The Fitbit app reaches 50 million downloads on Android

Damien Wilde | Jun 15 2020 - 5:11 am PT

Despite being more or less essential for those with a Fitbit fitness tracker, the companion Android app has only just surpassed 50 million downloads on the Google Play Store.

Considering the popularity of Fitbit hardware globally, it seems like a low figure, particularly in Western markets with over 16 million units sold in 2019 alone, according to statistics and analytics research firm Statista. With that in mind, it’s still quite surprising that we’re only seeing the app hit that 50 million download mark now (via Android Police).

Granted, many people may simply use their fitness tracker or band without connecting to their smartphones — especially elderly users. There may also be a heavy bias toward iOS, although we’re not entirely sure. With COVID-19 lockdowns seeing gyms and other sports essentially paused until further notice, we’re sure that many have sought out a fitness tracker to guilt-trip them into staying active.

We’ve seen other devices such as the immensely popular Xiaomi Mi Band series develop and compete directly with the cheapest Fitbit bands, thanks to aggressively low pricing. The companion Mi Fit app does offer a ton of similar tracking options and extra data, and maybe that has affected downloads of Fitbit apps as people switch to cheaper alternatives.

However, the Fitbit app reached the 50 million download milestone over the weekend, which is still an impressive install figure for just about any app out there. With an extra fee, you can get some impressive tracking and social tracking features, too.