Does your Fitbit screen shut off too fast? Change this one thing

You’re trying to check out your notifications and stats on your Fitbit watch or tracker or update a setting, and then before you finish, the screen turns off. Sadly, this is a common problem and user complaint.

Believe it or not, your Fitbit’s screen switching off after just a few seconds is a feature called Screen Timeout. And it’s intended to conserve your Fitbit’s battery.

The downside is that we often don’t get enough “screen time” to read the screen’s information! So we need to do something to increase the time the screen is on.

The good news is that we can now change the default screen timeout setting for many Fitbit models.

And for those mostly older models that don’t offer this customization, we’ve covered you with some tips to prevent your screen from going dark.

So, let’s get to it!

Related reading

• Fitbit doesn’t turn on the clock when you tap it? Screen wake not working? Let’s fix it!
• Fitbit display screen black and not working or turning on? Let’s fix it!
• How to turn on or off raise or tap to wake screen on Fitbit Sense, Versa, Ionic, or Blaze
• How do I turn off and shut down my Fitbit?

How to change your Fitbit’s screen timeout setting

Most Fitbit smartwatches and some trackers, like the Luxe, Charge 5, and even the older Charge 4/3, now come with a Screen Timeout feature (Display Awake in older versions.) Plus, it’s easy to find AND adjust.

This feature determines how long your Fitbit screen stays active when you don’t interact with it (i.e., touching the screen or pressing a button.)

1. On your Fitbit device, open the Settings app. 
   1. Depending on your device, you either swipe left or swipe down to get to the Settings app from your clock face.
   2. The Settings app looks like a gear icon or a slider.
   3. Your Settings app is different than your Quick Settings–if you see a menu of icons for things like Do Not Disturb, Sleep Mode, or Screen Wake, these are your Fitbit’s Quick Settings. 
2. Tap the Settings app, then scroll down and choose Screen Timeout. 
   1. On newer models, tap Settings > Display, then scroll down to Screen Timeout. Just below it, tap Delay.
3. The default screen timeout setting is always the lowest, so choose one with more seconds.
   1. For Fitbit trackers like the Charge Series, the default is 3 seconds. Tap to change its length.
   2. For older Fitbit watches, the default is 8 or 10 seconds. Change your Fitbit’s timeout length by tapping on Screen Timeout. 
   3. For new smartwatch models like the Sense or Versa 3, choose a different length from the list of options by tapping it twice.

The longer you choose, the more it impacts your battery life since keeping the screen display on for extended periods drains your battery.

Don’t see Screen Timeout in your Settings app?

If you don’t see a Screen Timeout setting and use a smartwatch model like a Versa Series, Sense, Ionic, or a tracker like the Fitbit Charge 3 and above, you may need to update your Fitbit’s firmware to get this setting on your device.

For other tracker models, like the popular Inspire Series and older Fitbit models like the Surge or Alta, Fitbit does not currently offer a screen timeout adjustment setting.

See our tips on manually preventing your screen from timing out too quickly for those models.

How to update your Fitbit’s firmware

Fitbit occasionally releases updates for your Fitbit device’s operating software, called its firmware.

For some older models, like the Fitbit Charge 3 and Versa Lite, you must update your device to the latest firmware to get the screen timeout settings option.

You can update your Fitbit using the Fitbit app. Unfortunately, Google stopped supporting Fitbit Connect for Macs and Windows, so you can only update using the Fitbit app.

Update your Fitbit using the Fitbit app

1. Check that you allow the Fitbit app to run in the background on your mobile phone.
2. Charge your Fitbit to at least 50% or place it on its charger.
3. During this update, place your Fitbit near your paired phone, tablet, or computer.
4. For Fitbits that support WiFi, connect your Fitbit to a WiFi network.
   1. Fitbits update using WiFi or Bluetooth. WiFi is much faster than Bluetooth, so if it’s available, make sure you connect to a WiFi network before updating.
5. Tap the Today tab > your profile picture or icon > tap your device name from the list.
6. Look for a pink Update button and tap it. Then follow the instructions.
   1. An update is unavailable for your Fitbit if you don’t see it.
7. Wait for the update to complete. You should see a progress bar indicating the current status.
   1. Do not disconnect your Fitbit from the charger until the update completes.

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How to manually prevent your screen from timing out too quickly

If you use a Fitbit Inspire, Alta, or another model that does not currently offer a setting to change your screen’s timeout, there are still things you can do to prevent the screen from shutting off right in the middle of things!

The key is interaction.

As long as you interact with your Fitbit’s screen, it shouldn’t timeout.

So, try keeping your finger on part of the screen or even minutely scrolling back and forth inside the same screen. No, it isn’t ideal, but it does work.

As long as your Fitbit recognizes an interaction–small or large–it won’t timeout.

Send in your feedback!

Although this won’t change things here and now, it might just get Fitbit to pay attention and add a future feature.

Letting your voice be heard via Fitbit’s Feature Suggestions site is a great way to let them know you want something unavailable on your Fitbit.

And it does work!

Fitbit added the Screen Timeout option for Fitbit Charge 3 and 4 in a firmware update because enough users asked for it.

What about the Always-On feature? Doesn’t that prevent my Fitbit’s screen from timing out?

It’s a little confusing, but the Always-On feature available in newer models, like the Sense and Versa 2+, does not prevent your screen from timing out if you aren’t interacting with it.

Instead, the always-on feature always displays your clock face or the current time.

• To see your clock face, you must choose one that supports always-on display mode.
• Clock faces without an always-on display mode use a default analog or digital time display.

So when your Fitbit with Always-On times out, you’ll see your clock face or the current time instead of getting a black/blank screen.

Final thoughts

For folks with devices that offer Screen Timeout settings, change how long your screen stays on without interacting. 

Unfortunately, for those of us with older Fitbits or trackers that don’t offer this timeout adjustment, you must keep interacting with your Fitbit to keep the screen from timing out. 

However, that interaction does not need to be large- it can be something minor, like wiggling your screen with your finger.