Sense battery is draining quickly

[Mrs_Claire]

My sense battery is only lasting a couple of days at best. I have done everything the advisor said on the telephone but it’s not made a difference. He said there is an update due on the app (this was a week ago) I haven’t seen an update and my battery is still only lasting a few days. I feel like I was being fobbed off on the phone that there is an update due. Is anyone else having this issue?

Moderator edit: subject for clarity 

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Mrs_Claire , everyone’s experience with battery life will vary, depending on how many notifications one receives per day, how many features, which apps etc etc.  Some apps that require frequent updating take more battery power than others.  For an average user I would think 3 or 4 days battery life would be pretty normal.  If you are only getting two days, then that suggests you are a somewhat heavier user than average, or, depending on how long you have owned your Sense, your battery is no longer performing optimally.

As you know, all rechargeable batteries have a limited life.  You can significantly extend or reduce this depending on how you treat your batteries.  Allowing deep discharge - running out of power completely - will, over time, significantly reduce your battery’s performance.

The best way of maximising your battery is to charge it little and often.  If you follow this protocol it really won’t matter if the battery only last a few days, because you should ideally never let it run out.  Many people find that the best way of making sure their Fitbit is always ready for action is to plug it in to the charger for about 15 minutes daily - perhaps when you are showering or getting ready for the day’s activities.  

[Mrs_Claire]

Hello,

Thank you for your response. I was told the opposite about charging. I was told not to charge little and often. I have only had this a few months so it’s not very old at all and I don’t use it very heavily at all and I don’t have many notifications set to come through at all.

Best wishes,

Claire Jackman

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Mrs_Claire , the opposite information re battery charging - i.e. don’t recharge until it gets low or dies completely applies to older NiCad batteries.  Fitbits use modern lithium ion batteries where the best advice is little and often.  The ideal range for your battery is between 30-80% and to keep it in that range as much as possible.  You are likely to achieve this by charging about 15 minutes a day.

If you follow the older advice of recharging only after deep discharge your battery life will be significantly reduced over time - possibly over a very short time, depending on how often the battery was allowed to go into deep discharge.

Putting it on the charger for a few minutes each day also gives your wrist a chance to rest and your skin a good breathe.  This is what Fitbit recommends.

[Guy_]

@Mrs_Claire  There have been Fitbit App issues causing high battery drain, check your App is on 3.43.1 at least and you have the latest firmware, currently 44 128.5.38.

As @Julia_G  says in normal use it should last around 4 days.

What you can try is turning off the phone's Bluetooth, and only use it when you need it for a few days to see if that helps, a shutdown of the watch and placing on the charger to restart it is advisable.

It is unlikely that a sense battery fails in such a short time you have had it, unless it or the watch is clearly faulty.