Summary
- Google's support of Fitbit post-acquisition has been mixed.
- Specifically, Google has removed several popular features.
- New Fitbit updates include improved workout detection, access to readiness scores, and more.
After a few years of unpopular redesigns and removing features, Google is doing an unquestionably good thing for current Fitbit owners: releasing software updates that should make recent fitness trackers more accurate and useful. The company is rolling out updates to the Fitbit Charge, Ace, Inspire, Luxe, Sense, and Versa watches and trackers, though to be clear, not all the new software is necessarily critical.
Updating the Fitbit Ace 3 and Inspire 2 to change "the manufacturer's name on the device to Google LLC," is not an important change to anyone but Google, but the tweaks the company is making to the other Fitbits are a step in the right direction.
Should you buy a Fitbit device in 2024?
Since the release of the Pixel Watch 2, it feels like Fitbit's priorities have shifted to support Google more so than its own devices.
What's changing in these Fitbit software updates
Better auto detect, readiness scores, and more
The most meaningful change to everyday users of a Fitbit will probably be the improvements Google is bringing to workout detection. The Fitbit Charge 6 and Inspire 3 can now automatically detect and track "running, walking, biking, elliptical, rowing, and spinning," according to Google. The Sense 2 and Versa 4 for will also now auto-recognize elliptical, rowing, and spinning workouts.
The Fitbit Charge 5 and the jewelry-inspired Fitbit Luxe are also seeing some changes. Specifically, both trackers can now display your daily readiness score, something you previously had to go to the Fitbit app to see. Both the Charge 5 and Fitbit Luxe are older, but it's nice that Google's keeping them in the loop with a pretty essential feature for when you're trying to balance exercise with getting an appropriate amount of rest.
In terms of more technical changes, the Charge 6, Sense 2, and Versa 4 will be able to switch from on-device GPS to the GPS of a connected device during a workout for better accuracy. The Sense 2 and Vers 4 had "dynamic GPS" before this update, so this will be more of a performance adjustment.
Rounding out the changes is a grab bag of other tweaks like the addition of YouTube Music controls on the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 and, of course, bug fixes and other optimizations to make all of Fitbit's current smartwatches and trackers work better. Hopefully, Google continues to add new features rather than take them away in the next year -- the addition of the Fitbit Ace LTE certainly shows the company is willing to try new ideas.
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