With a large number of users reporting that their Fitbit Charge 5 devices have become unusable following an update, there are serious concerns for the people affected. Some have not moved since it happened and others are suffering the effects of sleep deprivation.
Since a software update was issued in December 2023 large numbers of people have posted about problems on various forums. The main issue being reported is that the battery will not hold charge for very long.
“…what’s the point in moving?”
Anne O’Molly (28) has not moved from her sofa since she upgraded hers and it stopped working. “Steps that are not recorded never happened so what’s the point in moving?” She is undecided whether to wait for a fix or try to buy an older model on the used market.
“If I can’t talk about my sleep patterns what can I talk about?”
There have also been reports of people not sleeping much since the upgrade. Typical of this group is Peter Inghout (Pisces) who has had about 5 hours sleep since doing the update last week. “The apps monitoring of my sleep is a crucial part of it for me. Discussing my sleep patterns with work colleagues is an important part of who I am.” He explained how he wakes up the moment he goes to sleep to make a note of when he nodded off. He currently sports a manic bug-eyed stare and twitches a lot. “If I can’t talk about my sleep patterns what can I talk about?”.
Google, who own Fitbit, have yet to resolve the issue but are aware of it.