Fitbit will force you to log in with your Google account from 2023
Google completed its acquisition of Fitbit at the beginning of 2021. The fruits of that purchase are now beginning to show, with thelatest Fitbit wearables featuring Google Maps, aUI that’s remarkably similar to Wear OS 3, andthe Fitbit by Google branding. As the big G further deepens Fitbit’s integration into its ecosystem, you will have to start using your Google account to activate and use new Fitbit wearables starting from 2023.
You can currently use a Fitbit smartwatch or fitness tracker by logging into the Fitbit app using your Fitbit account. There’s also an option to “Continue with Google,” which eliminates the hassle of creating a new Fitbit account. But it is not the same as using your Google account to log into Fitbit. They are two separate accounts, with no data shared between them.
Starting from “sometime in 2023,” the big G will mandate using a Google account to sign up for Fitbit and to activate a new device. It will also provide a tool to migrate your Fitbit data to your Google account. After the transfer, you can use your Google account to log into Fitbit directly.
The company says this move will provide Fitbit users with better security and centralized privacy controls for their health data. It also reassures in aFitbit support pagethat it won’t use the transferred health data for Google ads—it would be kept separately (via9toGoogle).
Google plans to support Fitbit accounts until at least early 2025. After the deadline, your only option for using a Fitbit would be to log into the app using your Google account. The company says it will be “transparent with our customers about the timeline for ending Fitbit accounts through notices within the Fitbit app, by email, and in help articles.”
Google seems to be following a similar strategy with its Fitbit integration as it did when it purchased Nest. After completing the Nest acquisition, the company offered users theoption to migrate to more secure Google accountsbefore eventually phasing out support for Nest accounts.
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