The Fitbit Versa is a handy tool that allows you to keep tabs on your heart rate, calories burned, water intake, steps taken, and much more. It’s an advanced piece of technology that isn’t immune to flaws. One of the most common questions asked regarding the Fitbit Versa is in regards to why it won’t turn on after it seemed to work just fine. 

If after you have updated the device, swam, charged it, etc., and it refuses to turn on, there could be an underlying issue that’s making it unresponsive. We have compiled some of the most common occurrences of the device not turning on and how they can be fixed with just a few simple methods. 

Fitbit Versa Won’t Turn On After Shutdown

If you are having an issue where your Fitbit Versa screen won’t turn on, the problem may be small or large. There are several reasons behind this issue and some of them aren’t very common. It could be due to a battery issue or the charger is no longer functioning. If you have a Fitbit Versa that’s not turning on, here are a couple of solutions that may fix it: 

Restart It

Before you do anything, you should reset the Fitbit. This is the most basic solution out there. All you need to do is press and hold the single button on the left and the bottom button on the right.

Hold them down for ten seconds until you see the Fitbit logo appear. If it doesn’t happen the first time, try again. However, if it doesn’t work at all, try the next solution. 

Charge The Fitbit

If your battery is completely drained, it could be why your Fitbit isn’t turning on. The battery is capable of running for up to 4 days without charging, but if it continues to shut down after just a day, it could very well be a battery issue you are having. If the Fitbit won’t charge at all, it could mean that the charger is worn out or that the battery itself is old and doesn’t have enough juice to power it. If this is the case, the battery needs to be replaced. 

You can verify that the charger is working by plugging in the Fitbit for 30 minutes. This will give it enough power to turn it on, just long enough to show you it still works. If the Fitbit doesn’t turn on at all, the charger is probably dead. This could be due to the end of the adapter being worn out, broken, or if the prongs that charge it are damaged. 

Clean The Port

Cleaning the charging port can sometimes allow the Fitbit to charge. You can do this with a cotton swab or compressed air.  If the port is clogged with dirt or debris, it won’t allow the Fitbit to charge and it won’t turn on. This is because the two sets of gold prongs aren’t allowing a proper connection, which results in faulty charging power. 

Perform A Factory Reset

If none of the above solutions have worked, you may need to consider a factory reset. This will remove all stored data, so ensure that you synced the Fitbit before it died. If it’s not synced, everything will be lost. 

Here’s how to perform a factory reset: 

1. Hold all three buttons for at least 12 seconds. 
2. Once the Fitbit logo appears and disappears, remove your finger from the bottom right button and continue to hold the left button and top right buttons until it vibrates. 
3. Release the buttons and follow the instructions
4. If you don’t follow the instructions properly or forget to let go of the bottom right button, it will boot the Fitbit into normal mode, which may solve your issue anyway. 

Fitbit Versa Won’t Turn On After Swimming

Your Fitbit Versa is water-resistant up to 50 meters. When using it for swimming, it should be dried as soon as it is removed from the water. Unfortunately, the Fitbit can stop working after it has been exposed to water even though it’s supposed to be water-resistant. If this does happen, you can simply attempt to dry the device out by placing it in rice for 24 hours. 

The rice will soak up all of the moisture inside and out of the Fitbit Versa. If this doesn’t do the trick, you can take advantage of the warranty if it’s within the time limit. They will send you a replacement if you want one or refund your money, depending on where you bought it.  

Fitbit Versa Won’t Turn On After Factory Reset

Factory resetting your Fitbit Versa returns it to its original state. This could be done because you want to pass it along to a friend, want to start new, it won’t turn on, etc. Sometimes after a factory reset it won’t turn on again. This is a common error and can be resolved easily. Here’s what you need to do: 

1.  Press and hold the left and bottom right buttons until you see the Fitbit logo. 
2. Release the buttons 
3. If the Fitbit still doesn’t turn on, put it on the charger for a few hours
4. Once it turns back on, you will need to set it up again

Setting Up The Versa

If after you have gotten the Fitbit to turn on, you will need to set it up again. Here’s how to do that without fail: 

1. Delete the Versa from your Bluetooth settings
2. Restart your phone
3. Reboot the Versa as done in the previous section
4. Put the Versa on the charger and use WiFi to download the Firmware
5. Open the Fitbit app and log into it
6. If the Versa is already saved in your account, remove it and pair it again with the app if it doesn’t automatically ask you if you want to replace the old one
7. Follow the continuing on-screen instructions

Fitbit Versa Won’t Turn On After Update

If you have recently updated your Fitbit Versa with new firmware, whether automatically or manually, sometimes it can wreak havoc on the device. Luckily, it’s an easy fix, and here’s how to make it work again: 

1. Clean the cold prongs on your watch and charging cable
2. Try to reconnect the device to the charger
3. Restart the Versa by holding the left and bottom right buttons until the logo appears
4. You can also reset the Fitbit multiple times to try to make the system refresh itself properly

It has been said by Fitbit that sometimes doing a reset (regular, not factory) on it will refresh the system. 

Final Thoughts

The Fitbit Versa is a cheap alternative to an Apple Watch or Samsung Watch and it has most of the features those other watches have. Just like other watches, the Fitbit Versa is prone to issues, especially after repetitive use for many months or years. For most of these issues, it has been shown that there are multiple methods for solving the problem. 

We hope that these methods have helped you turn your Fitbit back on. If not, reach out to Fitbit customer support. They can help you put in for a warranty claim or walk you through some of their secret methods. 

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