Fitbit Battery Problems: 7 Common Issues (Explained)

Fitbit smartwatches are not just great for tracking your health metrics but they are also very stylish and don’t look chunky like other fitness watches.

These devices are designed to be durable with a solid battery life, however, some users have encountered that their Fitbit smartwatches don’t hold a charge for long.

In this article, we look into the causes of battery problems on Fitbit devices and offer solutions to help you get back to tracking your health metrics.

Have you had charging issues with your Fitbit Watches? Here’s how to fix it.

Battery Drain Caused by Too Many Background Apps Open and Notifications

Being able to get your notifications on your wrist without checking your phone is an absolute game changer. However, the notifications that you receive on your smartwatch can cause battery drainage.

Each time you receive a notification on your connected device, it’s transmitted to your Fitbit. If you receive numerous notifications throughout the day, this can have a large impact on your Fitbit’s battery life.

Not only that, the background apps on your connected smartphone are constantly exchanging information with your Fitbit wearable. And this causes it to work extra hard which results in more battery power consumption.

Fortunately, there are practical tips that I’ve compiled below that you can follow to improve your Fitbit’s battery life.

• Close the background apps that you don’t need on your smartphone.
• Turn off notifications for apps that are not essential to your fitness tracking.

You must be selective of the alerts that you allow your Fitbit to display so that you can prevent unnecessary battery drainage.

Excessive Battery Usage for Constant Heart Rate Tracking

Heart rate tracking is a top feature of the Fitbit brand. It provides you with insights into your heart’s health, it can even help you easily pick up any potential health threats.

I have found that my Fitbit smartwatch helps me reach my health goals. However, the heart rate tracker can cause my watch’s battery to drain faster than I’d like.

Constantly tracking your heart rate can drain the battery at a quick rate, as it requires the sensors to be active and collecting information at regular intervals. This real-time monitoring is power-intensive and can lead to a shorter battery lifespan.

Based on my research, I have found problems about heart-rate tracking that can influence your Fitbit’s battery life:

• Frequency of heart-rate tracking
• During intense workouts, heart-rate tracking may be more frequent, causing increased battery drain.

You can adjust heart-rate tracking settings to a lower update frequency when necessary.

Here’s how:

1. Make sure that your Fitbit watch is connected to the Fitbit app on your smartphone.
2. Open the App on your smartphone, then select the gear icon in the top left corner to open ‘Settings’
3. Select the Fitbit smartwatch you want to adjust the heart-rate settings for, especially if you have more than one watch linked to your account.
4. Scroll to ‘Activity & Wellness’ and then select ‘Heart Settings’
5. Select ‘Heart Rate Zones’ and then scroll to ‘Custom Zone’
6. Select ‘Custom Heart Zone’ and then select your custom upper and lower bpm.

When you set these zones, you will not get on-wrist heart zone notifications during exercise.

Screen Brightness is Causing Accelerated Battery Drain

The newer Fitbit models pack a punch with the AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen, which means that the display is just amazing!

The screen brightness on your Fitbit wearable plays a big role in calculating how long your tracker can go between charges.

A brighter screen consumes more power, whereas a dimmer one uses less.

So to prevent your Fitbit wearable from going hero to zero in a matter of hours, you can use these steps to dim your Fitbit’s screen:

1. On your Fitbit watch, open ‘Settings’
2. Scroll to ‘Brightness’ and then scroll between the ‘Dim’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Max’ brightness settings.

GPS Usage on Your Fitbit Tracker Causes Battery Issues

GPS tracking has made life easier for users to track their outdoor activities with accuracy.

How it works is when GPS is enabled on your Fitbit watch, it keeps communicating with multiple satellites to locate your position.

This very valuable process causes your wearable to consume large amounts of battery life. This is worsened when you keep the GPS tracking enabled continuously.

To prevent excessive battery drainage, you can use the tips below:

• Disable GPS when you don’t need it on, the accelerometer is capable of tracking your steps accurately without GPS.
• The newer Fitbit trackers allow you to preload maps, which means you can use less GPS communication in real-time.
• Place your Fitbit wearable in power saving mode which will help conserve battery life.

Check out our article on Fitbit GPS Problems: 7 Common Issues (Explained)

Outdated Firmware Uses More Battery

Technology is constantly evolving, and with that, Fitbit also does its best to keep abreast of changes by regularly updating the firmware of its devices.

These updates help your Fitbit to function more optimally. When you don’t update your wearable regularly, it affects its performance and can lead to frustrating battery problems.

How does this affect my Fitbit’s battery?

The updates are meant to fix any glitches and bring improvements which also result in better battery management.

If you suspect that outdated firmware is the cause of your Fitbit’s battery drainage, you can use these steps below to update it.

Note: Before you start the update, make sure that your Fitbit watch is fully charged or plugged in during the process.

1. Open the Fitbit app on your connected smartphone.
2. Select the ‘Today’ tab, then tap on ‘Devices’
3. Tap on your device then select the pink ‘Update’ key. Remember, this will only appear if there is a new update available.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts, after you start the update a progress bar will appear on your Fitbit watch.

Remember, regular maintenance and updates are necessary to keep your Fitbit watch performing at its best. 

Don’t let outdated firmware be the reason behind your battery troubles.

Read also, Fitbit Problems With Buzzing & Vibrating: 4 Common Issues (Solved)

Syncing Problems

Syncing issues are very common for users using multiple devices. Unfortunately, these issues can also lead to battery drainage on your Fitbit.

One common cause of battery drain is syncing your Fitbit watch too often. Each sync session requires your watch to communicate with your smartphone, which consumes battery power.

I suggest that you consider syncing your Fitbit watch less often. Aim to sync once or twice a day rather than after every workout. This can drastically reduce the battery drain associated with syncing.

Instead of relying on automatic background syncing, manually initiate sync sessions when you need to check your data or update your app. This gives you more control over when your Fitbit watch uses its battery strength to sync.

Another thing you can do is occasionally restart your Fitbit watch which can help resolve syncing issues and improve overall performance. This can be useful if you notice a sharp battery drain after syncing.

Using a Faulty Charging Cable can Result in Battery Problems

Fitbit watches come with an official charging cable designed to connect seamlessly with your watch.

Using a faulty or cheap generic charging cable can lead to a range of battery problems, affecting the performance of your Fitbit watch.

Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in Fitbit watches, are sensitive to improper charging. When you use a cable that doesn’t provide a stable flow of power or is damaged, it can result in overcharging or undercharging.

This can cause the battery to degrade over time, leading to decreased battery life and performance issues.

Besides charging, Fitbit watches use the same cable for data synchronization with the Fitbit app on your smartphone. A faulty cable can disrupt this process, preventing your watch from transmitting data such as step counts, heart rate, and sleep patterns.

This not only affects your ability to track your fitness progress but also hinders the watch’s functionality.

Follow the tips below to prevent battery problems caused by using a faulty charging cable:

• Always use the official Fitbit charging cable that comes with your watch or buy a genuine replacement cable. Third-party cables may not provide the same level of quality and compatibility.
• Regularly check your charging cable for any signs of damage, such as frayed wires or bent connectors.
• Dust and debris can accumulate on the charging connectors over time. Gently clean them with a dry, soft cloth to ensure a reliable connection

Also out my article on Fitbit Charging Problems: 5 Common Issues (Explained)

Pros and Cons of a Fitbit’s Battery

Pros

Fitbit wearables are known for their impressive battery life, often lasting several days or even up to a week on a single charge.

Extended battery life reduces the hassle of constantly monitoring and charging your device, making it more user-friendly for tracking your fitness, sleep, and other activities.

Cons

• Too many background apps and notifications running on your Fitbit Watch cause battery drainage
• Constant heart-rate tracking on your Fitbit watch uses a lot of battery
• Your Fitbit’s screen brightness is set too high which can accelerate battery drain
• Continuous GPS usage on your Fitbit tracker also uses up a lot of battery capacity
• Your Fitbit watch is using outdated firmware which puts pressure on the battery
• Frequent syncing can cause a battery to become weak
• Charging your Fitbit watch with a faulty cable reduces battery capacity

Sources

5 Reasons Your Fitbit Is Quickly Losing Battery

Is your Fitbit battery draining too quickly? Tips that work!