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- Clean the golden contacts on the charger and watch
- Use a block wall charger
- Try with another charger
- Buy a new charging pad
- Check for pin defects on the charging pad
- Update the Fitbit Software
- Factory Reset your device
- Turn Off Always On Display Feature
- Contact Fitbit Support and have them send a replacement cable
- To wrap up
According to the Fitbit Sense user manual, it only takes 12 mins of charge to get a full day of battery life. Sound impressive? It is, and it means that just 1-2 hours of charging should be enough to charge the battery fully.
Unfortunately, we know that the advertised specs are often…well, just advertised specs and that the reality may be very different from the expectations.
Numerous users have reported issues when charging their Fitbit Sense or Fitbit Versa with the battery draining much faster. A “Charging Slowly” message appears on their screen device.
Fitbit charging slowly has been a recurring issue. So it is easy to think that buying a Fitbit that will take hours to seldomly charge may not be a wise choice despite these modern high-tech devices’ excellent health and fitness tracking capabilities.
This article will present nine tips and tricks that should help you improve the charging speed and make the most of your Fitbit device.
Clean the golden contacts on the charger and watch
Sometimes the easiest solution is the best. For example, the charging issue may be linked to dirty charging contacts on the watch or charging pins on the charging adapter. So the first thing to do is clean the golden contacts on both the charger and the watch.
When used during a workout, residues of salts can get on the contacts and impair the charging process.
When we say clean, we mean clean them the right way. Fitbit recommend using alcohol and a Q-tip. By proceeding with caution, you should be able to remove any dirt.
Use a block wall charger
Fitbit devices are provided with an adapter fitted with a USB cable but do not come with a dedicated charger. As a result, a “slow charging” message often results from a USB port that is not compatible with the power needed to charge your watch effectively.
Avoid using a power bank or a USB hub. It makes a lot of sense as the USB hub will divide the total output depending on the number of plugged devices. In the case of power banks, it depends on the quality and power. With power banks being so cheap and coming from numerous unbranded makers, it is wiser to avoid these charging methods.
In our case, we saw the “slow charging” message when using one of the USB ports of a power strip. We then switched to our iPhone dedicated block wall charger, and everything got back to normal.
Fitbit recommends using one of the following methods:
- Plugging the charging cable into your USB computer port,
- Using a low energy charger,
- Using a UL-certified USB fast charging wall charger. This method is our favorite one and also seems to be the best, according to Fitbit users.
Try with another charger
This trick looks obvious, but you will be surprised to know that most of the charging issues are just related to an old or broken charger. As you will do with a lightbulb if the light Doesn’t switch on, we suggest you do the same with your charger.
We live in a world where we have plenty of chargers and cables. Just give it a try, change the charger and rule out the obvious.
Buy a new charging pad
Charging pads can get damaged or lost. Therefore, it is always a good idea to have a replacement one. They can be bought online either on Amazon or directly on the Fitbit website.
It is always better to use an original Fitbit charging pad. Of course, they come at a higher price point than the numerous ones from exotic brands, but the quality can not be compared.
- Plugs into USB port
- Secure magnet holds smartwatch for optimal charging
- Designed and manufactured by Fitbit
Last update on 2023-01-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Check for pin defects on the charging pad
The Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 use a charging pad with four protruding charging pins. Unfortunately, the pins can easily get damaged and bent, meaning that they will not establish a tight contact with the charging contacts of the watch.
In case something goes wrong when charging, we recommend that you check the integrity of the charging pins. In the best-case scenario, you may put them back in their proper position, but if a charging pin is badly bent, be prepared to buy a new charging pad.
Update the Fitbit Software
Making sure the Fitbit software is up to date is always the first thing to do in case of a technical issue with your device. This is because Fitbit devices are complex, and the software and firmware are updated on a very regular basis by the Fitbit teams.
When your device starts acting funny, we suggest that you open the Fitbit App on your smartphone and check for a potential update. Updates are usually pushed automatically to your devices, so you should not have to do anything, but to be on the safe side, you can follow the steps below to check for potential updates manually:
- Open the Fitbit App on your smartphone
- Open the “Account” Screen
- Tap on the Help&Support Menu
- Tap on “Check for update”
Factory Reset your device
A Factory reset looks a bit over the top for a “slow charging” message, but it can work in some cases. However, be aware that you will lose all of the saved data. Therefore, we recommend using this procedure only if all of the other tips we suggested fail.
Before going to the dramatic Factory Reset procedure, there is something much easier and safer than you can try: Unplug the charging pad and restart your Fitbit Sense or Fitbit Versa. Restarting the device is called a “soft reset” and is often enough to eliminate potential software issues that may prevent an efficient charge.
Turn Off Always On Display Feature
It may seem strange, but it works. As we mentioned, Fitbit software is complex. It is in charge of many processes, from dealing with the sensors or even controlling how the battery discharges and recharges.
Some weird incompatibilities still exist in the Fitbit software. For example, some users reported that turning off the “Always on Display Feature” while charging was enough to solve the Fitbit charging slowly issue.
Contact Fitbit Support and have them send a replacement cable
If nothing else works, contacting Fitbit support is also an option for putting back your smartwatch or fitness tracker on the right side of the charging speed.
It can never be excluded that your device may have some technical issues and needs to be replaced. But, of course, your device will still need to be under warranty.
On the Fitbit forum, we also noticed that some users were sent a new charging cable if they encountered issues with the charging process.
To wrap up
Fitbit is famous for offering a long battery life for devices that come with many sensors and functionalities. However, battery power is not infinite through, and charging the battery is a weekly process that we expect to proceed without issues and at the right speed.
The “Slow Charging” message is annoying, to say the least, but is often easy to solve. We hope that one of the tips and tricks we presented helped you solve the issue.
