), or...............can't think of anything else besides that.  Especially seeing, from anecdotes on this forum, that this seems to have been an ongoing issue for years.

Fitbit do the right thing and come clean about this issue and do right by people who shelled out $$$ (but won't be suckers again) for your product.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Meroke]

Similar thing happened to mine. This is my third device with fitbit. Started with the HR inspire. It lasted 20 months before the screen started going black randomly unless fully charging it again (sometimes when it was near fully to begin with). Was given a discount on my next watch. Splurged and got a Sense. It was finicky with charging. Didn't always charge. The watch started acting up more closer to the year mark and I tried my warrantee at 11 months. It got replaced. My current is now in the restart loop at 18 months old. I shouldn't be having to replace an expensive watch this often! Just like you, I don't need the discount on another purchase, because I'll be getting one from a different company.

[Ladyd308]

I have had this happen with my Sense two times. The first time I looked everywhere online for a solution. No help from Fitbit to be found. I did find a forum somewhere and now can’t remember where. Anyway it detailed steps of pressing the button and holding and letting go in what seemed totally random. But after about a minute of doing these steps it finally started up correctly! I was so relieved not to have to go buy another pricey watch. Then about 4 months later it did it again! Of course I didn’t safe those instructions and so I searched and searched for them again with no luck. So I just went about random presses and holds, remembering on some when you feel the vibration of the reboot, to let go and then repress and hold to the next vibration. It really just seemed random. Luckily it worked. So maybe give that a try, hopefully it will work for you. My Sense is 2 years old now. 

[Daphnejean]

Please follow the next steps.

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.

[FitbitUser331]

This is what has worked for me

[tat2schw]

this didn’t work for me.  My exercise app just appears and then disappears.  No tracking exercise these days!

[Yu270050]

Thanks for this.  I have tried this too many times to recount with no success.  

@Daphnejean can you confirm that your watch was stuck in the reboot loop?  Any similarities to how your watch got there to how mine did?  Just want to figure out why you were able to get yours going again while I was not.

Thanks in advance

[Lifeasmsd]

I literally had this happen the other day! My watch is about the same age. It had some charge when I turned it off the other night. I went to turn it back on and it does the loop. Screen off, fitbit logo, screen off! No syncing or connecting to anything in anyway!

This is absolutely absurd that an almost 300 dollar watch is garbage shortly after a year.

[Daphnejean]

Yes it was stuck, I managed to get it to factory reset.. which last approx 8 hours.. now it's totally dead.. I can't get it to turn on.. nothing.. mine is 6 months old..

[Daphnejean]

Fitbit offered a replacement yesterday, but I asked for a refund as this is my 3rd sense. They agreed to refund. Trying the garmin vivoactive 5 doesn't have the egc heart thingy.. but otherwise more options