Fitbit Surge won't charge once flat

[GChanna]

I have a fitbit surge and for the last 1 to 2 months it has worked fine, usually lasting for a 3-4 days to a week depending on how much exercise I do, however I noticed whenever I let the battery run out it takes a few attempts to get the charge to hold.

Whenever I connect it to the usb either in the wall or in a laptop it will show an empty bar and then as expected will show it to be full in an hour or two, but will run out in 5-10 mins. I realised to never let the battery run out on the watch unless I wanted to fiddle with it for a day or two before it accepted the charge.

Now however I accidentally let it run out of battery and for about 4 days now, I have this scenario, it will take 5 mins to show a full charge but will not actually hold any of it and will turn off in a few seconds. Also today it has randomly started to vibrate every few seconds whilst charging. I have tried turning it on and off for a few minutes, resetting it, I have left it on charge for a few extra hours and nothing works at all. 

Also my mobile app says that the battery is full and that the alarms are set but it my old alarms on it.

I just took my fitbit off charge from my laptop now and it either goes straight to the blank screen or fades like when resetting the fitbit, it also won't turn on now.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @GChanna

Feel free to contact the Fitbit Support Team (Click / Tap here to contact)

Optionally check out Returns & Warranty before contacting support.

Mention what you've already tried to speed things up.

[GChanna]

I have contacted them on support, it is still under warranty so I hopefully can quickly get a replacement or new battery fitted because it has clearly deteriorated over the last week.

[Xkaliber]

I'm experiencing the same issues. I've had the Surge for more than 5 months now and it worked perfectly.

However over the last few (about 4) weeks, the Surge seems to be draining off at a ridiculous rate. From a 3 day till battery depletion, it now drains in a day and half. Seems a little ridiculous to charge a non-smart watch with limited functionality (compared to smart watches) everyday.

I've also noticed that it drains much faster when I am more active, which though undesirable is understandable.

I opted for the Surge over other devices mainly due to long battery-life - it is a pain to charge another device (besides my smart-phones, tabs and other electronic peripherilia) daily, but it seems that the strongest USP of this device is letting me down...

[AlvaroFitbit]

@GChanna @Xkaliber Welcome to our Community! 

@Xkaliber If you aren’t tracking runs or exercises that use GPS, your fully charged Fitbit Surge™ should last up 7 days. A fully charged Surge can track up to 10 hours of activities that use GPS. Because battery life is affected by use and other settings, actual results may vary.

Some recommended tips to maximize your Surge's battery life are the following:

- Each alarm reduces battery life by small percentage. To maximize battery life, consider setting fewer alarms.
- Since Quick View causes the screen to light up whenever you turn your wrist towards you, turning this setting off may prolong battery life. When Quick View is off, press any button to see the screen.
- Frequently using music control may reduce battery life.
- If you’re syncing with an Android device, the Always Connected option may reduce battery life.
- If you're syncing with any Fitbit app, the All-Day sync option may reduce battery life on both the tracker and mobile device.
- Charging your tracker in extreme heat or cold may reduce battery life.
- If you don't need a heart rate rating, change the Heart Rate setting to Off. The Auto setting uses less battery than the On setting.

Sadly you mention that this is a new behaviour since you have been using it the same way for the past 5 months so I suggest you contact our Support Team just like @GChanna did and @SunsetRunner suggested. Hopefully they will have a resolution for this situation.

Let me know how it goes!