Fitbit denies Charge 5 replace made units unusable

Fitbit has denied claims, made by scores of its customers, {that a} software program replace it issued in December 2023 has left many units unusable.

More than 100 customers have taken to official boards to say their Charge 5 units now don’t work correctly.

One buyer instructed the BBC the replace had rendered theirs “useless”.

“We’re still investigating this issue, but can confirm it is not due to the recent firmware update,” a spokesperson for Google, which owns Fitbit, mentioned.

The spokesperson didn’t provide any different clarification for the flood of issues being reported, the commonest of which could be very brief battery life.

“Users should continue to update their devices to the latest firmware and contact Fitbit Customer service at help.fitbit.com if they encounter any issues,” they added.

Users on Fitbit’s personal boards nonetheless are adamant the software program change is accountable, with some Charge 5 customers urging in opposition to putting in the replace, and describing how their units now not work correctly, if in any respect.

“Basically, it’s useless now, the battery’s dead,” Dean, in Essex – who didn’t need his full title made public – instructed the BBC, as he defined his issues together with his Charge 5.

He mentioned beforehand his machine was “working really well” and was “easily” capable of final seven days per cost – and mentioned the thought the software program replace was accountable.

“I don’t really see why hundreds of other people would be having the same problem after installing the update if it wasn’t.”

Fitbit – which was based in California – helped pioneer the health tracker market. It launched its first machine in 2009, and has bought greater than 120 million items worldwide since then.

It was purchased by Google in 2019 for $2.1bn (£1.66bn).

But the wearable tech market has been challenged in recent times by the rising capabilities of smartphones.

Earlier this month, Google laid off a whole lot of workers at Fitbit, with co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman reportedly amongst these to depart.

Dean mentioned the problem arose in his machine instantly after updating it.

“I noticed the battery started discharging immediately – it wouldn’t hold its charge,” he mentioned.

“The battery was completely dead. I contacted customer services for the online chat, and all they would do is talk me through factory-resetting the device, which wouldn’t help.

“Then I logged on to the boards and requested for assist there and located that different folks have been having the issue and it was fully being ignored by Fitbit.”

Fitbit’s forums are full of similar complaints, some made only this week.

One particular person mentioned their Charge 5 went “from excellent to non-functional in a single day”, while another said in a post made on Christmas Day that the update caused their device to be “fully bricked”.

Others have criticised the “irritating” customer service, which offered “no resolution apart from to purchase a brand new Fitbit”.

One buyer has demanded Google “be extra accountable”, saying they intend to switch to a device provided by a rival firm.

“Everyone who has purchased a Fitbit Charge 5 wherever ought to have the ability to return these items with out query and obtain an improve to maintain religion,” they mentioned.

“The firm is sufficiently big to soak up the fee.”

Additional reporting by Kris Bramwell.