Charge 5 keeps disconnecting from Bluetooth

[mcullinan]

My Charge 5 is not connecting to my iPhone. It does intermittently.

My Charge 4 had no problem.  

Anyone having this issue?

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Deleted my pairing to the Charge 5 and restarted it, then re-paired it in the app seems to have fixed the problem..  yay

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Actually I am still having this issue.  I’ve unpaired, restarted iPhone and fitbit.  Re-paired.   Restarted.  Bluetooth takes a long time and mostly never connects to the charge 5.  My charge 4 worked perfect. 

Moderator edit: merged replies + word choice 

[JAPC]

I had other Fitbit devices listed with my dash board. The Charge 3 disappeared ant the Charge 2 kept wanting to takeover. Last night I deleted the 2 and that and the 5 disappeared. I reinstalled the 5 and now so far so good. I did recharge the 5 as well with the phone right next to it. I think it helped. We will see. Good luck!

[AChurchyard]

Hi good luck

Everything I have tried fails.
I get attached message

[MandoWitcher22]

Wow! I am just floored with the fact of how many of you are having problems with your Charge 5 and Bluetooth—especially on iOS.

Like I said previously, I had initial issues getting the Charge 5 connected and getting the firmware updated.

But once I did that, my tracker seems to be working as expected.

Sure, there’s a little bug that when I first open the iOS app the sync fails. However, when I pull/swipe down the main screen to refresh it, then the sync happens correctly 9 times out of 10.

It’s that manual refresh that gets it going. I have been doing this since the Charge HR and Charge 2, so I’m used to it.

Here are some specs that might be helpful:

Model - FB421

Firmware Version - 57.20001.149.11

iOS 15.2.1

As for performance, the Charge 5 does everything that I ask it to. I love how I can start and stop tracking the workout session directly on the tracker instead of having to guesstimate it in the app.

I hope this info helps.

I’m still down with the Charge 5 because it does what I need it to do for my type of fitness training.

Plus, the extras like EDA and ECG are nice haves.

Good luck fitness friends!!!

[dperrin2]

Same here! Will not stay connected, charge goes dead after 1 day, does not sync most of the time unless I do it manually. I can't wear it at night because I have to charge it daily. I would never have purchased this had I known this. My previous fitbit lasted a week or more and never failed me. 

[BD123UKR]

I had problems with Bluetooth connection. After I got my replacement, looks that the situation is better. I don't always get notification, but all the "health" data gets synchronized. But, mine hold the battery quite well. It's hard to tell exactly, but I would say about a week or so without need to be charged. So don't know why yours need daily charging, may be check your settings to see if you've put on something that drains out the battery that fast:)

[Rich_Laue]

@dperrin2 with android phones the power management needs to be disabled for the fitbit app. 

[Djerwin91]

This was happening on my new charge 5 too. When I looked at my booth connections, my previous Fitbit was still on the list and even though it wasn’t connected, the old Fitbit is being used by my mom. As soon as I told it to forget the old one, it quit having the problem. We’ll see if this lasts. 

[KADahlen]

Same issue as everyone else here has described - failure of app to automatically sync (has to be forced, which sometimes works, sometimes not, and almost always take forever); regular disconnection from Bluetooth (whenever disconnected, it fails to reconnect; when you look at the Charge 5 in the Bluetooth settings, oftentimes get the alternating “connected” -“not connected”); etc. like others, never had a problem with prior devices (Charge 4, Charge HR, Alta HR).  And yes, I have updated the iOS, the Fitbit app and the firmware, and have attempted every recommendation made on this and other fora (deleted from Bluetooth; deleted and reinstalled app; disconnected account; restarted/reset device; restarted phone (iPhone 12 Pro).  There is a lot to like about the Charge 5. But I have had the device for about a month and, for me, the notifications HAVE to reliably work and they don’t. I need an answer to this soon or I will return and move on from Fitbit. 

[mrangell]

Same thing here.

I had a Charge 2 for years and a Charge HR before that.  Never had an issue with connectivity but my Charge 5 developed this problem about 2 months after I bought it and it loses connection all the time, so often in fact that I was reconnecting bluetooth a few times per day, now I don't even bother.

[greypoint]

I just purchased a new charger 5 and constantly getting lost connection error from SE.  Firmware is up to date.  Found this discussion and shocked to discover that original post was dated 9-24.  After FOUR MONTH, this is still "the team of developers is already aware of this and they continue to work to find a solution as soon as possible".  Should I return it?

[Siegdepl]

having this problem doe days now

[Survey]

I went from a charge 2 to a charge 4. The 4 constantly loses its bluetooth connected gps ( and it own inbuilt gos also) despite going through all the recommendations from fitbit staff. Im resigned now to using Strava to record gps activities; this is totally reliable if course. Fitbit is just not reliable and fitbit really don't seem to care once they have sold a device. Bit like the device adding steps when biking or driving! Fitbit always promising to sort things out but never do and have no intention to. 4 garmin devices in family and have never seen them drop connected gps! Says it all.

[KADahlen]

Once again today I was unable to receive notifications, and the sync between the app and the device was all kluge.  Interestingly, when I looked into the bluetooth settings, the device was still connected.

I am done.  Returned it to Best Buy,

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for all your comments and feedback that you've provided so far. 

As mentioned earlier, the team is aware of this problem with the Bluetooth getting disconnected constantly and they continue to work to find a solution as soon as possible. 

If you're experiencing syncing problems that are not related to this specific issue, please make sure to complete all the troubleshooting steps listed here and keep the Fitbit app and the firmware updated to the latest version available. 

If you continue to experience other syncing problems after all the steps provided earlier, please get in touch with the Customer Support team for further assistance with this. Click here to get connected. 

See you around. 

[SunsetRunner]

Just received my brand new Charge 5. Set it up, all working nicely...... except Bluetooth is going on-off-on-off. When I go the clock face gallery I get a pop-up, it goes away, it pops up, it goes away, every second or so; it is flashing. In my iphone XS bluetooth list the Charge 5 flashes from ‘connected’ to ‘not connected’ every second. On-off-on-off-on-off....

I’ve done all the obvious, restarted device, restarted device from charger button, turned BT on and off, closed app, re-opened app, removed Charge 5 and re-installed Charge 5. 

I want a Fitbit that can read my HR accurately, and is not a drain on my phone battery, and so connecting and disconnecting every second is no good. What else can I do? 

[Wibby]

Hello @SunsetRunner 

Quite a few people are having problems with Bluetooth too.

iPhone and Bluetooth  

Disconnecting from Bluetooth  

This seems to be a real issue.

You said that you mainly wanted it to measure your heart rate,do you need notifications from your phone?

In my case, I don’t want that as I don’t want a smart watch and just want to use mine as a fitness tracker.  I have notifications turned off altogether and so only turn on Bluetooth when I want to sync or change a clock face.  Because of that, I’m not experiencing the same drain on my battery as other people do.

Obviously switching off a major selling point of the Charge 5 isn’t a great solution for most people, but if you’re like me and don’t need them, switching them off and only using Bluetooth when you need it might help.

Sorry if it doesn’t help.

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks for the reply Wibby! I’ve spent half the day on the chat with the help-desk and they simply had no solution. Decided to send it back (only had it for a day). It simply would either not connect or when it did connect it would disconnect and connect ever second. It would not sync unless you try a hundred times and so it simply is not working as it should. Am really disappointed about it! Wondering whether to buy a replacement but fear it will have the same issue. 

Thanks for the links!! Seems like it’s not just me then. 

[newsman]

Good luck on finding a fix. I was an early one with this issue, which constantly affected syncing. Sent that Charge 5 back for a refund. Got another and it worked as it should — no issue with Bluetooth. I also posted numerous times in this forum seeking solutions in connection with my first Charge 5. Tried everything Fitbit recommended without any successful resolution. One moderator here said Fitbit was aware of the issue and working on a resolution. I even see as of Feb. 4 in another thread DavideFitbit wrote: “As mentioned earlier, the team is aware of this problem with the Bluetooth getting disconnected constantly and they continue to work to find a solution as soon as possible.” Obviously it hasn’t been fixed since it made the rounds months ago. That being said, I was so disgusted by Fitbit’s glossing over this issue that I gave my second, un-glitched  Charge 5 to a friend and moved on. After an Alta, Charge 3, a Charge 4 and two Charge 5s, I have left the Fitbit orbit with no plans to return. I did like the elegant simplicity of Fitbit’s app UI. I do miss that and the  information provided. But I now get that on my new device. 

[NonnieG]

May I ask what your new product is.. I to am disenchanted with fitbit but do not know what to buy to replace my charge 5

[newsman]

I have a Garmin Forerunner 245M. Like its reporting accuracy on my activities and exercises but dislike its display of information in the Garmin Connect app. Simply looks cluttered vs the Fitbit app UI. Another downside is that its sleep reporting seems much less accurate than the Charge 5. But I’ve learned to count on Garmin to not enhance it although it has the same sensors and capabilities of some other higher priced Garmins with better reporting on sleep. But Bluetooth and syncing capabilities are excellent! Not maddening and frustrating. So this is where I’ve landed.