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 isrolling out updatesto the Fitbit Charge, Ace, Inspire, Luxe, Sense, and Versa watches and trackers, though to be clear, not all the new software is necessarily critical.
When Google successfullyacquired Fitbit in 2021, concern was more focused on what Google might do with Fitbit’s health data rather than how it would treat the company’s software and hardware, but given the last few years, concern is firmly about the latter. Google has reorganized Fitbit’s whole lineup to direct users towards thePixel Watch, and its other services, likeYouTube Music. It’s removed fan favorite features likeFitbit’s web dashboard, and third-party apps like Starbucks and Spotify with the release of the Versa 4 and Sense 2. And since Google’s takeover, Fitbit users have been faced withrandom outagesthat have prevented them from syncing their devices.
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.
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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. TheFitbit Charge 6and Inspire 3 can now automatically detect and track “running, walking, biking, elliptical, rowing, and spinning,” according to Google. TheSense 2andVersa 4for will also now auto-recognize elliptical, rowing, and spinning workouts.
TheFitbit Charge 5and the jewelry-inspiredFitbit Luxeare 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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