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How to Restart Fitbit Charge 3
Perform a reboot without losing your activity data
By Kat Aoki Kat Aoki Freelance Contributor California State University Kat Aoki has nearly 10 years worth of professional IT and troubleshooting experience. She currently writes digital content for technology companies in the U.S. and Australia. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 16, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Step by Step: Restart From Your Wrist Step by Step: Restart With a Charging Cable Why Restart? Soft vs. Factory Reset How to Do a Factory Reset If your Fitbit Charge 3 is acting a little strange lately—it's not syncing properly, it isn't turning on when charged, or it's not tracking your steps—you can try a quick restart to get it working again. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to restart your Fitbit Charge 3 activity tracker, as well as how to do a full factory reset, if needed. Restarting your Fitbit and resetting your Fitbit are not the same. A restart clears temporary files, while a reset removes all your data so you can start fresh. You have two options when it comes to restarting your Charge 3: Restart the device from your wrist or use a charging cable. Restarting a Fitbit Charge 3 From Your Wrist
If you're wearing your watch and you're not near your charging cable, you can try restarting your Fitbit Charge 3 directly from your wrist. Here's how: From the clock face, swipe right to get to the Settings screen. Scroll down and tap About > Reboot Device. Tap the checkmark. Wait for the the normal watch face to appear. This confirms your Charge 3 has restarted. Restarting a Fitbit Charge 3 By Using the Charging Cable
If restarting your device while wearing it didn't work, or if the battery on your device needs to be charged, you can also use the charging cable to restart the device. Here's how: Plug the charging cable into a USB port on your laptop or any UL-certified USB wall charger. Next, place your Charge 3 into the charging cradle. Make sure the charging cable is plugged in and the pins lock securely with the port on the back of the device. This is required to do the reset. Once your Charge 3 is in the cradle, press the touch sensitive button on the side. The watch face should light up and the device should vibrate when you press it. Now, press the touch sensitive button for a full eight seconds. After eight seconds, release the button. Wait for the smile icon to appear and the tracker to vibrate. This confirms your Charge 3 has restarted properly. After the restart, the normal watch face should appear. Your Fitbit should now be working normally. If you're having issues restarting your Charge 3 or you're still having problems, contact Fitbit Customer Support. Why Restart Your Fitbit Charge 3
Your Charge 3 usually works without a hitch. Most of the time. But, there are times you may need to restart it, including when: It's not syncing with the app properly.It's not tracking steps or the GPS isn't working.It's not responding to your button presses, taps, or swipes.It's charged up but refuses to turn on. Just like rebooting your computer when it's acting up, a restart (sometimes referred to as a soft reset) won't hurt your Fitbit, won't erase your data, and can help get your activity tracker working again in just a few moments. What' s the Difference Between a Soft Reset vs a Factory Reset
Restarting a Fitbit Charge 3 is not the same as doing a factory reset. A restart doesn't erase your data. On the other hand, doing a full factory reset removes all apps, stored data, personal information, and credit/debit cards (for Fitbit Pay-enabled devices). Factory resetting is only available on the following Fitbit models: Charge 3, Aria 2, Inspire Series, Ionic Series, Versa Series, Flyer, and Ace 2. Factory resetting comes in handy when you're preparing to sell your Fitbit and want to revert it to a somewhat new, data-free state. How to Do a Factory Reset on a Fitbit Charge 3
To perform a factory reset, swipe right from the clock face to get to the Settings screen. Then select About > Clear User Data. This resets your Fitbit data to the brand new state with no synced data remaining. Doing a factory reset erases all of your tracking data. Perform a data export to preserve this information before starting the reset. You can find the data export option in the Dashboard menu. Fitbit sends you an email with instructions on how to complete it. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Reset a Fitbit Alta Activity Tracker How to Reset Your Fitbit Activity Tracker How to Fix It When Your Fitbit Won't Turn On How to Reset an LG Phone How to Factory Reset Fitbit Charge 2 How to Reset iPhone 12 (Restart & Hard Reset) How to Set Up Your Fitbit Charge 2 How to Reset Nintendo Switch How to Use Your Fitbit Charge 2 How to Reset the iPod Touch Without Losing Your Music How to Reset Restrictions Passcode on an iPhone How to Change Fitbit Charge 2 Bands How to Fix Your Fitbit Not Syncing Fitbit Charge 3 Review: Still A Good Option? Fitbit Charge 5: News, Price, Release Date, and Specs How to Use Fitbit Pay Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies