What To Do When Fitbit Charge 3 Won’t Turn On?(9 Fixes)

Are you are having a normal day rocking your Fitbit Charge 3 when suddenly the device’s screen is not lighting up?

Here, we review different ways of restarting and troubleshooting the Fitbit Charge 3, so you can get it working the way it should.

Why is my Fitbit Charge 3 Screen Black and won’t Turn On?

The Fitbit Charge 3 screen can go black and not turn on or even charge due to a few reasons that include:

1. Software issues. Despite your device being fresh out of the box, software-related issues can cause it to malfunction. The best thing you can do is reset your device.
2. Settings issues. Some settings on your Fitbit, such as dimming of the screen, display brightness, water lock mode, wake-up settings can cause the screen to go black and become unresponsive.
3. Screen protector and casing issues. It is possible that something is blocking the sensor responsible for turning the device on and off. Make sure that your device is clean and the sensor isn’t blocked. Check if your charger pin is making good contact with the device.
4. Charging issues. Sometimes it can be a simple low-charge type of situation. Even if your device has sufficient charge, try plugging it in and leaving it for a few hours to fully charge.

All these reasons can cause your Fitbit Charge 3 gadget to go black and not turn on. However, you don’t need to worry.

These issues can be easily fixed, and we have the tips to help you out.

Users who experience black Fitbit 3 screens explain that the gadget, though seeming pretty unresponsive in terms of the screens, is still responsive.

The device, in most cases, still syncs with the Fitbit account and app; others even vibrate still.

Hence this can come in handy when fixing the issue.

What to Do When Fitbit Charge 3 Won’t Turn On?

So, let’s get to fixing your Fitbit Charge 3 using some simple tips listed below.

1. Check Charging Level

If your device is not turning on, your first move should be to consider the “low battery” possibility.

If your Fitbit battery was low, then you should probably charge it; that might do the trick.

Please make sure you fully charge it before you attempt to turn it on.

Also, it would be better for you to use a wall charging outlet to charge your device rather than using computer ports.

The power contained in computer ports might have some limitations.

If the issue was the charge, then after fully charging your Fitbit, the screen should turn on.

If this does not work, do not despair, we got some more tips for you.

2. Fully Charge your Device

This step is a logical continuation of the previous one.

Despite your Fitbit probably having enough battery power to run on, plug it in regardless and let it charge for an hour or so.

Hopefully, it will bring it back to life.

You can also try following these steps:

1. Connect your device to the charger(even if your battery is full).
2. Hold the button on the side for 8 to 10 seconds.
3. The screen should show a smiley face.
4. Disconnect your device from a charger.

That should hopefully solve our issue.

3. Restart Your Device

If your device is not responding, then a restart can bring it back to life.

Restarting a Fitbit Charge 3 device does not delete any data, so no need to worry.

To restart a Fitbit Charge 3, follow this procedure:

1. Press & hold the button on your tracker for 8 seconds, then release the button.
2. When you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the tracker has restarted.

Or

1. Plug the device into the charging cable.
2. Press the button on the side for about 15 seconds. Release the button.
3. Unplug the device from the charger, wait for five seconds, then plug it back in.
4. Wait for an icon that looks like a smiley face to appear.

Tip: You might have to restart your Fitbit a few times, or alternate charging and restarting the device.

If this still does not work, then you might have to reset your device.

4. Check for Blocked Sensor

Have you ever seen something that looks like some sort of black dot located on the Fitbit’s side?

Well, that “something” is known as an ambient light sensor.

If anything blocks this sensor, then the Fitbit Charge 3 screen automatically dims, which might lead you to think that the screen is off.

Screen protectors and casing usually block the ambient light sensor.

Hence, it is best to get them off of the way.

5. Clean your Device

While we are on the blocking topic, you should also consider cleaning your device.

Get rid of lint, dirt, sweat, and other grime that might be clogging the Fitbit Charge 3 buttons.

To properly clean the device, you should:

1. Clean the charging contact and cable pins using alcohol and a microfiber or soft brush. Wait till they dry off before usage.
2. For the buttons and screen, use alcohol and a small lint-free piece of cloth. Avoid using anything containing hydrogen peroxide or bleach in this case.
3. Use a toothbrush, microfiber, or a Q-tip and some water, disinfectant, or alcohol to efficiently clean the bands. Before you use the Fitbit Charge 3 again, ensure it is dry.

Also, check if your charger pin is making good contact with the device.

6. Turn Off Water Lock

Some Fitbits have a mode called “Water lock”.

When the device is in this mode, it automatically disables all buttons and the screen from the swipe and touch response.

Your screen hence does not turn on when touched or when the buttons are pressed.

To fix this, all you have to do is:

• Double-tap the screen or,
• Long press side buttons

The two tips automatically turn off the water lock mode, and the buttons and screen regain responsiveness.

However, you might have to repeat the procedure a couple of times for it to work.

If it does not, then the mode might not be the issue.

7. Adjust Display Brightness

Sometimes the screen seems black because the Fitbit Charge 3 screen light intensity is pretty low.

Therefore, try moving into a dark room, then look at the Fitbit screen.

If you see anything at all, that means that most probably your Fitbit has low light intensity.

You can fix this issue through the following steps:

1. Go into the setting application on your gadget/device.
2. Tap onto the screen brightness section and change it to normal or maximum from the available options.
3. You can also switch off the dimmed screen option if it is on. That will probably do it.

8. Turn Off Sleep Mode

If this does not work, move on to the sleep mode settings and ensure that it is turned off.

Sleep mode dims the Fitbit screen automatically.

You can find the sleep mode setting by:

1. Moving to the Settings application.
2. Tap onto the Quiet mode.
3. Click on Sleep mode, then switch it off if it is on.

9. Contact Fitbit

If none of the above tips have helped you, the only thing left for us to do is to contact Fitbit customer support to see if they can offer a suitable solution.

Conclusion

If you recently bought this brand-new fitness tracker, only to find that the screen has gone dark, now you have the solution.

If this is the case, reset your device first. Press & hold the button on your tracker for 8 seconds, then release the button.

When you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the tracker has restarted. If that doesn’t work, perform a long reset:

1. Plug your Fitbit into the charging cable.
2. Press the button on the side for about 15 seconds. Release the button.
3. Unplug the device from the charger, wait for five seconds, then plug it back in.
4. Wait for an icon that looks like a smiley face to appear.

Most of the issues connected with your Fitbit not turning on can be fixed easily using one of the methods we provided you with in this article.