Fitbit prospects say gadgets unusable after replace

More than 100 Fitbit customers say a software program replace issued by the fitness-tracker agency in December 2023 has left their gadgets unusable.

The Fitbit Charge 5 replace was meant so as to add new options and repair bugs, however many customers have taken to a Fitbit discussion board to listing the issues it has brought on.

One of the complaints is that batteries drain quickly – an issue one person mentioned had rendered their system “useless”.

The BBC has approached Google, which owns Fitbit, for remark.

“Basically, it’s useless now, the battery’s dead,” Dean, in Essex, instructed the BBC.

“It seems to have been done from their update – before it was working really well. The battery would last for seven days easily.

“I do not actually see why a whole lot of different individuals can be having the identical drawback after putting in the replace if it wasn’t, however [Fitbit] goes fully quiet and never responding.”

Earlier this month, Google, which bought the fitness-tracking business in 2019 for $2.1bn (£1.66bn), laid off hundreds of staff at the firm, with Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman reportedly among those to leave.

Dean said the issue arose in his device immediately after updating it.

“I observed the battery began discharging instantly – it would not maintain its cost,” he mentioned.

“The battery was fully useless. I contacted buyer providers for the web chat, and all they’d do is speak me via factory-resetting the system, which would not assist.

“Then I logged on to the forums and asked for help there and found that other people were having the problem and it was completely being ignored by Fitbit.”

Fitbit’s boards are full of comparable complaints, some made solely this week.

One particular person mentioned their Charge 5 went “from perfect to non-functional overnight”, whereas one other mentioned in a put up made on Christmas Day that the replace brought on their system to be “completely bricked”.

Others have criticised the “frustrating” customer support, which supplied “no solution other than to buy a new Fitbit”.

One buyer has demanded Google “be more accountable”, saying they intend to modify to a tool supplied by a rival agency.

“Everyone who has bought a Fitbit Charge 5 anywhere should be able to return these units without question and receive an upgrade to keep faith,” they mentioned.

“The company is big enough to absorb the cost.”

Google has but to reply.

Additional reporting by Kris Bramwell.