Surge battery and synching issues

[tedshep26]

A few weeks ago, my Surge stopped synching and the battery typically lasts 1 day without exercise.  I have tried all of the tricks, turned of HR monitor, I have no alarms set.  Also, in order to synch I have to turn off the watch EVERY SINGLE TIME.  really annoying.  Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Coovie · Accepted solution]

I have had the same problems for months. Even worse, today, I tried syncing via bluetooth to my phone and my counts for the day reset 😕 This is a replacement tracker as well - since the first one wouldn't stay charged and they sent me a new one. I only received the first one a year ago, and replacement about 6 months ago. Pretty expensive device to only last 6 months. Good luck to you - I'd suggest getting Support to send you a new one.

[tedshep26]

Thanks Coovie.

I will contact them directly.

[jzutley]

so the accepted solution is have Fitbit send a new surge every time it stops doing what I paid for? 

Cool !

I had one for a year and it stopped syncing to everything ( laptop/android phone) They sent a replacement which worked OK for a month and now- short battery life, hasn't synced to cell phone or laptop in days....everything has been on/off restarted etc...

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @jzutley, It's great to see that you've visited the Fitbit Community!  

It might be that the battery issues is affecting the syncing process most of the time these two issues are related! That's why we need to clean the contacts of the tracker regularly. These contacts can become obstructed by microscopic dirt or debris that prevents them from making a good connection to the charger. Use a toothpick or toothbrush to clean the charging contacts in case that you haven't done so; do not scrape them with anything metal because this may damage the plating and result in corrosion. 

And check these tips to improve the battery life of your Surge. How are you changing your Surge? We recommend plugging your charging cable into a USB port on your computer or other low-energy device. If necessary, you can use a UL-certified USB wall charger. Don't use a USB hub or battery pack to charge, and only use the charging cable that came with your tracker.

Please confirm if your phone and Fitbit App are up to date, as you mentioned that you have tried some steps already just make sure you've done this syncing troubleshooting steps in that order.

Hope this helps! 

[jzutley]

---

Thanks for your reply Yojana,

I really don't think the battery contacts are the issue. The replacement surge fitbit sent charges up just fine, just like the other one. I reach a full charge using the same cable- either connected to a laptop usb or plugged into a converter that plugs into a wall. If the contacts were an issue, then I would think it would never reach, or be very slow to reach, a full charge. Unless the charge icon is inaccurate on the replacement surge, it seems the contacts are fine.
I did chat with tech support, the apps on the pc and phone are up to date, the surge firmware is up to date. The apps have been uninstalled and re-installed on the phone and PC..... Bluetooth on the phone is off...The tech said I had to be 20 feet from any other blue tooth device- I tried that as best I could...between other phones, tv's etc in the house. What is next, a tinfoil hat??

And the surge still does not sync... my flex actually syncs consistently, so I know the phone and PC work fine....and I am 20 feet from bluetooth devices and solar flares

What has changed in comparing the 2 devices is less time when using GSP to track a run, I used to be able to track up to 3 hours of run time ( over 3 days- not all at once) and now, it is about 1/2 of that before the battery is spent. Also, the replacement charge window fogs up.... 

So, I will clean the contacts like you said- hopefully that won't make the fogging worse- (removing all that microscopic debris..) but don't see how that will help the sync or battery issue.

Jim



@YojanaFitbit wrote:

Hi @jzutley, It's great to see that you've visited the Fitbit Community! :

It might be that the battery issues is affecting the syncing process most of the time these two issues are related! That's why we need to clean the contacts of the tracker regularly. These contacts can become obstructed by microscopic dirt or debris that prevents them from making a good connection to the charger. Use a toothpick or toothbrush to clean the charging contacts in case that you haven't done so; do not scrape them with anything metal because this may damage the plating and result in corrosion. 

And check these tips to improve the battery life of your Surge. How are you changing your Surge? We recommend plugging your charging cable into a USB port on your computer or other low-energy device. If necessary, you can use a UL-certified USB wall charger. Don't use a USB hub or battery pack to charge, and only use the charging cable that came with your tracker.

Please confirm if your phone and Fitbit App are up to date, as you mentioned that you have tried some steps already just make sure you've done this syncing troubleshooting steps in that order.

Hope this helps! 

---

[arievds]

same here. surge has no problems recharging and battery is full.

only thing is that suddenly the surge does not connect eith my samsung anymore (synced at 10.30 and stopped synchronising since that moment).

unpairing and pairing does not solve the problem. samsung does find the surge but can not connect anymore.

i have my surge for a few months now, but seems like it has been a waste of money.

[VF31AE3]

@arievds; @jzutley: As a last resort drain the battery to zero. Remember, a blank display does not mean a dead battery. It may take a couple of days. Once you're convinced the battery is at zero, plug it in and charge. Once charged do a restart. There are no guarantees but it may reset the Surge. Good luck.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @jzutley thanks for getting back!  Welcome to the Forums @arievds! 

@jzutley Thanks for trying those steps! I'd like to know if your Surge got wet. Did you run under the rain with it? As you mentioned some fog on the screen, you might put it in a bowl of uncooked rice for 48 hours to see if this helps the display. You're having too many thing going on there, they might be related but they might not. So, please confirm which model of phone you are using. Make sure that your phone meets all the requirements to sync with Fitbit as well! 

@arievds I appreciate the time you're taking to troubleshoot this issue. Please also make sure that your phone and Fitbit App are up to date. Which model of the Samsung family are you using? Don't forget to take a look of the syncing requirements your phone needs to connect with Fitbit!

@VF31AE3 Thanks for the tip!