Fitbit
For the past several years, Fitbit has used aggregated and anonymized user data to release global health stats. The 2021 year in review reveals that Fitbit users around the world slept 6.5 hours every night.
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The “Sleep Score” is one of Fitbit’s most alluring metrics that people like to compare and improve on. Fitbit is now testing “Sleep Animals” as a friendly but surprisingly smart way to encourage “better sleep health.”
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Alongside sleep tracking updates for the 2nd-gen Nest Hub, Google-owned Fitbit is rolling out the Daily Readiness Score to its latest smartwatches and trackers, while the Charge 5 gets an ECG app.
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Fitbit OS 5.3 is rolling out as a smaller update for the Sense and Versa 3 that introduces status indicators. It follows the bigger release in June that added audible Google Assistant responses and better clock face switching.
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At the end of last month, the Charge 5 went on sale as Fitbit’s first tracker to feature an always-on display mode. Fitbit is now adding an AOD to the Luxe through a firmware update.
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Starting today, Fitbit’s latest health tracker is shipping to customers. The Fitbit Charge 5 is now available, and it’s coming with an upgrade to Fitbit Premium, too, in the form of new content from Calm.
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With the Charge 5 and “Daily Readiness Score” announcement at the end of last month, Fitbit also confirmed our report that the Sense and Versa 3 would get “Snore & Noise Detect.” That microphone-powered feature is now beginning to roll out.
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The Apple Watch popularized the concept of “closing your rings,” and Google Fit has Heart Points. Meanwhile, Fitbit — by nature of being around for so long — more prominently emphasizes step counts and miles than competitors. More recently, it’s found branding success in people comparing Sleep Scores, while there’s also one for stress. Fitbit today announced the Daily Readiness Score for Premium subscribers as the next metric you might care about.
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Despite Google’s clear focus on using Fitbit to bolster its Wear OS platform, the company isn’t stopping Fitbit from launching its own new hardware. Following the launch of the Fitbit Luxe fitness tracker earlier this year, the Fitbit Charge 5 is now going official with some huge upgrades, including being the first Fitbit tracker with an always-on display.
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We’re likely still a ways out from the debut of the next Fitbit product, but the leaks are starting to trickle out. Following a first look at the Fitbit Charge 5 earlier this month, another leak details the product’s price point and more.
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The Fitbit Sense is nearly a year old at this point, but with no successor on the horizon, it’s getting a slight refresh. Fitbit today announced a new Sage Green option for Sense that also debuts a silver finish for the hardware, and new bands have been released, too.
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Fitness trackers are the bread and butter of the Google-owned Fitbit brand, and despite Google’s focus on smartwatches, it seems Fitbit is not done with that market. After we first leaked the design last month, a new set of renders is showing off the alleged Fitbit Charge 5.
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After adding blood sugar (glucose) tracking to its app earlier this year, Fitbit is taking another step in improving the feature by partnering with LifeScan to give users an automated way to capture and track their results.
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The Fitbit wearable lineup remains split between smartwatches and trackers. The Versa 3 and Sense from 2020 are the latest devices in the former category, while the latter has seen Ace 3 and Luxe this year. Fitbit’s next tracker is codenamed “Morgan” and looks to be the Charge 5.
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When it comes to a health wearable, the Fitbit Versa 3 is a great choice for its accuracy and affordability. However, a bug may have been inflating floors climbed on some Versa 3 devices, but Fitbit is aware of the issue.
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The Fitbit Luxe was announced in mid-April but did not go on sale until earlier this month, and it’s now available at the Google Store. One advantage of buying direct is taking advantage of Google One cashback.
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Besides step count, distance traveled, and heart rate, one of the more common metrics that Fitbit owners keep track of is their sleep score. However, an issue this morning sees the sleep score missing from the Fitbit app and wearables.
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If you’re an active Fitbit user who’s recently had a day with some heavy step counts, you might have triggered a new activity badge based on the animated Minions characters. Fitbit Minion badges are enabled by default, and currently, there’s no way to turn them off. The company is currently considering an option to do so, though.
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Fitbit revealed it was making a premium Wear OS watch at I/O 2021 last month. However, until that’s released, the latest Fitbit OS update is rolling out with a slew of updates for the Fitbit Sense and Versa 3.
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Fitbit users are probably familiar with the motivational badges that the brand’s trackers and watches send throughout the day as a user hits fitness goals. Soon, though, those badges will get a twist as Fitbit is soon rolling out character badges with the famous Minion characters.
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The latest update to the Fitbit app contains the beginnings of nighttime snoring and noise detection, along with a cute way to think about your sleeping habits.
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With activity and associated location data being highly sensitive, Fitbit is finally rolling out support for two-factor authentication (2FA). It’s not yet widely available and leverages SMS text messages.
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The Fitbit Ace 3 is a fitness tracker designed for kids, and in tune with that, the company previously teased a special partnership with the Minions characters from the Despicable Me series. Now, we’re getting an early look at a bright, limited-edition Minion Yellow version of the Fitbit Ace 3.
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If you’re a Fitbit owner using Strava, you may have encountered a problem over the past few days that’s delayed sync between the two services. While a fix isn’t available just yet, the two companies are investigating the problem.
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