Fitbit

The Pixel Watch is the very first Wear OS smartwatch with Fitbit integration following Google’s multibillion-dollar acquisition of the company, but it comes with a couple of missing features. The Pixel Watch won’t support automatic workout tracking and some other Fitbit features.

Update: Google has confirmed the Pixel Watch lacks automatic workout detection. See below for more.

Fitbit will be a highlight of the Pixel Watch experience and we now have a closer look at the new Wear OS app. 

With Made by Google 2022 kicking off tomorrow, the leaks have become a torrent. The latest such tidbit is that you can already pair the Google Pixel Watch with the Fitbit app on Android.

The latest update to the Fitbit app prepares for the launch of Google Maps on the Versa 4 and Sense 2, but you’ll still need your smartphone handy.

Google purchased Fitbit in 2019 to the tune of $2.1 billion in an effort to “invest more in Wear OS.” Almost three years later, we’re finally set to see the culmination of that purchase in the Pixel Watch, a smartwatch that merges the best of Fitbit with the best of Wear OS. But ahead of that launch, it increasingly feels like that long-awaited device is coming at the expense of dedicated Fitbit smartwatches. Here’s why.

Ahead of Google Maps and Wallet, a “Google Arts & Culture” watch face is now available on the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, which started arriving for the first customers today.

With the launch of Fitbit’s latest devices, “Fitbit by Google” branding was introduced. The Sense 2 and Versa 4 already have a UI modeled after Wear OS 3, but the integration is getting deeper from 2023 onward when Google Accounts will be required to use Fitbit.

The Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 feature an interface heavily inspired by Wear OS 3, but they otherwise lack key features, like offline music storage, playback, or even control, while Wi-Fi is disabled.

With the Sense 2 and Versa 4, Fitbit debuted a new UI for its smartwatches that’s nearly identical to stock Wear OS 3 and, therefore, the Pixel Watch. 

Fitbit first launched Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications in the United States earlier this year, with signs of AFib and more automatically being sent to users. Now, Fitbit has expanded Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications globally, with over 20 countries across Europe and more now supported.

Since Fitbit already announced its “fall lineup,” the emergence of a new fitness tracker is quite odd. However, the Google-owned company is already working on the “Charge 6” and Fitbit’s next tracker looks identical to the previous generation. 

Smartwatches and other wearables help build out an ecosystem of devices around our smartphones, but on the other hand, they’re also just one more thing to charge. This week, Made for Google partner Wasserstein has unveiled a new lineup of “Made for Fitbit” accessories for the Sense 2, Versa 4, and Fitbit Charge 5 that includes a Google Pixel charging dock.

Fitbit just announced a trio of new devices, but it’s already preparing another one. An FCC filing filed Wednesday could be for the Fitbit Charge 6.

Fitbit today unveiled its new lineup of smartwatches and a new fitness tracker, and it’s clear that the brand’s new owner has heavier influence this time around. Ahead of the Pixel Watch bringing Fitbit to Google’s hardware lineup, “Fitbit by Google” seems to be the new branding for the company.

Google’s acquisition of Fitbit at one point felt like a death knell for the brand’s smartwatches, but nearly two years after that deal was closed, Fitbit is announcing its first smartwatches under Google. The Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2 are here.

Somewhat surprisingly and out of the blue, Fitbit has announced an August 24 launch event where we’ll likely see the Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches.

As we’ve been tracking since May, Fitbit and Google Fit integration on the 2nd-gen Nest Hub is getting deeper with a stats card that can appear directly on the Smart Display’s homescreen.

It seems Fitbit is finally preparing to allow Google Wallet on its fitness watches, allowing it to join the existing Fitbit Pay.