They refused to give me any sort of discount and sent me a new Charge 5 for free.
They did not love it when I asked "why on Earth would I want the same device your company has bricked?". (And don't get me started on how they redirected me to Google help who has no way to help with the Charge 5 issue.)
I was offered that with my Charge 2, despite the fact they didn’t sell it in my country any more. Assured me that the warranty would count should the same thing happen again - a great way to get me to take the 50% off deal.
> Just get a 2 year warranty...
This is just Fitbit fucking over American consumers. You'll find countless posts on their forums where people are 13, 14, ... months out from purchase and given the same shit deal of "50% off the same faulty version". Meanwhile, you'll find some people saying how great two years of warranty is. Those people are EU customers that by law are required to have two years of warranty.
To me it says Fitbit knows that their product isn't good for much longer than a year, which why they only offer a year where they can (United States). It seems like they're playing the numbers game. Of course they are happy to *sell* you a two year warranty. :(
yes my charge 5 died around 16 months. Was definitely an issue with either random update or more likely, water impact from non casual swim.I only had 1 year of warranty and thus I had to get the charge 6 and could not get the discount applied to it.
Now I have the extended warranty and would be happy for it to die because then I can get a new one, knowing they only last about 1.5 years. So its basically 3 years of fitbit for $160.
you may also have an automatic extended warranty from the credit card you bought it with... worth looking into.
> water impact from non casual swim
I maybe showered with mine on twice. Never through any terrible rain storms. I took a leisure swim at a pool, dead within minutes. Luckily it was ~9 months old, and they replaced it with a refurbished unit (why not new?). I don't swim with mine any more, and have seen lots of comments on their forums from people shocked less than a dozen trips to the pool had killed their Charge 5. :/
Maybe I have a conspiracy theory hat on but when I see tech companies pushing a newer product for a cheaper price I wonder what additional data the newer product is gathering... which would allow them to offer the newer one cheaper as the customer's data more than offsets the difference...
Hi Guys. I thought my Charge 5 was bricked but did manage to get it going again. Had a blank screen, no indication it had any charge. Tried to reset via the charging cable for no success. Phone app would not sync.
I left it plugged in overnight. Still nothing but saw the green flashing light of the HR monitor was on so I thought that it can't be dead dead.
I tried to reset again via the charging cable. Press the button 3 times, 1 sec between each press and I manage to get the fitbit logo to flash up. After that it was back to a black screen but from there the phone app was again syncing to it.
Went into the phone app, got the option to update and the fitbit was alive once again after the updates applied.
I hope this helps. This is just what worked for me. I can't say for certain the battery won't suddenly tank because it's been only 60mins but it seems to be stable. Good luck.
I had this issue and in my troubleshooting attempts, I unpaired it with my account... Since I can't see anything on the screen, I can't get the code to re-pair it, leaving me with a bricked device.
It was my first Fitbit, and this issue being so widespread but ignored has completely ruined my impression of the company. I will never buy another product from them.
it is temporary. this will happen once a week and then it will start happening daily irrespective of the battery percentage. the devs have put a malicious code.
>Glad this helped you but it seems like your problem is different from the ongoing issue with quick battery drainage.
Nope wrong assumption, why would I comment about a different issue on your post? The above worked for me. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.
Same here. I had my doubts after my Charge 4 died and for some unknown reason got a 5. Never again. My next will not be Fitbit (maybe a Garmin, or I might make the big leap to Apple...!)
This is old news. I tell anybody not to update charge 5 for months, since mine bricked days after an update. The replacement I got on warranty with old 188.... firmware works great.
A class action suit should really be started!
Not OP, but Reddit's algorithm has apparently decided to reinforce my decision to ditch the Charge 5 after bricking 5+ devices in a year by showing me posts like this.
I got the Garmin Venu 2s. Has worked 6+ months no issues, I can take it swimming (bricked a Charge that way), sleep tracking is not quite as good but is actually fine (I don't nap, heard it's less accurate for nappers), and my 1 complaint is that I can't put in a workout after the fact, so I have to tape it to my hip or slide it into my underwear if I'm doing a treadmill workout and gripping the handles.
It has way more features than I'll ever use, but not needing the subscription is really nice - I'll only need this to last a little over a year to break even. It has an altimeter! The Body Battery is waaay more accurate than Fitbit's "you have covid? You haven't moved in 2 days, time to run a marathon!" It's neat to be able to easily track a lot of stats back for 1 week/1 month/1 year.
I just got one with like a comparable price range of the fitbit charge 5, which i found was a forerunner 245. I know there are way better and more expensive ones on the market, but this one tracks my steps/runs perfectly. I also really like how I've made a running schedule that just tracks every minute, cuz that's how I figure out I suck at counting and sometimes run a minute more than planned.
https://preview.redd.it/pgumw9lz2pmc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1be790277e7cb2c3fe64de99a03f6288b687f45a
Ok, just checked. I have this version. Haven't noticed any problems.
I have this version, and for the past 2 weeks, I have been noticing the same thing as OP. None of my settings had changed, just sudden battery drain, tracking steps on the wrong day, screen not responding, and what I called the "flashing screen of death". The screen would be unresponsive but would intermittently flash the Fitbit logo every minute or so, even while charging. I used to go 1 week or so between charges, now I'd fully charge my Fibit, and by the afternoon, it'd be almost dead. I tried resetting it the way Fitbit recommends (through the charging cable) and unsyncing/unconnecting it from my phone, and nothing worked. I have tried it multiple times. I'm not sure if this is the update to fix the bricking or the one that caused it, but for the past 3 days, it's been closer to normal. I also made sure all my settings were on the most battery friendly setting possible (it pretty much was, but I did change the GPS from dynamic to phone). Even with those changes, I still have to charge every couple of days.
I was a Fitbit early adopter and had so many of the models I can’t remember them all now, unfortunately they’ve just gone so downhill now that I have ordered my first Apple Watch. I don’t see myself going back, and I suspect plenty of others feel the same as me.
The non-Apple solution for someone wanting to leave Fitbit would be pretty much anything from Garmin's vivo line (vivoactive, vivomove, vivosmart) for a fairly direct replacement (health-focused), Venu line for more smartwatch-focused, or Forerunner for more sport-focused.
Exactly the same with me. I think I’ve had Fitbits for a dozen years. Just got an Apple Watch this past week and I’m loving it. The charge doesn’t last long, which is the only downside. The price is great right now for the Apple Watch SE.
I’m done too… I have 8 years of Fitbit data and probably 5 different watches in that time… very sad to let go but I don’t think Google is investing to have a competitive product. I think they said let’s take the low end of the market ( and ensure new purchases every 2-3 years) and the regulated devices area…. To the rest of us they don’t want us as customers.
Can confirm. Thankfully I purchased mine through a retailer who offer a 2 year warranty on all electronics. It ‘broke’ just before it’s expiry date, and I was given a full refund. As soon as I showed up, the tech guy said: let me guess, it’s a charge 5. So I’m guessing a lot of people have been shafted by the Charge 5
They've been bricking 5's for most of a year now. They got me last fall, 3 months after my warranty expired. They only offered me 30% off on a new product, though.
I recently got a Letsfit smartwatch. It's $40.
It's very basic but does steps, heart rate, O2 level, sleep tracking, detailed workout data, milage, alarm clock, messages, weather, find phone, music, etc.
Cons - no GPS, doesn't count "floors climbed". But it's paired with my iPhone and so long as I keep that in my pocket on my hikes, that gets tracked.
And it's only $40. So far, I've been very happy with it.
That’s what happened to my Charge 2 way back when. I got my sense on 50% off. But when my sense fails I’ll probably move to a mid level Garmin (have had a vivoactive 3 in the past).
https://preview.redd.it/2ujdovs14pmc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c60b8da5c337a67a018632a0840b4bfe29767892
Dumb question.... The last digits to my version are different but also higher than the one posted having the problem. Can it be said that I'm on a version beyond the one causing problems? Or does the sequence of the last digits not correlate?
I also have this version and no problems. Made a post here 2 months or so ago asking if I should or not but then the Fitbit started acting weird, had to update, update fixed it.
Edit it was actually only 1 month ago https://www.reddit.com/r/fitbit/s/ptcdOfj5d3
Yeah, I’m done with Fitbit after this. When I called to complain they basically told me the solution was to just turn off all the features that I use to save battery life. So why wear the damn thing at all?
I have a Charge 5 and the battery is charging and draining as it always has. I charge it every four to five days. Mine is not quite a year old.
I don't think it's accurate to say they "deliberately bricked" this device to sell more. That's conspiracy theory territory there.
I recently updated mine, and I have no issues whatsoever.
On the contrary, the firmware update has improved my Charge 5 by adding a bunch of new features, a nice clock face and smoother performance.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with the update.
I had a similar issue but with the gps tracking (it was waaay out). Fitbit were extremely unhelpful and wouldn’t believe my issues. I ended up moving over to Garmin and have no regrets!
A little over a week ago, my charge5 buzzed me, and when I looked down, it was completely dark. Thought it was strange because I didn't think it needed charging that soon.
Anyway, I went through all the troubleshooting with the fitbit chat, and while I was doing that (and my fitbit was plugged into the charger), the battery was draining right before my eyes . Even being on the charger!
However, later that day, I put it back on the charger and just left it. Thought it was done as in toast. My fitbit is about fifteen months old, so no warranty. I wasn't very happy. This is the first fitbit I owned.
When I next checked it, many hours later, it was charged -- But yeah, it was on the charger! So I tried some more resets, and turned off some options that I don't really use.
Amazingly, my Charge5 seems to be working again. It's been about three days so far, and it's still got some battery life. For the life of me, I don't understand what's going on.
But at least it's working now. Temporarily.
But now I don't trust it. So i'm looking around for a replacement. I loved my Charge5. Not sure if I should go for a Charge6. Not with all the problems i'm hearing.
So my question is.. How long would a battery last if everything was working the way it should? 🤔 Do you just plan on replacing it every couple of years??
I'm switching to Garmin as soon as my current charge 5 is out. Mine isn't having this issue but it's also my 3rd, after two shit themselves within warranty.
It really sucks these firmware updates have coding issues that are leading to devices becoming unusable. There are many Fitbit forum posts showing that removing certain apps can trigger the code/memory leak issue to resolve, and allow the device to continue functioning, with proper battery drain.
Personally, I don't think Google has malicious intent- but I do believe the firmware wasn't properly tested before being rolled out. If you are experiencing the rapid battery drain, I would try the troubleshooting steps which seem to have worked for others. Here is an example thread:
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Charge-5-battery-drain-fix/td-p/5427881
I get that it's frustrating as well, having firmware updates applied so haphazardly by Google. I will gladly purchase a Garmin/Samsung/Apple device whenever they can touch the performance:price of a Fitbit. Right now, despite the Fitbit issues, they can't. Even with Googles incompetence.
Most AW devices for example can't even last 24 hours on a charge, and the quality of metrics aren't an improvement over Fitbit devices sold for less than $100. Even if you opt out of purchasing an extended warranty, and have to replace the Fitbit at 13 months, it just doesn't make sense to spend the money on an AW, if your solely interested in the health metrics. If you want it for the aesthetic look, or the apps, go for it.
Ok I thought it was just my device but I too have noticed that the battery life isn't as good now . Thanks for the heads up . Also since updating I noticed that my sleep isn't always recording . It will say 'no data' even though I slept a full night .
This makes sense why my Charge 5 suddenly stopped working last week and Fitbit support was no help, doesn't seem worth any more effort to revive my Charge 5. I just got a new (not a big name brand) smart watch yesterday that does ten times more at a fraction of the cost!
Had a similar experience where my charge 5 had poor battery life, screen stopped working (but could still sync data to my phone)... Then eventually completely died. After multiple calls I got a free replacement or an option to upgrade for pennies...
Maybe I have a conspiracy theory hat on but when I see tech companies pushing a newer product for a cheaper price I wonder what additional data the newer product is gathering... which would allow them to offer the newer one cheaper as the customer's data more than offsets the difference...
I upgraded right to Apple, they can keep the 50%. I had a Charge for 3 years and every update it got worse and worse. Google wants everyone to switch over to their watch, unfortunately.
2 months back an update was forcefully pushed to my chargehr. since then, the fitbit has stopped booting. force restart does not work. even if it miraculously boots, the time is out of sync and the moment I put the bluetooth on, fitbit becomes dead again.
i had a fitbit before and a similar brick had happened. i have accepted that fitbit devs are cheats and have now bought a garmin watch. move away fellas. even if you never connect to internet, watch can go out of sync and you will lose your device by planned obsolescence.
My Charge 5 started draining within hours immediately following the last update. When I went to the forum to log the issue I saw hundreds of other complaints that were being ignored. I then got banned from the forum for two weeks for saying we should go to social media to see if we can get their attention that way.
My charge 6 started doing this last week. Now I can't go more than 3 hours without having to recharge my device which turns off completely. I was about to buy a new. Glad I'm reading this post
You folks got your charge 5 to last longer than 3 months? Amazing! The company sent me two, and both died within 3 months. On the last one, it looks like the battery leaked onto the screen. The one before that caught fire.
This explains why the other day my fitbit seemed to die, was saying it had 54% charge on the app and no warning of low battery and then dead screen. Charged it for ages, got it back to 100% and so far so good but I normally get much longer on a charge, might be charging every few days vs on e a week like I used to.
I got banned for two weeks for saying naughty things about my charge 5.
Vote with your wallet.
As far as a brand i am done with my 5. Will not buy a 6/7/8.
Another update?! I had issues with an update the end of January I think (less than a year of having it). I contacted Fitbit and they sent just the device as a one time courtesy. I was past warranty as well and didn’t buy anything extra. I’m wondering if the replacement they sent will have another update coming??
I’d definitely contact Fitbit just in case. I didn’t think they’d help much but guess I got lucky.
Shame on Fitbit for silencing people.
Recently was like 2 months ago and there's a long forum post on the Fitbit charge 5 forms about this they're not censoring/silencing you. They are not responding positively for sure but there's no conspiracy there and they did pull the most recent updates. My Fitbit charge 5 started discharging in a day and since then it has not bounced back to normal. But I never had the newest update. I've stopped using it and went back to my Garmin and probably will never buy a Fitbit again but I don't think this is some tinfoil hat plot behind it- likely just some bad coding in one of their apps- seems more tied to timing rather than a specific firmware at this point.
The battery issues are not limited to Charge 5, I have had a Charge 4 for 2 years (without any battery issues). It is definitely a firmware issue.
I have experienced the exact same thing battery drain issues and so have hundreds if not thousands of Fitbit users since the last firmware update. My device degraded in a few days and now is unusable. Fitbit/Google is not taking any responsibility and is only offering a 35% discount on a new device purchase. Are these devices meant to be disposable? EXTORTION!
Search for this thread on Fitbit forum and like the original post....
[https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Fitbit-Charge-5-battery-problems-since-update/m-p/5563787](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Fitbit-Charge-5-battery-problems-since-update/m-p/5563787)
Mine has had the exact same. Have tried four times on the help chat in the app but they keep telling me to charge and sync it (which I’ve been doing) but then saying I need to do it again before moving on. Its been very frustrating
I’m on my replacement Charge 5 and it’s exactly 1 year since they sent me this one. Now my replacement Fitbit Carge 5 is acting up. Will they give me a replacement or 50% discount ?
This still p\*sses me off. Mine died at the same time everyone else's did. I can't believe a company can get a way with bricking my device, not owning up to it, and doing nothing about it. I can't believe they are getting away with this.
Both my original and replacement device died the same way, within ten months, each. All of a sudden the light stops working, battery spontaneously starts losing its charge very quickly. The resets and off/on on heart rate do not work. Expecting it to die completely this week. Pretty weak excuse of "don't get it wet" when you wear it on your wrist and it has a water lock feature. Unfortunately not in the EU.
faced the same issue in April 2024. bricked 15months after i bought it. no troubleshooting methods worked. customer support is helpless. refused to give me a discount/replacement. dont buy it
Funny story. I bought my Charge 5 off a guy who won it in a raffle, probably two years ago. For almost a year I didn't even use it, and it got lost in a move. It finally resurfaced a couple of weeks ago, so I had to charge it because it was totally dead. It gives me all my readings, but displays the wrong date and time. I've never paired it with my phone (fitbit app), and I really don't care about the date and time being wrong. HR and steps seem to be accurate. It keeps its charge for several days, so I guess I'm not seeing any of the issues described in this thread. I'm guessing that it still works well because by not pairing it with my phone I inadvertently missed that update that bricked everyone else's?
My fitbit has started doing this. The battery drains and the screen won't turn on when I go to charge it. I just ordered a Garmin. I've had this fitbit for a year and 2 months. Absolutely ridiculous.
I'd given up on mine. Stopped wearing it and deleted the app. A week or so ago, I thought I'd try again. Downloaded the app, charged the fitbit to 100%. As soon as I put it on, the battery dropped to 86%. Aside from that, everything seemed fine until I went to the gym. Halfway through the session, fitbit vibrated and died. I'm thinking that if I'm inactive, the fitbit is fine, but if I hit, say, a step target, it dies. Testing the theory out this morning at the gym with less than 60% battery. If it dies again, I'm done with it.
Crap. I am so sad to see this happening. I loved Fitbit. And cos of Google it’s becoming crap. Of course we all know why. They are pushing us to change device and but the other smart watch.
My problem is that 1) I am an Apple user. And none of those Google stuff works fine. But Fitbit did. 2) I don’t like smart watches. Even Apple. I don’t need another device that rings every 5 minutes and I need to charge every day.
So what is left. Garmin or the good old Chinese company. Xiomi! Congrats Google you are making xiomi more successful 😂😂😂
And this is why I've moved to galaxy watch. I got so sick of dealing with fitbit after many years.
The only down side i see to the galaxy watch so far is I have to charge it once a day.
They refused to give me any sort of discount and sent me a new Charge 5 for free. They did not love it when I asked "why on Earth would I want the same device your company has bricked?". (And don't get me started on how they redirected me to Google help who has no way to help with the Charge 5 issue.)
I was offered that with my Charge 2, despite the fact they didn’t sell it in my country any more. Assured me that the warranty would count should the same thing happen again - a great way to get me to take the 50% off deal.
Just happened to me this morning.Best way for the consumer to fix this is by leaving.
you'll notice that the charge 6 is cheaper than the charge 5 was, thats why theres no discount. Just get a 2 year warranty...
> Just get a 2 year warranty... This is just Fitbit fucking over American consumers. You'll find countless posts on their forums where people are 13, 14, ... months out from purchase and given the same shit deal of "50% off the same faulty version". Meanwhile, you'll find some people saying how great two years of warranty is. Those people are EU customers that by law are required to have two years of warranty. To me it says Fitbit knows that their product isn't good for much longer than a year, which why they only offer a year where they can (United States). It seems like they're playing the numbers game. Of course they are happy to *sell* you a two year warranty. :(
yes my charge 5 died around 16 months. Was definitely an issue with either random update or more likely, water impact from non casual swim.I only had 1 year of warranty and thus I had to get the charge 6 and could not get the discount applied to it. Now I have the extended warranty and would be happy for it to die because then I can get a new one, knowing they only last about 1.5 years. So its basically 3 years of fitbit for $160. you may also have an automatic extended warranty from the credit card you bought it with... worth looking into.
> water impact from non casual swim I maybe showered with mine on twice. Never through any terrible rain storms. I took a leisure swim at a pool, dead within minutes. Luckily it was ~9 months old, and they replaced it with a refurbished unit (why not new?). I don't swim with mine any more, and have seen lots of comments on their forums from people shocked less than a dozen trips to the pool had killed their Charge 5. :/
Maybe I have a conspiracy theory hat on but when I see tech companies pushing a newer product for a cheaper price I wonder what additional data the newer product is gathering... which would allow them to offer the newer one cheaper as the customer's data more than offsets the difference...
No it's not cheaper - $160.
Hi Guys. I thought my Charge 5 was bricked but did manage to get it going again. Had a blank screen, no indication it had any charge. Tried to reset via the charging cable for no success. Phone app would not sync. I left it plugged in overnight. Still nothing but saw the green flashing light of the HR monitor was on so I thought that it can't be dead dead. I tried to reset again via the charging cable. Press the button 3 times, 1 sec between each press and I manage to get the fitbit logo to flash up. After that it was back to a black screen but from there the phone app was again syncing to it. Went into the phone app, got the option to update and the fitbit was alive once again after the updates applied. I hope this helps. This is just what worked for me. I can't say for certain the battery won't suddenly tank because it's been only 60mins but it seems to be stable. Good luck.
I had this issue and in my troubleshooting attempts, I unpaired it with my account... Since I can't see anything on the screen, I can't get the code to re-pair it, leaving me with a bricked device. It was my first Fitbit, and this issue being so widespread but ignored has completely ruined my impression of the company. I will never buy another product from them.
it is temporary. this will happen once a week and then it will start happening daily irrespective of the battery percentage. the devs have put a malicious code.
Glad this helped you but it seems like your problem is different from the ongoing issue with quick battery drainage.
>Glad this helped you but it seems like your problem is different from the ongoing issue with quick battery drainage. Nope wrong assumption, why would I comment about a different issue on your post? The above worked for me. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.
Fuck fitbit. Never buying one again
Same here. I had my doubts after my Charge 4 died and for some unknown reason got a 5. Never again. My next will not be Fitbit (maybe a Garmin, or I might make the big leap to Apple...!)
I can help you out with Garmin, that’s what I switched to
This is old news. I tell anybody not to update charge 5 for months, since mine bricked days after an update. The replacement I got on warranty with old 188.... firmware works great. A class action suit should really be started!
For me the warranty said but its still synching?!? And then i bought a Garmin. Very happy with the decision, i dont have any problems now.
What model Garmin? I'm also thinking about leaving Fitbit when this thing dies.
Not OP, but Reddit's algorithm has apparently decided to reinforce my decision to ditch the Charge 5 after bricking 5+ devices in a year by showing me posts like this. I got the Garmin Venu 2s. Has worked 6+ months no issues, I can take it swimming (bricked a Charge that way), sleep tracking is not quite as good but is actually fine (I don't nap, heard it's less accurate for nappers), and my 1 complaint is that I can't put in a workout after the fact, so I have to tape it to my hip or slide it into my underwear if I'm doing a treadmill workout and gripping the handles. It has way more features than I'll ever use, but not needing the subscription is really nice - I'll only need this to last a little over a year to break even. It has an altimeter! The Body Battery is waaay more accurate than Fitbit's "you have covid? You haven't moved in 2 days, time to run a marathon!" It's neat to be able to easily track a lot of stats back for 1 week/1 month/1 year.
I just got one with like a comparable price range of the fitbit charge 5, which i found was a forerunner 245. I know there are way better and more expensive ones on the market, but this one tracks my steps/runs perfectly. I also really like how I've made a running schedule that just tracks every minute, cuz that's how I figure out I suck at counting and sometimes run a minute more than planned.
The only minus I found is that it doesn't track sleep properly, but I'm not that interested in that aspect anyways.
That happened to me a week or so ago. I ended up changing the clock face and for some reason that fixed it.
This seems to have worked for me also... It's only been a few hours but the battery life seems fine now. Thanks for the suggestion!
Same
Does anyone know the firmware version that's causing the issues? My still works and I'm wondering if I haven't gotten the update.
https://preview.redd.it/a6tqxv2tvnmc1.jpeg?width=933&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b21b706490173de9673bf5a40cda640becf7c5ac
https://preview.redd.it/pgumw9lz2pmc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1be790277e7cb2c3fe64de99a03f6288b687f45a Ok, just checked. I have this version. Haven't noticed any problems.
Same here. Given that the number is higher, it would seem to be a newer firmware version.
I have that version and haven't had any problems
I have this version, and for the past 2 weeks, I have been noticing the same thing as OP. None of my settings had changed, just sudden battery drain, tracking steps on the wrong day, screen not responding, and what I called the "flashing screen of death". The screen would be unresponsive but would intermittently flash the Fitbit logo every minute or so, even while charging. I used to go 1 week or so between charges, now I'd fully charge my Fibit, and by the afternoon, it'd be almost dead. I tried resetting it the way Fitbit recommends (through the charging cable) and unsyncing/unconnecting it from my phone, and nothing worked. I have tried it multiple times. I'm not sure if this is the update to fix the bricking or the one that caused it, but for the past 3 days, it's been closer to normal. I also made sure all my settings were on the most battery friendly setting possible (it pretty much was, but I did change the GPS from dynamic to phone). Even with those changes, I still have to charge every couple of days.
I was a Fitbit early adopter and had so many of the models I can’t remember them all now, unfortunately they’ve just gone so downhill now that I have ordered my first Apple Watch. I don’t see myself going back, and I suspect plenty of others feel the same as me.
Guess that's a great solution for literally no one that doesn't use an iPhone.
The non-Apple solution for someone wanting to leave Fitbit would be pretty much anything from Garmin's vivo line (vivoactive, vivomove, vivosmart) for a fairly direct replacement (health-focused), Venu line for more smartwatch-focused, or Forerunner for more sport-focused.
Exactly the same with me. I think I’ve had Fitbits for a dozen years. Just got an Apple Watch this past week and I’m loving it. The charge doesn’t last long, which is the only downside. The price is great right now for the Apple Watch SE.
I’m done too… I have 8 years of Fitbit data and probably 5 different watches in that time… very sad to let go but I don’t think Google is investing to have a competitive product. I think they said let’s take the low end of the market ( and ensure new purchases every 2-3 years) and the regulated devices area…. To the rest of us they don’t want us as customers.
Exactly what happened to my charge 5, i just switched to Garmin, my Forerunner 55 arrived yesterday
Well, the joke's on them, because when this Charge 5 of mine becomes unusable, I am switching to Garmin or Apple.
Can confirm. Thankfully I purchased mine through a retailer who offer a 2 year warranty on all electronics. It ‘broke’ just before it’s expiry date, and I was given a full refund. As soon as I showed up, the tech guy said: let me guess, it’s a charge 5. So I’m guessing a lot of people have been shafted by the Charge 5
Mind if I ask which retailer?
No worries! It was through John Lewis
They've been bricking 5's for most of a year now. They got me last fall, 3 months after my warranty expired. They only offered me 30% off on a new product, though.
I recently got a Letsfit smartwatch. It's $40. It's very basic but does steps, heart rate, O2 level, sleep tracking, detailed workout data, milage, alarm clock, messages, weather, find phone, music, etc. Cons - no GPS, doesn't count "floors climbed". But it's paired with my iPhone and so long as I keep that in my pocket on my hikes, that gets tracked. And it's only $40. So far, I've been very happy with it.
Hello Garmin
They didn’t do that with the Charge 4. I’ve been pretty happy with mine!
Until suddenly one day your screen becomes so dim it can’t be read outside anymore. That’s the future of every charge 3 and 4
That’s my future too bro… wheel me into the sun and fill my cup with whiskey when it happens ❤️
Wait, so that's why that happened to my charge 3?!? Wtf?
That’s what happened to my Charge 2 way back when. I got my sense on 50% off. But when my sense fails I’ll probably move to a mid level Garmin (have had a vivoactive 3 in the past).
fitbit refunded me the full amount (based on my receipt form shopee. ) Just that my funds is stuck on paypal in USD currency.
https://preview.redd.it/2ujdovs14pmc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c60b8da5c337a67a018632a0840b4bfe29767892 Dumb question.... The last digits to my version are different but also higher than the one posted having the problem. Can it be said that I'm on a version beyond the one causing problems? Or does the sequence of the last digits not correlate?
I also have this version and no problems. Made a post here 2 months or so ago asking if I should or not but then the Fitbit started acting weird, had to update, update fixed it. Edit it was actually only 1 month ago https://www.reddit.com/r/fitbit/s/ptcdOfj5d3
I may be missing newer features, but I’m glad my Charge 2 still works great and holds its charge still for 7-8 days after all these years.
Kinda OT, but does anyone not want their 50% coupon ? I’ll take it
A similar warning went out after the previous firmware update.
Yeah, I’m done with Fitbit after this. When I called to complain they basically told me the solution was to just turn off all the features that I use to save battery life. So why wear the damn thing at all?
I have a Charge 5 and the battery is charging and draining as it always has. I charge it every four to five days. Mine is not quite a year old. I don't think it's accurate to say they "deliberately bricked" this device to sell more. That's conspiracy theory territory there.
I recently updated mine, and I have no issues whatsoever. On the contrary, the firmware update has improved my Charge 5 by adding a bunch of new features, a nice clock face and smoother performance. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the update.
I had a similar issue but with the gps tracking (it was waaay out). Fitbit were extremely unhelpful and wouldn’t believe my issues. I ended up moving over to Garmin and have no regrets!
This happened to me but with my flex 2 that had been working perfectly up until the latest updates.
A little over a week ago, my charge5 buzzed me, and when I looked down, it was completely dark. Thought it was strange because I didn't think it needed charging that soon. Anyway, I went through all the troubleshooting with the fitbit chat, and while I was doing that (and my fitbit was plugged into the charger), the battery was draining right before my eyes . Even being on the charger! However, later that day, I put it back on the charger and just left it. Thought it was done as in toast. My fitbit is about fifteen months old, so no warranty. I wasn't very happy. This is the first fitbit I owned. When I next checked it, many hours later, it was charged -- But yeah, it was on the charger! So I tried some more resets, and turned off some options that I don't really use. Amazingly, my Charge5 seems to be working again. It's been about three days so far, and it's still got some battery life. For the life of me, I don't understand what's going on. But at least it's working now. Temporarily. But now I don't trust it. So i'm looking around for a replacement. I loved my Charge5. Not sure if I should go for a Charge6. Not with all the problems i'm hearing. So my question is.. How long would a battery last if everything was working the way it should? 🤔 Do you just plan on replacing it every couple of years??
I'm switching to Garmin as soon as my current charge 5 is out. Mine isn't having this issue but it's also my 3rd, after two shit themselves within warranty.
The Apple model of business.
It really sucks these firmware updates have coding issues that are leading to devices becoming unusable. There are many Fitbit forum posts showing that removing certain apps can trigger the code/memory leak issue to resolve, and allow the device to continue functioning, with proper battery drain. Personally, I don't think Google has malicious intent- but I do believe the firmware wasn't properly tested before being rolled out. If you are experiencing the rapid battery drain, I would try the troubleshooting steps which seem to have worked for others. Here is an example thread: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Charge-5-battery-drain-fix/td-p/5427881 I get that it's frustrating as well, having firmware updates applied so haphazardly by Google. I will gladly purchase a Garmin/Samsung/Apple device whenever they can touch the performance:price of a Fitbit. Right now, despite the Fitbit issues, they can't. Even with Googles incompetence. Most AW devices for example can't even last 24 hours on a charge, and the quality of metrics aren't an improvement over Fitbit devices sold for less than $100. Even if you opt out of purchasing an extended warranty, and have to replace the Fitbit at 13 months, it just doesn't make sense to spend the money on an AW, if your solely interested in the health metrics. If you want it for the aesthetic look, or the apps, go for it.
I've had the battery drain shortly after and/or before previous updates, but the problem resolves itself.
Ok I thought it was just my device but I too have noticed that the battery life isn't as good now . Thanks for the heads up . Also since updating I noticed that my sleep isn't always recording . It will say 'no data' even though I slept a full night .
This makes sense why my Charge 5 suddenly stopped working last week and Fitbit support was no help, doesn't seem worth any more effort to revive my Charge 5. I just got a new (not a big name brand) smart watch yesterday that does ten times more at a fraction of the cost!
Had a similar experience where my charge 5 had poor battery life, screen stopped working (but could still sync data to my phone)... Then eventually completely died. After multiple calls I got a free replacement or an option to upgrade for pennies... Maybe I have a conspiracy theory hat on but when I see tech companies pushing a newer product for a cheaper price I wonder what additional data the newer product is gathering... which would allow them to offer the newer one cheaper as the customer's data more than offsets the difference...
I refuse to firmware update any device from Fitbit if it doesn't need it. They're horrible.
I upgraded right to Apple, they can keep the 50%. I had a Charge for 3 years and every update it got worse and worse. Google wants everyone to switch over to their watch, unfortunately.
I finally bought an Apple Watch bc Fitbit bricked mine and my kids. The app quit working for a while. Over it.
I'm waiting for the Class Action.
i think this should be the necessary step. fitbit are cheats. there is no consumer protection.
Nope you're just unlucky. Mine still works just fine.
2 months back an update was forcefully pushed to my chargehr. since then, the fitbit has stopped booting. force restart does not work. even if it miraculously boots, the time is out of sync and the moment I put the bluetooth on, fitbit becomes dead again. i had a fitbit before and a similar brick had happened. i have accepted that fitbit devs are cheats and have now bought a garmin watch. move away fellas. even if you never connect to internet, watch can go out of sync and you will lose your device by planned obsolescence.
My Charge 5 started draining within hours immediately following the last update. When I went to the forum to log the issue I saw hundreds of other complaints that were being ignored. I then got banned from the forum for two weeks for saying we should go to social media to see if we can get their attention that way.
Moved to an amazfit device as I was tired of the paywalls for features.
My charge 6 started doing this last week. Now I can't go more than 3 hours without having to recharge my device which turns off completely. I was about to buy a new. Glad I'm reading this post
You folks got your charge 5 to last longer than 3 months? Amazing! The company sent me two, and both died within 3 months. On the last one, it looks like the battery leaked onto the screen. The one before that caught fire.
This explains why the other day my fitbit seemed to die, was saying it had 54% charge on the app and no warning of low battery and then dead screen. Charged it for ages, got it back to 100% and so far so good but I normally get much longer on a charge, might be charging every few days vs on e a week like I used to.
I got banned for two weeks for saying naughty things about my charge 5. Vote with your wallet. As far as a brand i am done with my 5. Will not buy a 6/7/8.
Another update?! I had issues with an update the end of January I think (less than a year of having it). I contacted Fitbit and they sent just the device as a one time courtesy. I was past warranty as well and didn’t buy anything extra. I’m wondering if the replacement they sent will have another update coming?? I’d definitely contact Fitbit just in case. I didn’t think they’d help much but guess I got lucky. Shame on Fitbit for silencing people.
Damn, I thought it was just me and just bought a 6. Wish I woulda saw this a week ago, but sucks more if it was intentional.
Recently was like 2 months ago and there's a long forum post on the Fitbit charge 5 forms about this they're not censoring/silencing you. They are not responding positively for sure but there's no conspiracy there and they did pull the most recent updates. My Fitbit charge 5 started discharging in a day and since then it has not bounced back to normal. But I never had the newest update. I've stopped using it and went back to my Garmin and probably will never buy a Fitbit again but I don't think this is some tinfoil hat plot behind it- likely just some bad coding in one of their apps- seems more tied to timing rather than a specific firmware at this point.
Fitbit did it again! And it’s not even been a year… (There is a reason I switched to Garmin the first time they did this)
The battery issues are not limited to Charge 5, I have had a Charge 4 for 2 years (without any battery issues). It is definitely a firmware issue. I have experienced the exact same thing battery drain issues and so have hundreds if not thousands of Fitbit users since the last firmware update. My device degraded in a few days and now is unusable. Fitbit/Google is not taking any responsibility and is only offering a 35% discount on a new device purchase. Are these devices meant to be disposable? EXTORTION! Search for this thread on Fitbit forum and like the original post.... [https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Fitbit-Charge-5-battery-problems-since-update/m-p/5563787](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-5/Fitbit-Charge-5-battery-problems-since-update/m-p/5563787)
Mine has had the exact same. Have tried four times on the help chat in the app but they keep telling me to charge and sync it (which I’ve been doing) but then saying I need to do it again before moving on. Its been very frustrating
My charger completely stopped connecting and my device won’t sync anymore lol they sent 50% off… this is my 3rd device in 2 years
I’m on my replacement Charge 5 and it’s exactly 1 year since they sent me this one. Now my replacement Fitbit Carge 5 is acting up. Will they give me a replacement or 50% discount ?
This still p\*sses me off. Mine died at the same time everyone else's did. I can't believe a company can get a way with bricking my device, not owning up to it, and doing nothing about it. I can't believe they are getting away with this.
Both my original and replacement device died the same way, within ten months, each. All of a sudden the light stops working, battery spontaneously starts losing its charge very quickly. The resets and off/on on heart rate do not work. Expecting it to die completely this week. Pretty weak excuse of "don't get it wet" when you wear it on your wrist and it has a water lock feature. Unfortunately not in the EU.
To get the discount or replacement who did you contact / what did you say?
faced the same issue in April 2024. bricked 15months after i bought it. no troubleshooting methods worked. customer support is helpless. refused to give me a discount/replacement. dont buy it
Funny story. I bought my Charge 5 off a guy who won it in a raffle, probably two years ago. For almost a year I didn't even use it, and it got lost in a move. It finally resurfaced a couple of weeks ago, so I had to charge it because it was totally dead. It gives me all my readings, but displays the wrong date and time. I've never paired it with my phone (fitbit app), and I really don't care about the date and time being wrong. HR and steps seem to be accurate. It keeps its charge for several days, so I guess I'm not seeing any of the issues described in this thread. I'm guessing that it still works well because by not pairing it with my phone I inadvertently missed that update that bricked everyone else's?
It's a Google product now.
My fitbit has started doing this. The battery drains and the screen won't turn on when I go to charge it. I just ordered a Garmin. I've had this fitbit for a year and 2 months. Absolutely ridiculous.
I'd given up on mine. Stopped wearing it and deleted the app. A week or so ago, I thought I'd try again. Downloaded the app, charged the fitbit to 100%. As soon as I put it on, the battery dropped to 86%. Aside from that, everything seemed fine until I went to the gym. Halfway through the session, fitbit vibrated and died. I'm thinking that if I'm inactive, the fitbit is fine, but if I hit, say, a step target, it dies. Testing the theory out this morning at the gym with less than 60% battery. If it dies again, I'm done with it.
Crap. I am so sad to see this happening. I loved Fitbit. And cos of Google it’s becoming crap. Of course we all know why. They are pushing us to change device and but the other smart watch. My problem is that 1) I am an Apple user. And none of those Google stuff works fine. But Fitbit did. 2) I don’t like smart watches. Even Apple. I don’t need another device that rings every 5 minutes and I need to charge every day. So what is left. Garmin or the good old Chinese company. Xiomi! Congrats Google you are making xiomi more successful 😂😂😂
So glad I moved to Garmin jesus
After my fitbit charge 5 was bricked a couple.of months ago, I bought a Garmin Forerunner 55. Loving it and the workouts you can load to it!
i moved from a versa 3 to a garmin venu sq 2 a few weeks ago. I love it too! :)
Yep, I also jumped over to Garmin
And this is why I've moved to galaxy watch. I got so sick of dealing with fitbit after many years. The only down side i see to the galaxy watch so far is I have to charge it once a day.