If you’re a long-time Fitbit user, you’ll notice a difference in the Fitbit app later this year. Beginning this summer, Fitbit users will be able to migrate their existing Fitbit account to a Google account.
Google first announced its intentions to do so in September, but it provided full details on the transition in a blog post on April 11. It will work differently depending on who you are, but the bottom line is that Google is ready to start killing off old Fitbit accounts and replacing them with Google ones.
Your Fitbit account is going away in 2025
If you purchase a Fitbit and use the Fitbit app for the first time this summer, you must sign up for the Fitbit app with a Google account. You can still create a Fitbit account today, but when Google begins the migration this summer, no new Fitbit accounts will be permitted.
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What if you already have a Fitbit? Google says you’ll be able to convert your Fitbit account to a Google account, but you won’t be forced to do so… At least for another couple of years. By 2025, Google will require anyone who has a Fitbit account to switch to a Google account.
There are a few things to consider with this change. You’ll have access to the same security/privacy settings as all Google accounts, and Google says you’ll be able to manage your Fitbit data through the Google Privacy Center. Furthermore, Google guarantees that any health/wellness data from your Fitbit app “will not be used for Google Ads, and it will be kept separate from Google Ads data.”
Google also mentions that the Fitbit app experience isn’t changing — only the way you log in. “You will have the same Fitbit experience with all of your historical health and wellness data still available,” Google says.
Why this could be good (and bad)
s any of this that significant? That is entirely up to you.
If you already have a Google account (which you most likely do), this should make it easier to manage your Fitbit account. There will be one fewer password to remember, and the additional privacy tools will be superior to what current Fitbit accounts have access to today.
Even so, there are likely to be some who are dissatisfied with today’s news. Google, like most tech behemoths, does not have the best privacy record, so giving the company your health and wellness data may not be something you’re willing to do.
If you don’t want to use your Fitbit with a Google account, there are plenty of Fitbit alternatives.
