Key Takeaways
- Google’s support for Fitbit since the acquisition has been mixed.
- Specifically, Google removed some popular features.
- New Fitbit update includes improved workout detection, access to Readiness Score, and more.
After years of unpopular redesigns and feature removals, Google is definitely doing something good for current Fitbit owners: releasing software updates that improve the accuracy and usability of their latest fitness trackers. The company is rolling out updates to Fitbit Charge, Ace, Inspire, Luxe, Sense, and Versa watches and trackers, but to be clear, not all of the new software is necessarily significant.
When Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, concerns were raised about how Google would handle Fitbit’s health data, rather than how it would handle the company’s software or hardware, but given the past few years, the concerns are definitely more about the latter. Google reshuffled the entire Fitbit lineup to drive users to other services such as the Pixel Watch and YouTube Music. With the release of the Versa 4 and Sense 2, fan-favorite features such as Fitbit’s web dashboard and third-party apps such as Starbucks and Spotify were removed. And since Google’s acquisition, Fitbit users have faced random outages that prevent devices from syncing.
Updating the Fitbit Ace 3 and Inspire 2 to “change the device manufacturer name to Google LLC” isn’t a significant change to anyone outside of Google, but the tweaks the company is making to other Fitbits are a step in the right direction.
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What’s changing in Fitbit’s software updates
Improved Auto-Discovery, Readiness Score, and more
Perhaps the most meaningful change for everyday Fitbit users is the improvements Google has made to workout detection. According to Google, the Fitbit Charge 6 and Inspire 3 can now automatically detect and track “running, walking, cycling, elliptical, rowing, and spinning.” The Sense 2 and Versa 4 also now auto-recognize elliptical, rowing, and spinning workouts.
The Fitbit Charge 5 and the jewelry-like Fitbit Luxe have also seen some changes. Specifically, both trackers can now show you your daily readiness score; previously, you had to go into the Fitbit app to see this. While both the Charge 5 and Fitbit Luxe are older products, it’s great to see Google continuing to update both of them with a feature that’s so important when you’re trying to balance exercise with proper rest.
In terms of more technical changes, the Charge 6, Sense 2, and Versa 4 can now switch from on-device GPS to the connected device’s GPS during a workout for improved accuracy. The Sense 2 and Versa 4 had “Dynamic GPS” before this update, so this is more of a performance tweak.
Rounding out the changes are the addition of YouTube Music controls to the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, and of course a bunch of tweaks, including bug fixes and other optimizations to make all of Fitbit’s current smartwatches and trackers work better. Hopefully, Google will continue to add new features over the next year rather than taking them away, and the addition of the Fitbit Ace LTE certainly shows that the company is willing to try new ideas.
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