Fitbit hasn't been the same since Google acquired the company in 2021. A fitness band is designed to improve your daily life, but in a more relaxed way. It's lightweight, easy to use, and doesn't require much thought. It's more affordable than a smartwatch. It gives you data on your steps, your basal heart rate, and sleep tracking.
See also: Fitbit AI coach will read medical records for personalized advice
Maybe you could tell the time, maybe you couldn't. But, unlike many wearables today, a fitness tracker wasn't really designed to be a companion to your phone and all the extra work that entails. It was a simple tool with a simple purpose: to get you moving more.
Ten years ago, no one was better at this than Fitbit. For a while, it was the Kleenex or Band-Aid of wearables — a brand so ubiquitous it was synonymous with the entire product category. For a while, everyone called a fitness band a Fitbit.
However, Fitbit hasn't been the same since Google acquired the company in 2021.
The distinction between Fitbit and Google products has been blurred ever since. In many ways, this mirrors how Google handled its acquisition of Nest. At first, the two companies seemed relatively separate. Then, slowly over the years, users were encouraged to transfer their accounts from Nest to Google.
See also: Google brings Fitbit AI Health Coach to iPhone
The products were initially rebranded as Nest by Google and then as Google Nest. The Nest app is still available, but it's in maintenance mode. It works with older products, but you can't connect it to new ones.
Fitbit’s “Nest-ization” has its differences — for example, there was a particularly rough patch where Fitbit suffered several major server outages, and users were outraged when Google began removing beloved social features. But one of the most confusing aspects was the product lineup. When the Google Pixel Watch debuted in 2022, it was alongside the new Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2.
That's a total of three smartwatches, with the two Fitbits having limited features. It was difficult to tell them apart. The Fitbit Charge 6 followed a year later, and there was silence until the announcement of the Fitbit Air earlier this week.
See also: Apple Intelligence 2026: Moving Apple Fitness+ to Health
Meanwhile, Fitbit has become Fitbit by Google. Users are encouraged to adapt to the changes.
