Planning to buy a Fitbit smartwatch? You will need a Google account starting 2023

Google acquired health-tech company Fitbit back in 2021. Shortly after, the company began selling Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers on its online shop. And now, the company has announced its plans of fully integrating Fitbit in its portfolio. As a part of this plan, new Fitbit device owners will need a Google account to activate their Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers.

Fitbit, in a support page, on its official website wrote, that sometime in 2023, the company will enable the use of Google account for activating a new fitness tracker. “We plan to enable use of Fitbit with a Google account sometime in 2023. Google accounts on Fitbit will support a number of benefits for Fitbit users, including a single login for Fitbit and other Google services, industry-leading account security, centralized privacy controls for Fitbit user data, and more features from Google on Fitbit,” Fitbit wrote in a support page.

While the exact date of this switch isn’t know yet, Fitbit said that it will be transparent with their customers about the timeline for ending Fitbit accounts through notices within the Fitbit app, by email, and in help articles.

As far as older Fitbit users are concerned, the company said that existing Fitbit account users will be able to use their accounts with their existing Fitbit devices and services until at least early 2025, after which the support of Fitbit accounts will end. Once the support ends, all Fitbit device users will require a Google account to use their Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers.

“After the launch of Google accounts on Fitbit, if you want to move from your Fitbit account to your Google account, you’ll need to consent to transfer your Fitbit user data from Fitbit to Google. Once you complete the move, you’ll log into Fitbit with your Google account, and no longer with your Fitbit account,” the company added.

Fitbit also said that after users have moved from their data from their Fitbit accounts to Google accounts, they will be able to manage their Fitbit data from their Google account settings and the Fitbit app.

As far as privacy is concerned, Fitbit said that it’s parent company made some binding commitments with Google at the time of acquisition as a part of which, Google will not use Fitbit’s health and wellness data for Google Ads.

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