Why is My Fitbit Screen Black? (9 Problems and Fixes)

I haven’t had a black screen issue with my Fitbit Versa 2. But I’ve done extensive research on why the display tends to go blank and what you can do to fix it.

Your Fitbit screen is black because the battery doesn’t have charge, the DIM screen is on, or the sleep mode is active. Also, you may have blocked ambient light sensor, disabled the auto wake screen, or set the screen brightness to be too low.

In my investigation, I found out that 98% of the issues that cause the Fitbit screen to go blank are because of personalized settings.

And from where I sit, it’s easy to fix a black display on Fitbit and get the device back on track again. So, continue reading to learn how to get your head around this.

Why Has My Fitbit Screen Gone Blank?

Your Fitbit display may have gone black because of the following reasons:

I should state that these problems are quite common on all Fitbit models, and often the fixes are the same.

What to Do When Fitbit Screen Goes Black

Here are 9 things to do to fix dark or unresponsive screen on your Fitbit device:

1. Charge Your Fitbit Device

If your Fitbit screen is blank and you’re not sure why, the first thing you need to do is to check whether the battery has power. 

Let me put it this way:

Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers have a runtime of between 3 and 7 days on full charge in standard mode.

Given how appealing the runtime is, some of us tend to use Fitbit wearable until the battery drains completely.

This brings me to my second point:

If you press your Fitbit’s power button but you only get a black screen instead of the logo, it’s likely that the battery is dead.

The solution here is to charge your Fitbit for at least 30 minutes, which is enough time to jumpstart a completely dead battery. Then, allow the watch or tracker another 120 minutes to charge to full capacity.

2. Remove Screen Protector from the Display (If You Have One)

I understand why anyone would want to get a screen protector for Fitbit.

The device is an expensive investment that you want to keep in good condition for the longest time possible. That includes protecting the screen from scratches in case of an unintended accidental fall.

A screen protector introduces an additional layer of protection on the Fitbit screen. However, the screen protector can also be the reason why your Fitbit screen is black but vibrating.

Let me explain:

A screen protector may have blocked the ambient light sensor from doing its job. In this case, Fitbit assumes that you’re in low light condition and automatically dims the screen even when you’re outdoors.

If this is the case with your Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker, you should remove the screen protector to unlock the ambient light sensor.

3. Adjust Display Brightness and Turn Off Dim Screen Option

Sometimes you get a dark screen on Fitbit because of your personalized display settings. And that’s something that you can easily adjust.

Look:

Outdoors light tends to be harsh to the eyes and objects to which it reflects. So if you dimmed your Fitbit’s display, you’ll see more of a dark screen when you’re outdoors.

You need to check the display settings and adjust them accordingly, so you can easily see the contents of your Fitbit even under bright sunlight. To do this: 

• Find a spot with low light.
• Open settings on your Fitbit device.
• Choose screen brightness and adjust the level to maximum.

The last step is to disable the dim screen option. And you never have to worry about a dark screen anymore.

4. Deactivate Sleep Mode on Your Fitbit

In my view, Fitbit sleep mode is one of the nifty features built into the brand’s smartwatches and fitness trackers. I’ve tried it on my Versa 2 and I’ve found it quite handy.

From a practical perspective, the feature disables all alerts and reminders on Fitbit, so you can sleep peacefully without interruption.

But there’s one problem with this feature.

When activated, it deactivates the always-on display and the screen goes completely black. Furthermore, the screen won’t light up when you move your wrist or raise your arm.

To be clear, this isn’t really a bad thing, as it doesn’t indicate a hardware problem. After all, you want to have a good night rest, and turning off the display can go a long way.

In such a case, you would have to double-tap the display to light up the screen. But if that doesn’t seem like a good option for you, you should deactivate the sleep mode to fix the black screen.

To do this:

• Choose a spot with low light wherever you are.
• Go to settings on your Fitbit.
• Select Quiet Modes.
• Choose the Sleep Mode option.
• Turn Sleep Mode off.

Alternatively, you can quickly turn the mode option off by going to quick settings on the device and tapping on the small crescent moon icon.

5. Enable Automatic Screen Wake

If your Fitbit vibrates but the display doesn’t light up, then it’s likely that you deactivated the automatic wake screen feature – or you have never bothered to turn it on.

Turn this on, and you’ll never have to worry about a dark screen on Fitbit.

I understand that having the automatic screen wake set to active means your Fitbit will use additional battery energy. But given that you don’t want the screen to stay dark when you raise your hand, it’s not a big deal to compromise.

To enable automatic screen wake:

• Go to Fitbit’s quick settings.
• Tap the watch icon, which is right below the sleep mode option – or between the clock and sound icon.

And that’s it.

Now the Fitbit Versa 4, Sense 2, Charge 5, Inspire 3, Luxe, or whatever model that you have should light up bright whenever you raise your wrist to check stats.

6. Clean Your Tracker or Smartwatch

Sometimes your Fitbit gives you a blank screen because the buttons(s) don’t respond to presses.

The likely reason for this is that dirt, debris, and salt from sweat may have clogged the buttons causing them not to response.

Fortunately, this is easy to fix.

You simply have to clean your Fitbit and you’re good to go. 

7. Default to the Standard Watch Face

Switching back to the default watch face can go a long way to help fix back or blank screen on your Fitbit device.

To do this:

• Ensure your smartphone and Fitbit are in range. 
• Launch the Fitbit app.
• Tap the Today tab.
• Select the profile icon or your profile picture (if you have one).
• Choose your Fitbit device.
• Tap the Gallery option.
• Select the Clocks option from the top tabs.
• Choose one of the clock faces labeled by Fitbit.
• Tap Install to download and activate the clock face you just selected.
• Lastly, tap the “Sync Now” button to save changes.

The black screen should disappear and you should see the new watch face on the screen when you press the button or raise your arms.

8. Restart Your Fitbit

Hardware and software glitches are quite common with many electronic devices, and your Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker is not an exception.

So if you’re dealing with the issue of a black screen right now, it’s likely because of a system error, which you can fix by simply restarting the device.

To restart your Fitbit device:

• Press and hold down the power button for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Keep holding the power button until the watch vibrates and the Fitbit logo or smiley face appears on the screen.

And that’s it.

9. Reset Your Fitbit

If none of the solutions that I’ve suggested up until this point works, you should reset your Fitbit device.

Keep in mind that resetting your Fitbit clears all your data from the watch. Which means you will need to do the Fitbit setup again as if it were a new smartwatch or fitness tracker.

To reset your device:

• Press and hold down both buttons on your Fitbit for about 15 seconds to trigger a hardware reboot.
• Keep holding the buttons until the Fitbit logo appears and then disappears.
• Release the lower button once the logo appears and keep holding down the power button until the device vibrates.

The Fitbit logo will appear. And from here, you will set up the device as if it were new.

Final Thoughts

I understand that a black Fitbit screen can be a hell of a nightmare. At the same time, it’s not that difficult to fix.

Try the fixes that I’ve recommended, and hopefully your smartwatch or fitness tracker’s screen will go back to normal.