A new Fitbit is supposed to operate without glitches for years however, with time problems may be encountered. These problems result from constant routine abuse on the watch. The most common problem being Fitbit is not charging and that is why we have made this post.
This post will provide reasons why Fitbit won’t charge plus tell you what to do to get it to start charging. Therefore, without wasting time let’s begin.
Why is Fitbit not charging? In summary, Fitbit Charge 5, Fitbit Sense, or Fitbit Versa won’t charge because there is no power, the charger or USB port is dead, the charging pins/plates on the charger are misaligned, the charging contacts have dirt, it is still wet, or there is a system error.
Fortunately, the possible causes mentioned above are fixable! This means you can still get your Fitbit Sense, Charge 5, or Versa to start charging again. Let the discussion begin!
6 Possible Reasons Why Fitbit Won’t Charge and How to Fix
Before we go deeper into details, here is a table summarizing all the possible causes and solutions for the problem – scan through it for quick solutions.
| Reasons Why Fitbit is Not Charging | Possible Fix | |
| 1. | You Probably Don’t Have Power. | Your circuit breaker might have tripped and turned off power so, flip it back on to restore power. |
| 2. | The Charger or USB Port Might be Dead. | You should replace the dead charge or the charging port |
| 3. | The Charging Plates/Pins on the Charger are Misaligned | Try y realign the plate if they are out of line with the plate in the charging port. |
| 4. | The Charging Contacts on Fitbit Might be Dirty. | Clean your Fitbit using a clean cloth and electronic rubbing alcohol. |
| 5. | Your Fitbit Might be Wet. | Dry your Fitbit. |
| 6. | Your Fitbit Might be having a Glitch. | Restart your Fitbit; Press and hold the power button until you see the Fitbit logo. Wait 20 seconds, and then turn your Fitbit back on. |
Let’s now discuss each of the above possible causes and solutions below:
1. You Probably Don’t Have Power
Don’t get too technical with the watch just yet! Power is probably lost therefore, the first thing you want to do when your Fitbit Charge 5, Sense, or Versa won’t charge is check whether there is power in your home. You can proceed to the next possible solution if you confirm there is power but your Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker won’t charge.
2. The Charger or USB Port Might be Dead
The charge and the charging port are the two next areas to look at when your home has power but your Fitbit Sense, Versa, or Charge 5 isn’t charging.
The charger might be dead and when that’s the case, it becomes impossible for power to reach the watch hence no charging.
Before replacing the charger, test if the watch will another similar charger (you can borrow a friend).
If the borrowed Fitbit charge does charge your Fitbit Charge 5, Versa 4, or Sense 2 it means the charger is the problem so, go ahead and replace it with a new one!
Luckily, new Fitbit chargers are readily available on Amazon at a convenient price.
On the other hand, if the borrowed charger didn’t work as well, switch to a different charging port (for example, the USB port on your laptop or power bank) because the one you are currently using might be faulty.
3. The Charging Plates/Pins on the Charger are Misaligned
If after changing the charger and switching to a different USB port your Fitbit still doesn’t start to charge, try to check the plates on the charger (the end that plugs into the charging port). Make sure they are as straight as supposed.
A misaligned charging pin or plate will prevent power from flowing from the power to the watch and when that’s the case, Fitbit does not get power. Align any plate that appears misaligned and then retry charging.
4. The Charging Contacts on Fitbit Might be Dirty
Another possible but simple reason your Fitbit Sense, Charge 5, or Versa won’t charge is that the charge contact (located at the back of the watch below the sensors) is masked with dirt. It becomes hard current to flow through the contacts into your Fitbit when it is covered by dirt.
What you need to do here is, take a piece of clean cloth + cleaning alcohol and clean the contacts at the back of the watch. I prefer Isopropyl alcohol as the best rubbing alcohol because it removes oils, adhesives, and other contaminants.
Once the contacts are clean, connect the charger to the charging port and then to your Fitbit and it should charge.
Here is how dirt finds its way onto the charging contacts on your Fitbit. You sweat a lot on hot days and it’s on hot days dirt is in abundance.
Sweat + dirt = to the thick paste covering the contacts on your Fitbit.
My advice – make sure your Fitbit is clean always to prevent sweat and dirt from combining to form thick layers of dirt in the sensors and charging contacts.
5. Your Fitbit Might be Wet
Fitbit Sense, Versa, and Charge are water resistant up to 50 meters below water and can track swimming workouts.
After swimming, make sure Fitbit is completely dry before connecting it to the charger.
Most people don’t know wetness (either by sweat or by water) can cause Fitbit to fail to charge.
6. Your Fitbit Might be having a Glitch
Our final possible cause for Fitbit Charge 5, Versa, or Sense not charging is a system error.
Like your phone, Fitbit develops miscommunications, for our case, the watch might fail to communicate that it is plugged into the charger and charging.
Fortunately, like the rest of the causes, this cause also has a simple and quick fix and that’s by performing a restart.
Don’t know how to restart a Fitbit smartwatch or activity tracker? Here is how you will do it:
- Press and hold the power button then release it when you see the Fitbit logo.
- Wait 20 seconds, and then turn your Fitbit Charge 5, Versa, or Sense back on.
Restarting your Fitbit refreshes its memory and clears errors causing problems; it does not clear your health and fitness data.
Last Resort – Reset Your Fitbit Charge 5, Versa, or Sense
If you’ve tried all the above possible solutions but your Fitbit Charge 5, Versa, or Sense won’t start to charge consider the solution of last resort, which is resetting your watch.
Unlike restarting, resetting will erase all your health and fitness data including settings. So, how do you reset a Fitbit Watch?
Well, most Fitbit smartwatches and activity trackers can reset in the following manner:
Go to the Settings menu > tap on the About menu > then select Factory Reset and follow the instructions.
Now connect your Fitbit Charge 5, Sense, or Versa to see if it’s charging. You will also need to set up the watch if it were new.
Final Thoughts on Fitbit Not Charging
It is with great hope that the tips offered in this post have helped get your Fitbit to start charging. Any other suggestions are also welcomed (post the comment).
In conclusion, we’ve seen cleaning the charging contacts, replacing the charger or USB port, restoring power, drying, and resetting a Fitbit that is not charging gets it to start charging. Without forgetting, you can also reach out to Fitbit Support for help when you are out of options; they will be more than happy to help (it’s their work in the first place!).