What you need to know
- Google account logins will start to become an option for Fitbit users starting on June 6.
- The wearable company will not force existing Fitbit owners to make the switch until 2025.
- However, users should migrate as soon as possible because some Fitbit features require a Google account.
Fitbit will start allowing users to log in with their Google accounts beginning next week as part of a plan to consolidate all Fitbit accounts into Google accounts by 2025.
Google said in April that the account consolidation with Fitbit would happen this summer. Now, Droid Life reports that Google logins will become an option starting on June 6. Once you migrate your account, you'll be able to manage your Fitbit data from the Google Privacy Center.
It's important to note that Google will not force you to use a Google account to log in to your Fitbit account just yet. However, if you do not choose to migrate your account to Google by 2025, you will no longer be able to use your Fitbit device or access your Fitbit data.
More to the point, you should make the switch once the option goes live next week since some of Fitbit's features won't be accessible without a Google account. In addition, Google is pitching the new login requirement as more convenient since users will only need to use one password for both their Fitbit and Google accounts.
Google account logins will be optional only for existing Fitbit users. If you don't already have a Fitbit account, you'll need a Google account when configuring a new Fitbit device.
The search giant also reiterates that Fitbit data won't be used for advertising purposes in compliance with EU regulations. However, some people are concerned about the potential for Google to use this data for other purposes, such as targeted ads.
Fitbit providing Google login options isn't exactly surprising, given that the Mountain View-based company announced last September that users would be able to transfer Fitbit data to Google in 2023. The most recent development indicates that the transition is on track.
The addition of a physical button to the Sense 2 is a wise decision, as it replaces the inconvenient capacitive one. However, given that some of the Google-centric features will be unavailable at launch, it's difficult to recommend this over the original.
