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Need some motivation? Fitbit’s update tracks and records your exercises for you

By Julian Chokkattu November 23, 2015

If your Fitbit has been lying around gathering dust, here’s some motivation to strap it back on your wrist.

Fitbit announced two new updates to the Charge HR and Surge: SmartTrack, which means you don’t need to manually log in your exercises, and improvements to PurePulse for high-intensity workouts. The updates also bring weekly exercise goals, which affect all devices and app users.

SmartTrack, which can only be accessed on the Charge HR and Surge, automatically recognizes certain exercises and records them in the Fitbit app as you work out. Along with the exercise summary, it will also record the duration, calories burned, and heart rate stats. The new feature can identify elliptical, outdoor biking, running, walking, some dance classes, aerobic workouts, and sports such as tennis, basketball, and soccer.

Fitbit Charge HR — Image used with permission by copyright holder

You can select the type of activities you want recognized as exercise and adjust when the app begins recording. The default setting kicks in after 15 minutes of activity.

PurePulse, the feature that tracks heart rate, also has been updated to provide more accurate tracking and a better experience during and after high-intensity workouts such as Zumba. The data shows the user’s resting heart rate and heart rate trends over time.

“These new features allow them to focus on their exercise, giving them credit for their most active moments and letting the technology do the work to automatically track progress toward their fitness goals,” said Tim Roberts, vice president of Interactive at Fitbit.

Fitbit also introduced weekly exercise goals to push you to work toward a fitness goal. This particular update is available to all devices and app users. The goals are tracked on a daily basis, and users can personalize them by choosing the number of exercise days per week and type of activities.

The software updates for the Charge HR and Surge are available now, and the exercise goals are up for grabs for iOS and Windows Fitbit app users. Fitbit promises that Android support is on the way.

As the holidays are fast approaching, the company also announced new colors for the Charge HR and Surge, both of which will be available in blue and tangerine. The Charge HR will also be available in teal.

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Julian Chokkattu

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…

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