This summer season, present Fitbit customers can have the choice of logging in utilizing a Google Account because the tech big continues integrating the health platform into its personal.
It’s nonetheless non-compulsory for now. Again in September 2022, Fitbit up to date its support page (opens in new tab) to state “present Fitbit accounts will probably be supported ‘till at the least early 2025” when everybody will probably be required to make use of a Google Account. So, you continue to have a few years’ leeway with the outdated login, according to the announcement (opens in new tab), until you’re a brand new adopter. Across the similar time, Fitbit will start requiring future Fitbit customers to make use of their Google Account credentials to register on the health platform.
In the identical publish, Google makes an attempt to sweeten the deal by outlining a number of advantages of creating the change. The corporate states utilizing a single login affords better comfort by “making it simpler so that you can handle all of your related apps and paired units – plus all of your data is in a single place.” Moreover, Fitbit customers will get to take pleasure in “Google’s industry-leading privateness and safety”. Well being and wellness knowledge will proceed to be saved separate from Google Adverts knowledge.
It’s unknown precisely when through the summer season the replace will happen. The corporate states that customers ought to hold a watch out for a immediate on the Fitbit cell app through the preliminary rollout. Or you’ll be able to simply head over to the Settings menu on the app to jumpstart the method throughout that timeframe. We reached out to Google to see if it may give us a extra concrete date. This story will probably be up to date if we hear again.
Massive modifications
Ever because the Pixel Watch launched final yr with built-in Fitbit options, we’ve seen Google take a proverbial hatchet to the Fitbit platform. The tech big lately stopped supporting a number of key neighborhood options, together with Adventures, Challenges, and open teams. Entry to offline music was revoked when help for music streaming platforms Pandora and Deezer was reduce quick again in January. Return even additional to October 2022 and you will note one of many beginning factors of Fitbit’s downsizing when the flexibility to sync music to your health tracker ended. For sure, this has been a making an attempt time for customers.
In comparison with all the things else, the Google Account replace could be very delicate, which might be why Fitbit house owners are barely discussing it on social media. It is onerous to think about why Google is aggressively diminishing Fitbit’s capabilities other than wanting the Pixel Watch to take heart stage. Hopefully, there are large plans in retailer for the Fitbit health trackers. It could be a disgrace to scale back the units to shadows of their former selves.
We actually imagine in them. For that purpose, remember to try TechRadar’s current roundup of the least expensive Fitbit offers we discovered for April 2023.