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Fitbit owners claim their watches "bricked" after update

Forums describe Fitbits freezing up, with no way to use them
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Posted at 6:00 AM, Apr 12, 2024
and last updated 2024-04-12 06:12:49-04

About a third of Americans report using wearable technology, like fitness trackers, to track health and fitness.

Now some Fitbit users say their devices are essentially useless.

And they wonder if a software update is to blame for the big problems they've had recently.

Linn Schmidt said the Fitbit Charge 5 she loved is now dead, with the app on her phone frozen in time.

"That's where the Fitbit stopped," she said. "No signal from it since. No signal from it since."

Schmidt said the problems started with a required update.

"I went back to check on it after 10 minutes, and it said 'We cannot find the Charge 5.'"

Now, the watch is dead.

"You don't get any response at all," she said.

Other owners report similar freeze-ups after update

In official online Fitbit forums, other Charge 5 users describe similar battery and charging issues often referred to as "bricking."

Lance Ulanoff, editor at large at Tech Radar, explained "A bricked device is basically a useless device."

He said, in general, Fitbits are popular devices that continue to improve.

So, he said, "If there's an issue, you can have a lot of people with that issue."

We reached out several times over a week to Fitbit's parent company, Google, to ask why these issues are happening, and what customers can do.

We have yet to receive a response.

What the company said, and is doing

Earlier this year, a Google spokesperson told the BBC "We're still investigating this issue but can confirm it is not due to the recent firmware update."

They did not offer an alternative explanation.

Fitbit, according to its website, offers a one-year warranty.

However, since Linn's Schmidt's Fitbit is out-of-warranty, she was offered a 35 percent discount on a new one.

She feels that is not quite good enough for her frustration.

In the meantime, Ulanoff offered some advice when approving software updates to any device.

He said some people wait a few days before doing an update, so they can monitor reviews for any potential issues.

Also, he said, to make sure your device is fully charged before doing an update.

Schmidt wants to know why the Fitbit she loved became useless, but she has yet to get any answers.

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