Sense battery started draining super fast

[Egraves00]

Hello,  

Ive had my sense for over a year and I love it but recently its been dying really fast on me. It only started about 5 or so days ago but now it can barely hold a charge for more than 12 hours. Ive checked and made sure that all the features that might drain the battery are all turned off (ex. gps, snore detection, and always on-display) ive tried restarting it multiple times and left it shut off for a few hours but nothing has helped.

It seems like it started too sudden for it to be just a hardware problem because up until a week ago I could go multiple days without charging it.

Has anyone else had this problem?

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Egraves00, welcome to the community. Before you talk to "Customer Support" I recommend you check that you are charging your "Sense", sync your app (on the "Today" screen slide your finger down and release, note the green progress bar and on completion the value next to the battery icon) Examine the charging cable to ensure the 4 little pins are slightly proud & free (they are spring-loaded) and clean the back of your "Sense", I use rubbing alcohol. Review Why isn't my Fitbit device's battery charging?  to check the power USB socket is live. If you are satisfied you are successfully charging your "Sense" then talk to "Customer Support" armed with details of the steps you have taken

I hope this helps.

Cheers

[altdel]

The exact same thing happened to me about a week ago. I've had my Sense since June last year. I used to get around 3-4 days of use after a full charge, but now, less than 8 hours. I've tried every suggestion I could find on the web, but to no avail.

So, I finally contacted Support. They didn't ask for any detail, since the device logged everything on the server. They know how long a full charge is lasting now, and what steps I have taken to try to address the issue. They emailed me back in 24 hours to let me know that my device is out of warranty and the best they could do is to offer me a 35% discount on any device on their website, good for the next 30 days.

Needless to say, I'm totally disappointed in the reliability of the device and the sub-par support provided.

This will be my last Fitbit.

[Egraves00]

Ok so thats actually really interesting because our timelines match up like almost exactly. I also bought my sense in June of last year and literally the battery problem happened pretty much at the same time too. 

Thats so weird. It makes me wonder  if its some type of glitch/update problem. Ill just stop wearing it for now and hopefully they might be able to resolve it. But based on your experience with the customer service, i don't feel like wasting my time with trying to call them.

[PaulienLV]

Yes same problem here, have tot charge almost everyday now since about a week.

[Honulii]

Similar story here.  I bought mine at launch in Sept 2020 and it stopped holding a charge for a full day right at the 13 month mark.  Was able to get a replacement, but then after an update in January, same issue.  Both times I swear it was right after an update.  Customer Service said that there was probably no correlation with the battery drain and software updates.  Cust Svc and forums basically told me to troubleshoot by turning off all functions - but seriously, what is the point of having a smartwatch where I can't use any of the functions?  After the January update, my Sense went from going several days to not even lasting a full day.  Not that I'm glad you and others have this issue, but I'm kind of glad there are others out there having this issue.  I was feeling like I was the only one.  But even if a bunch of us were having this issue, I don't believe the company is going to do much about it anyways.

Spending $300+ at launch for the Sense and it lasting me just a year made me so p-o'ed I starting looking at other fitness trackers.  Long story short, for the pricepoint, Fitbit works best for what I need/want, so I "downgraded" to the Charge 5.  I had to get it replaced [under warranty] for not even turning on at the 3 month mark.  There's currently an update that I refuse to do for fear it's going to happen to me again (however my C5 is still under warranty, so I guess now is a good time as any to try...)  For kicks, yesterday I charged up my Sense and when I synced it to my account, it downloaded the most recent software.  I'm now getting a full day charge with it - but nowhere near the 3-4+ days I used to.  

[Honulii]

Honestly, if you're that close outside your 1 year warranty, it's worth a shot reaching out to customer service for a replacement.  Worse case they say no, best case you get a replacement.  You just have to deal with maybe 15-30 min of "troubleshooting" with them.

[DannyTags]

Seeing some really weird behaviour with my own, its 15 months, battery is draining in less than 4 hours and touchscreen has stopped working. Where are you based, because depending on your location, the stated warranty by Fitbit doesn't hold up (it can actually be much longer, if state / national legislation is in place).

i just got a replacement for my Mothers Sense (warranty replacement FOC at 20 months)

[altdel]

I'm in California. Where are you based?

[Honulii]

@DannyTags That's great your mom got a replacement at close to 2 years!  They did offer me a discount on a replacement, but I passed because with the discount off the regular price - sales everywhere else were actually cheaper.  I'm in Hawaii. 

[MelMucci]

Same here. I have had my Sense since February and just 4 days ago major battery drain. 

UPDATE:  I contacted customer service and after looking at my charges and drains, acknowledged that something isn't right.  They offered a refurbished FITBIT since I was under the warranty period.  So I have a refurbished Sense and another 6 months to go on the warranty.  Let's hope this "new" one stays healthy.  

[CynthiaAnneC]

Exact same issue. 

[Lilabit]

I have been having the exact same problem with my Fitbit 5. 
Is there an automatic year warranty given to a Fitbit when purchased or is it an additional purchase?

[altdel]

All Fitbit devices come with an automatic one-year warranty.