Sense won't charge anymore

[TheDJ85]

Hi! I have a fitbit sense and it's been struggling to charge. Now it won't charge at all and my fitbit is dead. Taking a look at my charger, one of the pins is recessed. I have gone a whole day now without my fitbit because it won't charge. I have now had it past the warranty. Anyone have any luck getting a pin to come out of the shell? 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Clove6060]

I have not heard of anyone getting the pin back out.
Most people buy another charger either through Fitbit or online.  

Although I have not tried this one, It has been recommended as a sturdy charger.

http://guytec.com/Fitbit/#Charge

[Jlescarbeau]

I've been thru 5 chargers at this point.  The pin has gotten stuck on ALL 5.  

[Al21240]

I contacted fitbit and yes, they just provided me with a link so I can buy myself another charger.  They know it is a common problem but won't stand behind their charger.  I used a magnet to pull the pin out, but as soon as I try to place the watch on it, it goes right back in.  You are gonna have to either spend more money on a charger that will eventually break again, or buy a different product.

It is sooo upsetting that fitbit won't do anything about it.

[denisfab]

Same. Horrible design. 

Fitbit replaced my charger free of charge while my Sense was under warranty. Now it just happened again on the new one. I was very careful to be sure to never apply pressure to the pins but it seems even the light inevitable force when attaching the magnetic catch is enough the sink the pin. Very frustrating !!!

[Dmc22165]

I’ve had my sense for about 3 months and I’m on my second charger… and to top it off the charger is on back order so I won’t get a replacement for about a month.

[5crankypants]

Thanks for the link.  It looks like a sturdy charger, and since they only charged me 0.26 cents (including shipping!) I will give it a try.  Of course, I don't get it until September, so there's that. (Coming from China).  In the meantime, Fitbit, I give up on you and will look at other compatible android smart watches. Naturally, Fitbit just charged me for my premium membership, so I am paying for getting nothing.  I don't know why I keep trying Fitbit when their chargers are junk.

[Oihby259]

I am having the same problem. Not charging. Makes me mad test we either have to buy a new charger or change brands. If the Fitbit Sense wasn't on the newer side,  I'd go back to my Galaxy watch for sure.

[Al21240]

I know hu? I am seriously considering the same once the replacement charger I had to buy stops working again.

Exactly!

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Al21240 & all, If you continue to have difficulty charging but the charging cable appears in order clean the back of your "Sense", I use rubbing alcohol with cotton wool and a cotton bud for the contact points on the "Sense" pebble. There is a section in this article Fitbit Wear & Care that may assist.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

[Al21240]

The problem for me is not the sense but the charger itself.... one of the pins is stuck and won't make contact with the device making it impossible to get it to work.

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Get Outlook for Android<>

[denisfab]

One of the 4 pins is clearly not protruding as much as the other 3 pins and does not make contact with the Sense. 

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @denisfab, welcome, I suggest you talk to "Customer Support" here, and use the chat or phone for a prompt response. If needs be you can buy a replacement charge cable on Amazon at a modest cost.

I hope this is helpful.

Cheers

[VladimirN]

I have the same problem, one of the charging pins is recessed, (top left one, when you look at the pins holding the cable in your hand). I got the Sense after the Ionic recall. While the Sense itself seems better quality than the Ionic, and has more features, apparently they messed up the charging cable design.

I think that one problem is that the connector is strongly magnetic, and I think that, when connecting it, it can hit the back of the watch at some speed, possibly damaging the pins in the process. Being magnetic, it also gets stuck on metallic objects I might have near it, and that can't be good for the health of the pins either. It might even short them. All in all, quite annoying.

This is clearly not a problem with dirt or something like that getting the pin stuck. The spring mechanism that should push it seems broken. In fact, if I tap on the connector while keeping the pins towards the ground, the pin gets out a bit, so it's clearly not stuck, just the spring doesn't push it.

For me this is the workaround for charging with the broken charger until I get a replacement:

- tap on the connector face down so that the broken pin sticks out a bit;

- place the watch face down on the table, before connecting the charger.

- maybe tap a bit on the charger after connecting as well, still keeping the watch face down, so that gravity helps the pin go down and connect, since the spring can't do that anymore.

It's not ideal, but it will have to do until the replacement cable comes (support placed a order for me under warranty, and it should arrive next week).

[denisfab]

Spot on assessment about the magnetic force making the inferior pin design hitting the watch back.  I will try your “tapping” method as a workaround. 

[Orthogod]

I have had my fitbit sense for approximately 8 months. In that time I have had to purchase 6 charging cables. Each one of them had the same problem a pin that resessed and would not come back out.

 At $30 a cable cable it's expensive. That's almost half the cost of the device.I spoke to support they're sending me another charging cable.I really hope they put some thought into this soon. It would be better if the device was able to recharge wirelessly that we could set it down on a pad instead of instead of having to plug it in to the charger.

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It's been 6 for me and they are sending me one more.

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I attempted the magnet too it didn't work and when I was able to get a small enough force app on the pin It didn't take much effort to damage it.

[5crankypants]

I bought the charger recommended by user @Clove6060.  It cost me a whopping 26 CENTS, I actually got it earlier than September as I was first told and it's working fine for now.  Came from China, rather quickly too.

[Clove6060]

Guy gets the credit for the charger.  I just came across his recommendation for that charger.  Glad it worked! 

[Guy_]

Anyone having repetitive charger problems may be interested in Main charging tips it may help.

Thanks @Clove6060 for the credit.

[rzablan]

I came up with a hack that seems to work! My wife's fitbit sense is now charging (up to 70% in half an hour). The problem with a stuck pin is that it creates a space between the watch and the pin. I balled up a very small piece of aluminum foil, placed it into the hole and them flattened it out. This bridged the gap. I replaced the charger and Voila, it started charging immediately!! No guarantees, but it worked for me.