Google ‘very committed to Fitbit’ despite end of smartwatch reports

Google has said it is “very committed to Fitbit” despite reports this week that the company would not release another Fitbit branded smartwatch.

Express.co.uk previously reported on comments made by a Google executive to tech site Engadget that implied the newly-released Google Pixel Watch 3, which runs elements of Fitbit software and requires use of the Fitbit app, would be Google’s smartwatch focus from now on.

Google’s senior director of product management for Pixel Wearables Sandeep Waraich told Engadget that “Pixel Watches are our next iteration of smartwatch for Fitbit” and claimed that “trackers is where users clearly tell us they want something discreet,” because of longer battery life and and “a simple experience”.

Google still sells the Fitbit Charge 6, Inspire 3, and Luxe, and children-focused Ace 3, which all have slim activity tracker designs.

A Google spokesperson told Express.co.uk: "We are very committed to Fitbit, and even more importantly to the customers that use and depend on those products and technology.

“It's also worth noting that many of the health and fitness features we launched in Pixel Watch 3 were because of Fitbit's innovation and ground-breaking fitness advancements. In addition, we just launched Fitbit Ace LTE, and you’ll continue to see new products and innovation from Fitbit."

Notably, the spokesperson did not directly address our question as to whether the Versa 4 and Sense 2 would be the last Fitbit-branded smartwatches, nor did they confirm how long existing Fitbit devices would get software support for, despite insisting commitment to customers.

But the insistence that Fitbit will release “new products” suggests Google won’t fully retire Fitbit hardware.

Google acquired Fitbit in 2021 and released the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 smartwatches in 2022, though these products were criticised for removing features found on older versions. That same year, the original Google Pixel Watch came out and required users to use the Fitbit app to track health and fitness metrics.

The same goes for the Pixel Watch 2 and recently announced Pixel Watch 3, which run Google’s Wear OS and have more functionality than Fitbit smartwatches, which run a custom operating system.

The advantage of recent Fitbit smartwatches over the Pixel Watch line up is battery life. The Versa 4 and Sense 2 can go for four to seven days on a single charge, whereas Pixel Watch models need charging once every 24 hours or so. The Pixel Watch line can run Android apps whereas Fitbit watches cannot, though Google added Google Wallet and Maps support recently to the latest Fitbits.

The Fitbit Sense 2 also has the exact same sensors as the Pixel Watch 2, with Optical heart rate, SpO2, ECG, continuous EDA and skin temperature sensors.