What you need to know
- Fitbit is expanding its health-tracking features, including blood glucose monitoring.
- Fitbit Sense users outside the U.S. and Europe will now have access to the ECG app.
- SpO2 readings will soon be available for free on the Fitbit Charge 4.
Fitbit has one of the most complete feature sets of any health wearable company, making its devices like the Fitbit Versa 2 among the best fitness trackers on the market. Fitbit's lineup of trackers and smartwatches included features like stress management, skin temperature, blood oxygen measurements, and plenty more. Today the company is expanding several of its features to users in new regions and adding a new helpful measuring tool to its health app.
One of the more essential features coming to Fitbit's app is the ability to easily monitor and log your blood sugar levels, which is especially helpful for people with diabetes. High or low blood glucose can lead to a number of different health complications such as hyperglycemia, heart disease, and more. Fitbit is making it easier to keep track of your levels, and by connecting the OneTouch Reveal glucose meter from Lifescan, you can now import your readings directly into the Fitbit app. Fitbit says it will add support for more meters soon.
With the Fitbit Premium subscription, you'll soon have the added benefit of being able to track glucose range over a 30-day period, which can help to identify correlations between recorded levels and other metrics such as sleep, activity, and food intake. Fitbit can also use the blood glucose readings to adjust your goals accordingly in Health Coaching, and being able to share glucose levels with your healthcare provider can help you further take charge of your health and give your more guidance.
Another important update is that Fitbit is now extending its ECG monitoring to countries and regions outside the U.S. and Europe. The ECG feature was announced alongside the Fitbit Sense and will be available to users in Canada, New Zealand, and U.S. territories (including American Samoa, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam). ECG measurement is important "to assess heart rhythm for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition that affects more than 33.5 million people globally."
Other feature expansions in the Health Metrics dashboard include the ability for all Fitbit Premium members to see their personal ranges for various metrics, and soon Versa 2, Inspire 2 and Charge 4 users free access to view trends from the past week. Fitbit Charge 4 will also get free access to SpO2 readings on their devices.
Fitbit says you can expect many of these features to roll out this month, while some, like the blood glucose tracking, are already making their way to users now.
Fitbit Premium
Fitbit Premium allows you to take your health and wellness to the next level with a subscription that gives you access to advanced tools, guided workouts, health programs, and detailed information about your health. The service gets even better with the newly added ability to monitor and log your blood glucose levels and easily share the information with your healthcare provider.
