[Updated] Fitbit Charge 5 excessive battery drain issue persits for many, but still no ETA for fix

Here’s the crux of the article in video form:

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on June 17, 2022) follows:

Fitbit is one of the most recognized names in the segment of wearable devices. The brand’s products are focused on fitness and healthy lifestyles.

‘Fitbit Charge’ lineup is one of the most popular in the Fitbit catalog. The Fitbit Charge 5 (released mid-2021) is the latest addition to the smart band lineup.

The Fitbit Charge 5 has multiple improvements over its predecessors. However, it seems that many users are facing a severe issue that negatively impacts their devices battery life.

More specifically, there is a Fitbit Charge 5 excessive battery drain issue that has been present for months, and persists to this day.

According to multiple reports, Fitbit Charge 5 battery life is not being as durable as it should be.

It seems that the problem starts to appear after a few days or weeks of using the device. At a certain point, the total capacity of the battery will drop sharply.

The problem can be so severe that the Fitbit Charge 5 battery life will last less than 24 hours. Also, in some cases, the battery dies completely and users are unable to charge the wearable.

Fitbit Charge 5 stopped holding a charge

My Fitbit stopped holding a charge and keeping track of zone minutes, heart rate, sleep. Have updated and tried the button 3 times but never get the Fitbit logo afterwards. My Fitbit was purchased in October.
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Mine barely last 24hrs even when doing nothing/sat in the office. Help advice seems to be Reset – which nothing as its up to date – plus disable all the functions you bought the device for – seriously? There’s so many complaints about this device on these kinds of forums – i wish i’d read before purchasing. It’s clearly majorly deficient in both software and hardware
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There seems to be mixed experiences regarding the customer service handling of the situation. In some cases, users affected by the issue receive a replacement Fitbit Charge 5 without issue:

I had a similar experience recently. I also purchased my Charge 5 last fall. It ended up not working at all so they sent me a RA postage pdf and I sent it back to FITBIT on 6-6-2022. I’m waiting for the replacement.

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Meanwhile, in other cases, the customer service agent denies the replacement. However, in some of these cases, contacting another customer service agent helps resolve the issue:

Quick update…

I decided to give Fitbit a call again this morning because this is such a load. The associate I spoke with was absolutely no-nonsense: took one look at how I was denied a replacement and said, nope, let’s get you that replacement right now. And he did. My order has been placed and the pebble is on its way.

I have no idea what just happened.
Source

It seems that the approval or denial of the replacement depends on the agent you contact. So, if you receive an initial negative response, it is recommended to try again by contacting another agent.

It’s worth pointing out that there is an official acknowledgment on the issue from months ago (March). At that time, it was even said that the Fitbit team was working on a fix.

But sadly, to this day, reports related to Fitbit Charge 5 excessive battery drain issue keep coming up.

We will update this story once new developments related to the matter emerge.

05:39 pm (IST): A few months after the first official statement on the issue, Fitbit support team indicates that the company is still working on a fix for the Fitbit Charge 5 excessive battery drain.

However, there is no ETA yet for the rollout, so affected users will have to keep waiting.

07:13 pm (IST): Fitbit has now acknowledged the issue where some wearables suddenly stop charging. The company is working on a fix, but there is no ETA yet.

05:44 pm (IST): The Fitbit team just released an update to fix the Fitbit wearables battery issues. However, the rollout is gradual, so it won’t be available to everyone right away.

06:37 pm (IST): Even after the rollout of the update aimed at fixing Fitbit wearables battery issues, reports of similar situations have continued to surface (1, 2).

So, it seems that the update has not been very effective so far.

12:18 pm (IST): Some Fitbit Charge 5 owners with issues on their device have started receiving (1, 2) their replacement. So if you are still having battery drain issues on your device then you can try replacing it with a new one.

06:52 pm (IST): Many Fitbit Charge 5 owners were waiting for a fix for battery drain issue. However, the promised update not only didn’t fix the issue but apparently, it also bricked some devices (1, 2).

Featured Image: Fitbit

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