There are several factors why the heart rate data is not showing on your Fitbit Charge 5. This can be due to the device not able to get a strong signal, a software error, or the feature might be turned off. To fix this you need to perform several troubleshooting steps on the device.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the latest fitness trackers available in the market today that offers a lot of useful features at an affordable price range. It has a bright screen, long battery life, and is compatible with Android or iOS phones. It has several outstanding features including an on-board GPS for tracking runs without a watch, an EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor for measuring stress responses, contactless payments, sleep tracking, excellent heart rate monitoring, and sleep monitoring.
General info and specifications:
- 3-axis accelerometer, which tracks motion patterns
- Built-in GPS receiver + GLONASS, which tracks your location during a workout
- Optical heart-rate tracker
- Multipurpose electrical sensors compatible with the EDA Scan app
- Ambient light sensor
- Vibration motor
- Housing on Charge 5 is made of anodized aluminum and surgical-grade stainless steel.
- Bluetooth 5.0 radio transceiver and NFC chip.
- Vibration motor for alarms, goals, notifications, reminders, and apps.
- Rechargeable lithium-polymer battery.
Why is my Fitbit not showing my heart rate?
One of the useful features of the Fitbit Charge 5 is that is can measure your heart rate. The technology used to do this is called photoplethysmography. The light sensitive photodiodes at the back of the watch acts as the optical heart rate monitor. This green light blinks many times per second when your heart rate is being measured. The higher your blood volume is, the more green light is absorbed. And the lower your blood volume, the less green light is absorbed.
Sometimes issues can occur when measuring your heart rate using the Charge 5. The data might not appear on the watch. Here’s what you need to do to fix this.
Solution 1: Turn on heart rate tracking on your Fitbit Charge 5
The first thing you will need to do when you are missing heart rate data is to make sure that the heart rate tracking feature of the watch is turned on. This switch might turn off after you reset the watch or after a software update has been applied.
Heart rate switch
Swipe down from the clock screen.
Tap Settings.
Turn on Heart Rate switch.
Solution 2: Restart the Fitbit Charge 5
There’s a possibility that the problem is caused by a software glitch which can be fixed by simply restarting your watch. The restart refreshes the operating system of the Charge 5 while ensuring that your data is not erased.
Restart Charge 5
Swipe down from the clock screen to find the Settings app.
Open the Settings app.
Tap Restart Device.
Tap Restart.
Once the watch has fully started try to check if the issue still occurs.
Solution 3: Try staying still for 10 seconds
If the tracker does not detect a heart rate signal then try holding the arm where the watch is connected still and straight for at least 10 seconds. This will give the watch enough time to measure and process your heart rate.
Solution 4: Tighten the Fitbit Charge 5 band
If the Fitbit Charge 5 moves around your wrist then the heart rate sensor will not be able to work properly. If it will indeed work then it won’t be able to get an accurate reading.
Try tightening the band a little bit so that the watch does not move on your wrist. If you are using certain accessory bands especially third party models make sure that it fits properly on the watch so that you can get more accurate readings.
Try moving the band to a different position on your arm or you can also try wearing the watch on your other wrist and check if this makes any difference.
Solution 5: Clean the Fitbit Charge 5 heart rate sensors
If the back of your Fitbit has dirt or sweat then this can affect the way the fitness tracker measures your heart rate. Clean the back of your Fitbit with a microfiber cloth or glass polishing cloth. Make sure that the sensors don’t have any dirt or have anything stuck in them.
Solution 6: Perform a software update on the Fitbit Charge 5
You need to make sure that the watch is running on the latest software update as this will ensure that bugs present in the older software version have been fixed.
Update Charge 5
Open the Fitbit app on the connected phone.
Tap the photo avatar on the top left side of the app.
Scroll down and tap Help & Support.
Tap on Check for Charge 5 update.
If an update is available then just press the on-screen prompts.
Once the watch is running on the latest update try checking if the issue still occurs.
Solution 7: Factory reset the Fitbit Charge 5
Performing a factory reset will delete your data stored in the device and bring it back to its default settings. This usually fixes any problems caused by a corrupted software.
Factory Reset the Fitbit
Swipe down from the home screen/clock display until you find the Settings app. Tap on the icon to open it.
Swipe up until you reach the Device Info menu. Tap to open it.
Once again, swipe up until you reach the Clear User Data. option. Tap on it.
Finally, tap and hold the Hold 3 sec button to initiate the process.
Try checking if the issue still occurs.
Solution 8: Contact Fitbit support
In case all of the troubleshooting steps listed above fails to fix the problem then you will need to contact Fitbit support for further assistance.
Feel free to visit our YouTube channel for additional troubleshooting guides on various devices.