Fitbit’s lacking yr and what it says about Google’s plans

A yr in the past Google promised that Fitbit wasn’t going anyplace. Yet right here we’re, nearing the top of 2025, and never a single new Fitbit machine has appeared. With the vacation season across the nook, the chances of seeing contemporary Fitbit {hardware} this yr are slim.

Fitbit’s first silent yr

Founded in 2007, the corporate has been releasing new units yearly since its first tracker arrived in 2009, however 2025 has damaged that streak. The final mannequin to reach was the Fitbit Ace LTE, a smartwatch for teenagers that landed in May 2024. Before that, Fitbit maintained a remarkably regular launch rhythm. Between 2016 and 2020, it launched round three to 5 units per yr, masking all the things from the Charge and Versa traces to smaller fashions just like the Luxe and Inspire.

The slowdown started after Google took full management. In 2023, just one machine appeared, the Charge 6, adopted by only one in 2024. Looking on the information, Fitbit launched 35 merchandise between 2009 and 2024. More than half of these got here earlier than 2020, whereas the tempo lately has dropped sharply.

The absence of a Charge 7 at IFA Berlin in September solely deepened considerations. The Charge vary has lengthy been Fitbit’s core collection, often refreshed each two years. By that schedule, a 2025 replace was anticipated. Yet there was no announcement, no teaser, and never even a point out of Fitbit on the occasion. The Luxe line, final up to date in 2021, has additionally been left untouched.

Firmware updates have slowed as nicely. The Charge 6 obtained its final patch in July, and little has adopted since. The general development means that growth is now geared extra towards supporting Google’s Pixel Watch lineup reasonably than sustaining Fitbit’s once-diverse ecosystem.

The gradual shift to Pixel Watch

It’s turning into clear that Google’s technique is to fold Fitbit’s expertise into its Pixel Watch ecosystem. When the corporate responded to stories in 2024 about presumably discontinuing Fitbit smartwatches, its assertion to ArsTechnica mentioned it was “very committed to Fitbit and the customers that use and depend on those products.” Yet the identical assertion praised Fitbit’s contributions to the Pixel Watch, not Fitbit’s personal units. That sounded much less like reassurance and extra like preparation for integration.

Since the Pixel Watch 3 and 4 now rely closely on Fitbit’s well being algorithms and dashboards, Fitbit as a standalone model is shedding its id. The Fitbit app has already been redesigned to suit into Google’s visible type. The Fitbit identify nonetheless seems, however the expertise feels more and more like a subset of Google Fit and Wear OS reasonably than an unbiased platform.

A well-known Google sample

This sort of gradual absorption isn’t new for Google. Over the years, the corporate has acquired dozens of promising manufacturers and folded them into its ecosystem, usually to the purpose the place the unique identify disappears. Motorola, Nest, and Waze all adopted that trajectory in several methods. The merchandise proceed in spirit, however the manufacturers fade as Google redirects assets towards its flagship traces.

If Fitbit follows that path, the Charge 6 and Ace LTE might find yourself being the ultimate technology of true Fitbit {hardware}. Google’s focus now appears mounted on Pixel Watch units as its major well being and health platform.

Could Fitbit nonetheless stage a comeback in 2025? Possibly, however time is operating quick. The finish of the yr marks a very powerful retail interval for wearables, and no new Fitbit units are even rumored. Developers and long-time Fitbit customers report slower replace cycles, decreased assist, and little engagement from Google.

At this level, Fitbit seems much less like a residing model and extra like a legacy layer inside Google’s rising wearable ecosystem. Whether by design or neglect, Google appears to be letting Fitbit fade quietly into the background.

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