Sense battery is draining quickly

[KellyMc024]

In last 48 hours, my sense battery has been draining completely. Going from 100% to less than 15% in a matter of hours. I don't use any of the additional apps or features nor have I changed clock faces, settings, etc. This is extremely disappointing and seems to be a common theme after having a fitbit for a couple of years.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Guy_]

Hi @KellyMc024 - there are several things that can cause the battery to drain rapidly.

Assuming you are not using the watch for any activities using GPS and nothing else has been changed.

To eliminate the essentials, if this started happening this week, switch to a Fitbit clock face (in case yours got updated automatically and has an error).

Try restarting the watch, charge it fully and sync then turn off the phone's Bluetooth and restart it again.

The watch is capable of retaining data for several days but you can turn Bluetooth on and sync and turn Bluetooth off again, if needing to sync and see if this makes a difference.

[KellyMc024]

Thanks for the tips! Still drained 40% overnight and is continuing to decrease. My sense is less than 2 years old, so this is very disappointing!

[LarisaAR]

Hello, the same happened to me. Went to bed with 50% battery, got up this morning with the black screen and 0%.

[KellyMc024]

I reached out to customer service and they were zero help.

[sunflower56]

I too am having trouble with my Sense. It won't connect to my wifi, so I can't do any firmware updates, as I can no longer connect it to my computer to do that. My battery, which used to last 5-6 days, now only lasts a day. I like to track my sleep, and it can't even keep the charge overnight to do that. I did read somewhere that it drains quickly if you have it synced with your phone, but not as much if it is charged and not communicating with anything - which defeats the whole purpose of having it as a "smart watch!" The help chat doesn't work online, and I can't find a way to communicate with Fitbit to report the problem and get help. So, if someone at Fitbit sees this, please HELP! 

[Guy_]

Hi @sunflower56 - if you are having battery life problems it is preferable to sort that out before attempting to change firmware.

If your watch suddenly doesn't make it through the night it may be damaged. Did you try syncing then turning off the phone's Bluetooth and fully charging the watch?

If the watch gets hot while charging stop immediately as it is dangerous and confirms a terminal watch fault, often from moisture accumulating inside.

If it is still under warranty it can be replaced.

You can always chat via the Fitbit App, Help & support section, Contact Customer support.

[BECCY23]

Mine too! Drops from 100% to 40% overnight and I have nothing extra turned on (I.e. o2 monitoring etc). Seriously what is happening?

[KevS21014]

I had same thing happen. No help from chat, but was told I would get an email within a few days with options.  Never received email with any offers. I am assuming that it is dying- my wife (who had enough and defected to an Apple watch) and I have both rifled through numerous Fitbit devices over the years.  I think I am done with FB too after this latest one. Fitbit devices seem to start dying within 1.5-2 years.  And they do not reward loyal customers with discounted upgrades. 

[KellyMc024]

Couldn’t agree more! They are absolutely no help and the quality is not there.

[Guy_]

Hi @KevS21014 - if you have followed previous advice here and support took you through a factory reset and the issue remains there is no upgrade for a Sense. You may receive a discount on a more expensive watch which doesn't have all the features your Sense has.

[sunflower56]

I finally found a number to call Fitbit help. I explained my problems, and he said to watch for an email follow up. I did get that the next day. It said my watch was not covered by the warranty anymore (I’ve had it over 2 years), and referred me to the website to look for a new purchase. I’ve since read more comments online that confirm battery life on Fitbits only lasts up to two years. So at first I was annoyed that purchasing another Fitbit, that now I know would only last max of two years, would probably be a foolish purchase. BUT - I do love the product, the app, and the fact that for those two years the battery life is 5-6 days and not the 18 hours that the more expensive Apple Watches promise. I’ve got Fitbit stats for nearly 8 years now. So, if I spend $200 for my next Fitbit watch, and get 24 months of solid use from it, and only have to charge it every 5-6 days, that’s only a little over $8 per month to have a Fitbit. So, that math has helped me to continue to appreciate my Fitbit experience!

[KevS21014]

I will try this again as my last post was censored because Google didnt like what i wrote (it did not violate community guidelines- i read them).   I am switching to Apple Watch.   Fitbit support was subpar and did not follow up with me as they stated they would.  After many years and numerous FB devices- I am going in a different direction this time.

[Guy_]

@sunflower56 - for info, my original Sense is 3.5 years old and no sudden draining of the battery.

Age reported by many (relative to 1 or 2 year warranty) is not the criteria for life span. (Those that fail during warranty can get replaced, so non replacement becomes the issue).

Premature failure can be provoked based on usage, such as getting wet, exposure to sun or excessive heat, firmware updates, factory resets, too frequent charging, etc. and in some cases may not even be a watch fault.

If you intend to replace, it is best to replace with the same model to avoid disappointment, due to lost features.

[Hellsta]

Mine is the same. I've tried to contact Fitbit live chat for a few days but it keeps coming up with an error so I can't get help. Really frustrating.

[Zrocck94]

My sense battery seems to drain as well. Unfortunately the amount of drain is very eratic. I have seen it use 7%  one night and 20% the next. **ahem** seems the quality is not there anymore. My versa 3 was 3 months old when i bumped something and cracked the screen. This was after 2 plus years of my ionic that simply worked. Like others i am done with the options to turn stuff off or not syncing. Personally i think its a firmware issue but like the small text message lettering, they wont fix it.

[FitbitUser331]

I have the same problem of battery draining overnight from 100% to the red screen that reads 0%.  Reset took many hours today, and failed over and over (had to look up the more complex "factory reset" process not the usual plug in the charger and press and hold the button routine.

Samsung watch 6 classic seems to have worked out most of the initial kinks and now works OK for sleep tracking, so maybe I'll just stick with that.