Fitbit Charge 5 Won’t Charge? – (Try These Solutions!)

Whenever the Fitbit Charge 5 won’t charge, the hurdle is often related to charger issues or problems with the band’s charging surface.

In this guide, we will look deep into this problem and provide you with information describing the origin of the problem and how to resolve this!

When a Fitbit Charge 5 isn’t drawing electricity from the charger, start by checking if all of the equipment is in a good state and reconnecting the band from the charger.

Another thing to attempt is rebooting the Fitbit band (if it has a battery) and doing a factory reset.

Why is Fitbit Charge 5 Not Charging?

When all factors are combined, here are the 5 reasons why Fitbit Charger won’t charge:

1. A malfunction or fault with the Fitbit charger.
2. Unclean band/charger charging surface.
3. A problem with the electrical wall outlet.
4. Issues with third-party charging equipment.
5. A software/hardware issue with Fitbit Charge 5.

About Fitbit 5 Magnet Charging!

The Fitbit Charge 5 has the ability to charge when placed on the surface of the Fitbit charger.

Then, via magnetism, the charger fills up the battery of the band with no cables connected to the Fitbit Charge device, which is a very good technology to utilize at home.

• The Fitbit Charge 5 should click with the charger’s surface when attached!

As for the other equipment, you will need the specific Fitbit 5 charging cable, as well as a power adapter, supplied to you.

Once you have both appliances, connect the charging cable of the Fitbit Charge 5 to your charging adapter and plug the adapter into a working wall outlet.

In case the charging simply doesn’t work, continue reading to review the solution!

Fitbit Charge 5 Won’t Charge – 7 Ways to Fix!

Notice: Test the Fitbit Charge 5’s charging ability after each solution you attempt from below!

1. Power Cycle the Charger

One of the most effective solutions, when any Fitbit tracker refuses to charge, is to power cycle the charger.

The power cycle consists of discharging the electricity supply to the charger so the device’s hardware can refresh, reboot and restart all operational services.

Follow these instructions on how to power cycle a Fitbit 5 charger:

1. Unplug the charger’s power adapter from the wall outlet.
2. Disconnect the USB cable from the adapter’s connector.
3. Wait for 30 seconds while the charger’s disassembled.
4. Reconnect the adapter to the wall outlet and plug the USB.
5. Connect the Fitbit Charge 5 band to the charger and test.

Important!

While the charger is disconnected, inspect the connection on the charger and then verify that everything is correct.

Any loose connections on the power adapter’s end or on the Fitbit Charge 5 band could result in the inability of the device to receive a charge.

So beware!

2. Soft-Reset the Fitbit Charge 5

In this method, we will understand what are the benefits of rebooting the Fitbit Charge 5 when it won’t charge.

Note that rebooting the Fitbit Charge 5 is only possible if the device still has some battery left since the soft reset can only be initiated from the settings menu of the device!

Follow these steps to reboot the Fitbit Charge 5:

1. Swipe down from the clock screen of the Fitbit device.
2. Then, locate the Settings app and press on it once.
3. Scroll down in the menu and choose “Restart Device”.
4. Lastly, press “Restart” to start soft resetting the device.

Alert: Rebooting Fitbit when it has a very low battery may consume the remaining charge!

3. Clean All Charging Surfaces

An interrupted connection is what could primarily prevent the Fitbit Charge 5 from charging.

Dust or debris on the charger’s pins or the charging surface of the Fitbit band could be the culprits to the failed charging, hence it’s time for some cleaning!

Here are the steps to cleaning all charging surfaces of your Fitbit and the charger:

1. Apply a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol onto a cleaning cloth.
2. Locate the metallic charging pins on the Fitbit Charge 5’s charger.
3. Use the cloth to collect all dust and debris on the charger’s pins.
4. Turn the Fitbit Charge 5 band upside down and clean the charging spot.
5. Wait for all of the equipment to dry up and plug the charger into an outlet.
6. Position the charger on the bottom surface of the Fitbit Charge 5 and test.

Alert: It’s very important to remain patient until all components are fully dry!

4. Charge from a Different Outlet

It is possible that the malfunction with the Fitbit Charge 5 band is related to the electrical outlet.

This method will guide you through how to test the Fitbit Charge 5 and the charging equipment with an alternative outlet to determine the origin of the charging problem.

Follow these steps to charge your Fitbit 5 from an alternative power outlet:

1. Disconnect the power adapter of the Fitbit charging cable.
2. Check for a proven wall outlet that can charge the band.
3. Connect the adapter of the Fitbit’s charge to the new outlet.
4. Position the charging surface of the band onto the Fitbit charger.
5. Determine if the battery status of the Fitbit band changes to “Charging”.

Note: If your Fitbit is charging from the new outlet, then the previous power source is faulty!

5. Uninstall All Third-Party Equipment

Externally connected devices to your Fitbit’s equipment could be interrupting the power flow to the band.

Charging the Fitbit band free of added connectors is necessary to determine the cause of the problem and find out which device that is part of the Fitbit equipment is faulty.

What Third-Party Devices Can Interrupt Charging?

• USB cable extenders.
• Power strips/dividers.
• Outlet connectors.
• Smart outlet devices.
• Conventional charging cables.

It is recommended to use the original USB charging cable supplied by Fitbit, that came along with the band.

Charging the Fitbit Charge 5 with conventional chargers for too long will have a toll on the battery life of the device.

Tip: If you lost the original charger to the Fitbit Charge, you could order another one online!

6. Use a Different Charging Adapter

The problem could be with the charging adapter you have connected to the USB cable of the Fitbit Charge 5.

The routed electricity from the wall outlet could be getting interrupted by the adapter’s connector if there’s a fault with the device.

How to Test a Charging Adapter?

The most reliable way to test a charging adapter is to test with your phone’s charging cable.

Plug the adapter with your phone’s charging cable, connect it to an electrical outlet, and then plug it into your phone’s charging port. 

You must use a proven charging cable with the power adapter to undergo these tests. If the charging adapter doesn’t work with the USB cable, install a different adapter.

In case the issue turns out to be with the adapter, feel free to test any available adapter in your home.

Tip: Feel free to test the Fitbit charger adapter to charge your phone!

7. Factory Reset the Fitbit Charge 5

If the band still has a battery, one of the things that will help the most is conducting a factory reset on the device.

It is a reliable method to take care of the charging problem, especially if it’s software related or has something to do with the user settings of the Fitbit Charge 5 band.

Here’s how to perform a factory reset on the Fitbit Charge 5:

1. Swipe down from the clock screen of the band.
2. Locate the Settings app and highlight it to enter.
3. Go to “Device Info” > “Clear User Data”.
4. Swipe upwards and press “Hold” for 3 seconds.
5. Release the “Hold” button and wait for Fitbit to reboot.

How to Know When the Factory Reset Starts?

The Fitbit logo will appear on the screen of the band once the factory reset starts.

Make sure that the band is connected to the charger for the continuity of the factory reset, even if it isn’t charging and if the problem is fixed, the battery indicator will switch to “Charging…”.

Alert: All user configurations and settings on the Fitbit band will be erased after the reset.

Quick Recap:

Whenever the Fitbit Charge 5 won’t charge, the best solution would be to power cycle all of the equipment first.

Moreover, soft-reset the Fitbit Charge 5 from the settings, replace the charging adapter, test on a different power source, and perform a factory reset.

Read Next: My Fitbit Sense Won’t Sync? – Complete Fix Guide