Some Fitbit Charge 5 users are having a tough time right now, with no fix in sight for a battery drain issue, as well as previously reported issues with the device's Bluetooth connectivity. (*5*)
The battery drain issue first arose in 2021, when several people posted on the Fitbit community forums (opens in a new tab) complaining about the Fitbit Charge 5's alleged seven-day battery life, which actually only lasts a few hours. (*5*)
Although turning on the built-in GPS and using other features, such as the SPO2 tracker, have been known to drain the battery faster, even when GPS is apparently not turned on, the battery drains quickly. (*5*)
Not all units are affected, and it seems only a few Fitbit Voice users are complaining about this issue. However, the problem persisted until 2022, with more and more users affected. Noted moderator DavideFitbit (opens in a new tab) posted in the most recent thread on July 9, saying that he is working on a firmware update and you should be patient.(*5*)
"Keep in mind that firmware updates are released incrementally, starting with a small percentage and then expanding to the entire user community," said DavideFitbit. This sentiment is echoed on the official Fitbit support Twitter, stating that a fix is on the way.(*5*)
Fitbit's current recommendation is to disable features like these in settings to avoid unnecessary battery drain and restart your device.(*5*)
I beg you. We recently released the new firmware update to fix this issue. This is a phased release, so we recommend keeping an eye on that. You'll see a banner in the Fitbit app once it's available on your device. July 14, 2022(*5*)
See more(*5*)
However, as first reported by Phoneswiki (opens in a new tab), it's worth noting that the Fitbit Charge 5 issue has been well known for some time, with users alerting Fitbit in 2021 and Fitbit publicly acknowledging the problem in March 2022. There has been no fix for months, and some users are practically unable to use their expensive new fitness trackers. (*5*)
It's compounded by other Bluetooth connectivity issues we reported several weeks ago, with some devices stubbornly refusing to pair with phones or frequently unpairing once they do. At the time, TechRadar reached out to a Fitbit representative for comment but did not receive a response. (*5*)
Writing on July 14, one forum user said (opens in a new tab): "I completely turned off my Fitbit watch from my watch settings and then restarted it. It's worked for me so far. We'll see."
I got a message from Fitbit saying they are working on the issue. It's exactly the same message they were sending a year ago."(*5*)
This is not a good look for Fitbit. The Charge 5 is an incredible fitness tracker, and its most expensive and feature-rich device that isn't a legitimate smartwatch like the Versa or Sense lines. The Charge 5 review units we've tested before certainly didn't contain any of the above issues. It's a really great device, and my review unit lasted about four days on a full charge and light use of GPS for runs. (*5*)
However, there is no way of knowing what percentage of Fitbit Charge 5 devices may have one or both of the above issues. With that in mind, we honestly can't recommend buying a Charge 5 right now until we know a solution is in the offing. You might be better off with the similar Fitbit Luxe.(*5*)