9 Easy Ways To Make Your Fitbit Device Last Longer 3 Years

How long your Fitbit tracker or smartwatch lasts depends on how well you take care of it. To extend device’s lifespan, consider durability tips such as safe storage, screen protection, battery care, firmware updates, regular cleaning, and waterproofing.

The standard Fitbit’s life expectancy is 24 months. With good care, you can have your tracker or smartwatch working well for 36 months or more.

Additionally, hardware quality, water resistance, battery health, and reset frequency do affect the overall durability of your Fitbit device.

How Long Does a Fitbit Actually Last Before Replacement?

According to the Fitbit community, and based on my personal experience, a Fitbit can last 24 to 36 months based on the regularity of use, battery optimization, charging frequency before it dies.

Hardware quality, water resistance, and battery life degrade as you continue to use the device, and regular cleaning and resethave an impact on the performance and life expectancy of the tracker or smartwatch.

Even with extreme caution and regular maintenance, it’s unlikely your tracker or smartwatch will last longer than 5 years. If you’ve used yours for 24 to 36 months and you notice that it’s dying slowly, it may be time to get a new one.

What Factors Affect a Fitbit’s Life Expectancy?

Hardware quality, water resistance, battery health, and reset frequency are the four major factors that affect the life expectancy of a Fitbit device.

Hardware Quality

Fitbit Sense and Google Pixel series have their key hardware components built really well, making them far much better than the devices we had in the early days of Fitbit.

Even then, hardware failures can ruin just how long your Fitbit will last. If you notice sudden shutdown, unresponsive display, or black screen, you’re likely dealing with internal hardware failures.

Water Resistance

Depending on which Fitbit you have, the water resistance rating is anything between 1 and 5 ATM. A 1 ATM device is splash and sweat resistance, and a 5 ATM can stand up to an atmospheric water pressure of 50 meters.

However, just because you have a Fitbit with a water resistance of up to 50 meters doesn’t mean it can go into water all the time. The more your Fitbit gets into water, the less pressure it can withstand, and the shorter its lifespan.  

Battery Health

The more you use your device, or the more Fitbit apps you have activated and running in the background, the faster the battery drains.

For example, onboard GPS and SmartTrack let you map routes and get accurate stats during a cycling exercise. However, your Fitbit can last no more than 9 hours in GPS mode.

This brings me to my next important point:

The more battery-draining features you have activated, the more charge cycles you’ll need. And if you charge the device multiple times a day, the less battery life you’ll get over time.

Reset Frequency

You can reset a Fitbit to fix some of the most common problems, such as freezing, black screen, and an unresponsive button.

However, resetting the device too often can cause firmware and hardware failures, making the device less functional.

If you think about it, resetting the device requires pressing the side button. And the more you press the button, the higher the chances of damaging the component because of overuse.

How Do I Make My Fitbit Last Longer?

Below are 9 easy ways to use your Fitbit tracker or smartwatch for longer than the standard life expectancy:

1. Don’t Share Your Fitbit With Someone Else

Unless you want to give away your Fitbit because you’ve upgraded to a new one, don’t share it with anyone. You might be careful with the bands but you can’t be sure the person you hand the device over to will do the same.

For example:

Instead of sharing your Fitbit with your child, and risking the screen from accidental drops due to the large, get them an Ace 2 or Ace 3 whose bands are small enough to fit small wrists.

2. Tap the Screen Gently

A Fitbit’s screen is highly sensitive to touch, so even a light tap is enough to trigger a response.

Tapping or pressing the display hard for an extended period may cause Fitbit screen to stop working optimally.

And because you can’t replace a Fitbit screen, it’s best to take caution than have to spend money on a new device.

3. Keep the Device Somewhere Safe

Don’t leave your Fitbit on the edge of a table, bed, or couch when you take it off.

Accidents happen, and misplacement can easily result in the device falling and hitting the ground hard and accidentally shuttering the screen.

Take the device off and place it in your drawer, purse, or any storage unit far away from the reach of children. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

4. Use a Screen Protector

A Fitbit’s display is made of Coring’s Gorilla Glass 3, a chemically strengthened material that’s hard enough to survive an accidental fall. So you don’t necessarily need a screen protector for your Fitbit.

But despite being strong and hurdy, Gorilla Glass 3 is only crack and scratch resistant. This means your Fitbit’s screen can crack and break easily if it falls on a hard surface repeatedly.

Therefore, get a screen protector and attach it to the display to keep the screen from potential cracks and scratches.

5. Take Good Care of the Battery

Fitbit devices operate on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that degrade over time from wear and tear. And because you can’t replace Fitbit batteries, you can delay quality degradation with healthy charging habits.

So here are some pointers to consider:

• Charge your Fitbit until the battery is 100% full.
• Let the battery get down to around 10% before you charge it again.
• Avoid frequent charging (multiple charge cycles a day) because doing so shortens the life of the battery.
• Don’t let the device charge overnight, regardless of the built-in safeguard that prevents overcharging.

If you’re planning to take a break from using your Fitbit smartwatch (Versa and Sense series), charge the battery to at least 50%, turn the Fitbit off, and store it properly.

6. Update Your Fitbit Device

Always make sure your Fitbit is up to date. These updates are important because they fix software bugs and ensure your Fitbit works optimally.

As of this writing, you can update your Fitbit via an iPhone or Android smartphone. The option to update the device via a mobile browser is no longer available.

Ensure your Fitbit device is in range with your phone and don’t exit the app until the update completes.

7. Don’t Expose the Device to Unfavorable Weather Conditions

To make your Fitbit last longer, consider the temperatures to which you expose the device. Some best practices are as follow:

• Don’t wear your tracker or smartwatch to places with extreme conditions such as ice and saunas.
• Remove the watch from your wrist before you have an ice bath to keep its parts from over cooling.
• Don’t take a hot shower or get into the sauna with the device to keep its parts from overheating.

8. Clean Your Fitbit on a Regular Basis

Dirt can reduce the lifespan of a fitness tracker or smartwatch. And the last thing you want is to let dust and grime stick on the bands, on the screen, charging port, and in the side button.

So clean your Fitbit from time to time to keep in good condition, especially if you take part in high intensity workout that gets you sweaty every time.

Use a soft cloth or toothbrush with rubbing alcohol to clean the device. Avoid cleaning tools made of metals because these are abrasive and could cause scratches on the screen and the case.

9. Don’t Overexpose Your Fitbit to Water

Overexposing a smartwatch or a fitness tracker to water is a bad idea.

So even if your Fitbit is water-resistant up to 5 ATM, bringing it to water activities more frequently can potentially damage the internal components and affect its ability to resist water pressure.

To enhance your Fitbit’s lifespan:

• Use a clean, dry piece of cloth to wipe away water after taking a shower or after a swim workout.
• Take off the device from your wrist before you use liquids such as soaps and shampoo.
• Use Fitbit water lock (if your device has it) before you get into water (swimming pool) to prevent accidental taps and touches.