Fitbit Screen Turned Black- How to Solve it

You have grown quite attached to your Fitbit watch. From checking your vital stats to performing other mundane tasks- you do everything possible with that smartwatch. It also serves as your prime accessory for your daily life.

But your Fitbit is behaving weirdly sometimes. Despite having full charge, the screen often turns black and it does not turn on despite repeated attempts. You might think that the watch has died. But, your Fitbit is collecting data even after its pitch-black screen.

A Fitbit with a black screen will not help you much. You need a fully functional Fitbit watch with a working screen. This article will help you with a few ideas to turn the screen from its pitch-black state to its normal state!

Fix – Fitbit Display Screen Black and Not Working or Turning on?

1. Charge it Full

The first thing that you can try is to charge the watch to its full potential. Often a Fitbit screen turns pitch black in case the battery is down. While charging, always try to use a proper charging cable without any damage.

On top of that, always try to charge the watch from a wall plug point/. If you tend to charge your Fitbit from your computer or a power bank, try charging it from a wall connection. It can help a lot.

2. Check if the Fitbit watch is in “water lock mode.”

Fitbit watched some with a specialized “Water Lock Mode” to protect it from accidental touches and swipes during swimming or other activities. If the watch has this mode turned on, the screen may sometimes turn black and will not respond at all.

Check the Fitbit screen. It may display the water lock icon once or twice, even if black.

If you find the water lock mode is turned on, it is better to turn that off to ensure the watch comes back to its regular mode. Here is how to turn off the water lock mode-

• If you have a Fitbit belonging to either the Luxe or the Inspire collection, double tap the screen to turn the water lock mode off.
• If you have a Versa 3+ Fitbit or any model from the Sense series, press the power button to turn off the water lock mode.

Try doing this a few times to check if the screen returns to its normal state. Otherwise, try the next methods.

3. Remove or Change the Case or Screen Protector.

Is it the watch or the screen protector? Many Fitbit users prefer a watch case or screen protector to prevent any unnecessary damage to the watch. A screen protector or case can block the Fitbit light sensor. If the sensor is blocked, the screen will automatically turn into a dimmed version or even black.

Hence, try changing the protector case or screen protection cover once. This might solve the issue.

4. Clean your Fitbit

The Fitbit screen may turn pitch black if it has accumulated dust and dirt. Hence, try cleaning it if you are experiencing a black screen more often! Give your watch a thorough cleaning with a dedicated smartwatch or gadget cleaning solution and a soft and clean microfiber cloth.

First, take some cleaning solution on the cloth and gently wipe the changing pin area using this cloth. Next, properly clean the screen with the microfiber cloth. At last, using a microfiber cloth or a tip, clean the smartwatch band.

5. Check the Display Brightness Settings

Have you checked the display brightness settings? The screen may often appear pitch black if the brightness level is too low! You may not even see anything on the screen during daylight or outdoors if the brightness level is set at the minimum level!

Try going indoors or in an area where you can find enough light to see the screen. If you find something appearing on the black screen, the screen brightness needs some improvement. Here is how to do this-

• First, open the “Settings App” from the
• Next, select “Screen Brightness.”
• From here, adjust the brightness level. Adjust it to the maximum level!
• Now, check the sleep mode status. You can find it in this direction: Settings >Quiet Modes>Sleep Mode. If the sleep mode is turned on, turn it off! The sleep mode can also turn the screen black sometimes!

6. Try Restarting

If any of the methods mentioned above do now work, try restarting your Fitbit watch. Restarting will allow the watch to start anew after reboot, and if you are lucky, the problem of a black screen will also not happen again.

Press the power button for a few seconds to restart the watch. The restarting method may differ depending on the model. After your watch restarts, check the screen. If the screen is still black, try the next method.

If you have a smartwatch belonging to the sense series, Versa series or Blaze series, press and hold the power button for ten seconds or until the Fitbit logo appears on the screen and then release.

If you are using a Fitbit model from the Charge, Ace, Inspire, or Alta Series, attach the watch to its charger. Next, press the power button a few times (for Luxe and Charge five models) or long-press the power button (for other models) till the smiley logo appears on the watch screen. Now, wait till the watch restarts.

If you are using Fitbit 2 or Fitbit 3, press the [power button after connecting the watch with its charger. Now, remove the watch from the charger and wait for a few seconds. After that, again plug in the watch to its charger and wait till the smiley logo appears on the screen to restart it.

7. Change the Clock Face to a Standard Face

One of the easiest ways to solve the Fitbit screen problem is to change the Fitbit clock face. If you use the Fitbit app, you can change the clock face through this app.

• First, connect the watch to your computer or smartphone using Bluetooth and open the Fitbit or Fitbit Connect app.
• Next, click on the “Today Tab.”
• Open “Your Profile picture or icon” to select your Fitbit watch model.
• Next, tap on “Gallery” to change the clock face. Click “Clocks,” and you will see multiple watch faces of clocks and digital clocks appearing on your smartphone or computer screen. Select anyone you desire.
• Next, click on “Install” to download it.
• Finally, click “Sync now” to sync this new watch face. Wait for a few seconds, and you will see that your watch has the same face you chose a few seconds ago.

8. Reset Fitbit

If nothing happens even after trying out all the previously mentioned hacks, the last resort is to reset your Fitbit watch.

Resetting will transform the watch into its factory mode, and you can start afresh with the watch. But resetting will also delete all the stored data in the device. Hence, back up the stored data on the Fitbit app before resetting.

Here is the resting guidance for you for different Fitbit models-

1. If you are using a Fitbit Iconic range smartwatch, here is the resetting procedure-

• First, remove the paring
• Next, disconnect the Bluetooth connectivity and delete the device from your Bluetooth history

2. After that, press and hold the buttons of your Fitbit watch till the smiley Fitbit logo appears and release the bottom right button.

• Your watch will shut down with vibration, and you need to release the other buttons.
• The watch will turn on after a few minutes with the message “fitbit.com/setup.”Now. Set up the watch and you are ready to go.

3. If you are using a Fitbit Versa series tracker, follow these steps to reset the tracker-

• Long press the watch button for hardware reboots.
• Wait till the Fitbit logo appears on the screen and release the bottom right button only.

4. Keep holding and pressing the other buttons till you feel a vibration.

• Wait till the watch turns on and complete the setup procedure.

9. Does the Watch Display Error Code 001?

This problem can happen if you use a Fitbit charge series device. Your black screen often blinks and displays the numeric code “001”. In such cases, you can try restarting the tracker. But, if the starting method does not work, you may need to update the Fitbit app as updating the app solves this error code.

If that also does not work out, you can shut down the watch by using these steps-

• First, connect the watch to your charging cable and check if the watch is charging.
• Next, press the side button for fifteen seconds and release it.
• Now, disconnect the watch from the If a smiley face appears, repeat the previous steps. If not, you can proceed.
• After a few seconds, reconnect the watch to the charging cable.
• Wait till the smiley logo appears on the screen

10. Contact Fitbit Support

If nothing works out, it is best to connect with the Fitbit support team. If the watch is within the warranty period, connecting with Fitbit support can even help you to get a replacement for free. Even if you do not have a warranty, always reach out to your nearest Fitbit help centre. You will get the best solution from the Fitbit technical team to ensure this issue doesn’t happen again.

Conclusion

A Fitbit watch with a black screen is problematic, and it renders the watch a non-functional gadget. But, fortunately, some methods can help you to solve this issue, including manual resetting or restating the tracker. In case nothing works, you can get in touch with the Fitbit Support team for the best possible solution to solve the issue of the black screen on your Fitbit tracker.