Report: Google’s Fitbit deal may be approved by the EU after all

Ben Schoon | Sep 29 2020 - 7:59 am PT

Google announced nearly a year ago that it would purchase Fitbit to strengthen its wearable catalog, but the deal has been subject to scrutiny by regulatory authorities. As the investigation continues, a new report from Reuters claims that Google will be given the green light in its deal to purchase Fitbit by the EU.

According to “sources familiar with the matter,” Google is apparently on track to succeed in gaining antitrust approval from the EU for the purchase of Fitbit. The EU’s decision isn’t scheduled to arrive until December 23rd, but new concessions from Google may speed things up.

Apparently, Google offered to restrict the use of data from Fitbit in any Google ads as well as tightening how that process is monitored. This offer was originally proposed in July, but this week’s added concessions may seal the deal. Beyond the data and how it affects ads, Google also confirmed that Fitbit users will continue to be able to use third-party services. In a statement, Google explains:

We’re also formalizing our longstanding commitment to supporting other wearable manufacturers on Android and to continue to allow Fitbit users to connect to third party services via APIs (application programming interfaces) if they want to.

An EU competition enforcer will apparently be seeking feedback from rivals and customers on these latest concessions before they decide to accept, reject, or ask for further concessions.