Skip to main content

Google’s completed Fitbit acquisition may help Wear OS more than Fitbit

Google’s $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit has been completed, following a lengthy regulatory process that began soon after the announcement of the deal took place in November 2019. Concerns over privacy and antitrust forced Google to agree to various rules in order to pass the deal in the European Union, and in the announcement of the deal’s closure, both Google and Fitbit have said it’s about devices, and not data.

Fitbit has become the brand most associate with fitness tracking, illustrated by how it has sold 120 million devices all over the world since the company’s inception in 2007. It has created a user-friendly, data-rich fitness platform, matched to simple hardware that appeals to many. Fitbit is the fifth largest wearable tech company in the world by shipments, according to IDC, behind Apple, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Samsung.

James Park, Fitbit’s CEO wrote about the deal:

Recommended Videos

“On our own, we pushed the bounds of what was possible from the wrist, pioneering step, heart rate, sleep, and stress tracking. With access to Google’s incredible resources, knowledge, and global platform, the possibilities are truly limitless.”

Good news for Fitbit, then. But it’s really Google that needs help on wearables. Google’s own software platform for wearables, Wear OS, is unloved and far behind Apple’s WatchOS and Samsung’s Tizen platform in terms of speed and usability. If the Fitbit acquisition truly is about devices, then it needs to leverage Fitbit’s knowledge and expertise in software and wearable tech hardware just as much as Fitbit needs to delve into Google’s artificial intelligence and software innovations.

Fitbit

At the very least, it would be great to see advanced health-related features and tech make it to more Wear OS smartwatches, including automatic workout detection, more advanced sleep tracking, and wide support for sensors such as blood oxygen monitors. Additionally, Fitbit’s algorithms could be utilized to improve accuracy. Google Fit has the right design and look, but it needs expert assistance to realize its potential to take on Apple Health.

What we’d rather not see is any of Fitbit’s generic smartwatch designs be used by Google to launch an often discussed and long-rumored Pixel smartwatch or other wearable. Just adding Fitbit’s platform to Wear OS isn’t desirable either, as it’s unlikely to make battery life any better, plus Fitbit also charges a subscription for access to its most detailed fitness data, which we’d rather not see introduced elsewhere.

While the Fitbit and Google partnership may end up producing some exciting new software and hardware, it’s not the first time our hopes have been raised by Google splashing out on wearable-related tech. In early 2019 it spent $40 million on some smartwatch tech and engineering talent from Fossil, but any advancements made from the deal have not been that obvious yet. Fossil has even launched its own Wear OS features, while Google drags its heels.

With so much money being spent on the Fitbit acquisition, and it apparently not being about data to feed ads, Google really should be well-positioned to improve Wear OS’s flow, and Google Fit’s usability and features.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Google Assistant may not be on Wear OS smartwatches much longer
Google Assistant listening on the Google Pixel Watch.

Google Assistant has been the go-to aide on Wear OS devices for years, but several lines of decompiled code in the latest Wear OS beta suggest Gemini is preparing to stage a coup. Version 16.0.5 of Wear OS contains several strings — a term that refers to a line of text or characters — that point to the inclusion of Gemini in an upcoming version of Wear OS.

Currently, the onboard assistant can be accessed by saying, "Hey Google," when the screen is active or just by holding down the side button. Google Assistant can send responses to messages, play music, and answer questions, all from the watch interface. During an APK teardown (a breakdown of code), the folks at 9to5Google discovered language that hints at an upcoming change, specifically with a line that says: "Easily talk back and forth to get more done with an assistant on your watch, reimagined with Google AI."

Read more
Google’s dead Pixel Tablet 2 could have been a solid upgrade
The Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

The fate of Google’s Pixel Tablet seems uncertain at this point, with multiple leaks suggesting that a successor was put on ice. It seems, however, that a Pixel Tablet 2 moved into advanced stages of development with some neat upgrades before it was unceremoniously axed.

The folks over at Android Authority, citing internal documents, report that the second-generation Pixel Tablet would’ve arrived armed with the Tensor G4 silicon, which also powers the Google Pixel 9 series smartphones. Google was also reportedly eyeing a cellular version with a Samsung Exynos 5G modem for the slate.

Read more
Your Google Photos app is about to look different. Here’s what’s changing
The Google Photos app on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Google is implementing a small yet significant change to its popular Google Photos app. As first noted by 9to5Google, the app's "Memories" tab is being removed. Memories is an auto-organizing, scrapbook-like feature that utilizes artificial intelligence to create an AI-powered feed.

Since its release, the Memories tab has been in the bottom bar of the Google Photos app. The Memories tab is being replaced by Moments, which will reside inside the app's Collections tab. This is where you can find People & pets, Albums, Documents, and Places.

Read more