Can the Charge 6 and Pixel Watch 2 fix Fitbit’s woes?

Within the subsequent two weeks, Google and its Fitbit model will launch two new wearables: the Pixel Watch 2 and an unnamed Fitbit that is nearly definitely the brand new Charge 6. Each ought to include 6 months of free Fitbit Premium to tempt health followers. The query is, after such a tough stretch for Fitbit since its Google acquisition, can these trackers flip issues round for annoyed long-time customers?Sunday Runday(Image credit score: Android Central)In his weekly column, our Senior Editor of Wearables and Fitness Michael Hicks talks in regards to the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to working and well being, in his quest to get sooner and fitter.Fitbit will announce a brand new “mystery” system this Thursday, nevertheless it’s not a lot of a secret. Its current Twitter/X submit exhibits a glimpse of a health tracker that appears a heck of so much just like the Charge 5 in measurement and form. Plus, sources at 9to5Google claimed the Charge 6 is coming with new assist for Google apps like Maps and YouTube Music.As for the Pixel Watch 2, current rumors recommend it’s going to steal many of the Fitbit Sense 2’s well being sensors and revamp its train UI from the last-gen mannequin, similar to extra seen coronary heart price zones throughout exercises. Plus, it’s going to get instruments like automobile crash detection that no Fitbit watch has obtained but.Plenty of Fitbit followers may even see the Pixel Watch 2 as a part of the issue: Google retains taking Fitbit’s greatest options and shoving them into its personal smartwatch, with out giving sufficient again to maintain Fitbit distinctive. The newest Fitbit-branded units just like the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 backslid in key areas within the final 12 months, as did the Fitbit app when it misplaced challenges, adventures, and open teams earlier this 12 months. Plus, Google has confronted fines and criticism for refusing to say the place your Fitbit well being knowledge is offered.So what do Fitbit followers should get enthusiastic about, and the way does Google reinspire their confidence? That’s a query each corporations will begin to reply on September 28 with the (alleged) Fitbit Charge 6. But whether or not it is a game-changer or extra of the identical, the Charge 6 will not reverse Fitbit’s dipping gross sales by itself. Fitbit has a number of potential routes it will probably take to reinspire health followers. Here are just some of them.Option 1: Challenge Apple Fitness+ extra(Image credit score: Apple )If the Charge 6 actually is a Charge 5 clone with extra Google apps, which will or could not underwhelm Fitbit followers, nevertheless it’s not likely a shock. It’s develop into more and more troublesome to enhance health tracker {hardware} from 12 months to 12 months with out making them prohibitively heavy or costly. So in lieu of bettering the {hardware}, Fitbit must concentrate on making its Fitbit Premium subscription one thing value paying for, when customers know they’ll decide different manufacturers that give them free knowledge throughout many of the similar sensors and classes.Instead of specializing in well being pattern experiences — that are helpful, however simple to take without any consideration — Fitbit must make a splash in different areas. For starters, it has loads of difficult exercises and guided applications, some partnered with well-known health manufacturers like Les Mills. It had the suitable thought when it partnered with Will Smith for a exercise program; it simply could not have predicted the Oscars fiasco a number of months later. Since then, Fitbit hasn’t added any main applications.Fact is, Fitbit Premium’s 200+ exercises fall nicely in need of the 4,000+ exercises you get on Apple Fitness+ for a similar month-to-month worth. Quantity and selection does matter as a lot as high quality once you’re understanding in the identical front room time and again.If Fitbit would leverage Google’s cash to vastly increase its exercise program — and its YouTube Music library so as to add licensed music to its exercises, as Apple does — that might inform indoor health followers they need to put money into Premium as a result of Google invested in it. On prime of that, we heard final 12 months that Google needs to combine Fitbit and Wear OS into Chromecast so you possibly can see coronary heart price, energy burned, and different knowledge on the TV whilst you work out. That’s one other perk of Apple Fitness+ that we would like to see emulated, together with a devoted Fitbit app on Google TV the place you’ll find exercises simply.The Fitbit app actually prioritizes indoor exercises over out of doors exercises. This possibility would have it double down on this technique.Option 2: Challenge Garmin’s suggestions(Image credit score: Christine Persaud / Android Central)Fitbit is usually thought-about top-of-the-line manufacturers for sleep monitoring, which provides you dependable outcomes when calculating your Daily Readiness Score. But from that time on, Fitbit solely tells you what number of Active Zone Minutes you must attempt to hit that day, and recommends indoor exercises based mostly on that quantity.For comparability, with a Garmin watch, you may be beneficial a low-aerobic, high-aerobic, or anaerobic exercise of various intensities and lengths based mostly in your Body Battery rating and restoration time estimate. To put it one other method, Garmin and Fitbit use the identical info to evaluate your capacity and readiness to work out. With that data, Fitbit will let you know to finish X Active Zone Minutes and level to one among its official HIIT movies. Garmin will create an algorithm-generated out of doors exercise tailor-made to enhance your VO2 Max and ship a balanced train load. In addition, the Garmin Coach function enables you to obtain a working or biking coaching plan with the objective of hitting a particular distance or tempo after a number of months. It’ll obtain tons of exercises to your Garmin Calendar that step by step enhance in issue towards that objective. (Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Each methodology is legitimate, and Garmin definitely would not have Fitbit’s coaching movies. But if Fitbit branched out to do extra out of doors coaching steering as well as to its indoor strengths — taking Daily Readiness to the subsequent degree for athletes — that’d be an encouraging signal.Instead, proper now, your Fitbit calculates Cardio Fitness — which is principally VO2 Max knowledge — however would not do a lot with it besides to make use of it to evaluate the standard of your runs after the actual fact. You’re by yourself for planning your out of doors exercises, apart from a goal period. If Fitbit started to supply extra detailed exercise suggestions, tethered to your Google Calendar, and accessible on Fitbit trackers that value considerably lower than the perfect Garmin watches or Apple Watches, Fitbit would have a compelling edge over the health neighborhood. Option 3: Go all-in on Google apps(Image credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)This appears to be the trail Google and Fitbit have chosen, so let’s have a look at if it is more likely to succeed.The Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 switched up the Fitbit OS to look extra like a light-weight model of Wear OS, with entry to Google Maps and Wallet. At the identical time, nevertheless, Fitbit made some baffling decisions: it disabled the wi-fi antenna already current within the watch, eliminated music storage and third-party apps, and ended Google Assistant assist.With the Charge 6, the 9to5Google leak suggests it’s going to have Maps assist and YouTube Music playback controls linked to your cellphone. As a health tracker, it is not more likely to have a mic or speaker for any good assistant; we are able to not less than hope it’s going to have Google Wallet, because the Charge 5 had NFC tap-to-pay assist. The concentrate on YouTube Music appears a bit odd. Most health watches and trackers supply platform-agnostic playback controls linked to your cellphone; they solely use particular apps when you can stream or obtain music from that app — one thing the Charge 6 is not more likely to supply. It feels extra just like the concentrate on Google apps hurts quite than helps right here, since lots of Fitbit followers are iPhone customers that in all probability favor Apple Music or Spotify controls.It additionally appears unlikely that Fitbit will ever get Google Assistant again. We’ve heard rumors that Google is reducing again on assist for Assistant on something moreover Android telephones, Wear OS watches, and different first-party units. Fitbit is technically a “first-party” model, however in Google’s efforts to make its assistant smarter, it is also making it harder to place Assistant on funds {hardware}.Generally talking, each Android and iOS customers love Google apps. But there aren’t many Google apps that would work safely on Fitbit units, as a result of they should prioritize battery life over efficiency. So whereas the Fitbit-Google partnership does profit new Fitbit watches within the brief time period, it is going to in all probability solely ship restricted returns earlier than you’d should improve to the Android-only Pixel Watch 2 for correct app assist.The ultimate possibility, one I do not wish to take into consideration, is that Google stays its present course. It continues to take all of Fitbit’s greatest options and shove them into the Pixel Watch to problem Apple and Samsung, whereas the perfect Fitbit trackers largely stay stagnant. Looking on the current Fitbit app redesign, it is clear that it largely repackages the options like exercises that have been already current earlier than. It makes it simpler for customers to search out related HIIT, dance cardio, and extra based mostly on “workout type, duration, required equipment, instructor,” and different standards. But you will not essentially discover something new.The Fitbit Charge 5 is our favourite health tracker regardless of being two years outdated, whereas the Pixel Watch is likely one of the greatest Android watches. Despite my doom-and-gloom ideas on Fitbit’s future, I’m hopeful that the Charge 6 and Pixel Watch 2 will reside as much as that legacy and impress us. Still, I can not deny that Fitbit has had a gradual 2023, and Google’s acquisition hasn’t essentially delivered the enhance that individuals hoped for. So I’m very curious to see whether or not Fitbit and Google have a plan to maintain Fitbit Premium related, or if Google merely hopes to take advantage of Fitbit for all its value based mostly on clients’ goodwill and model recognition.