Google completed its acquisition of Fitbit last year, and is now preparing to make all Fitbit users require a Google account in order to continue using their fitness trackers.
As The Verge reports, Google updated a Fitbit support page to confirm that, at some point in 2023, "Google accounts on Fitbit" will launch. At that point, activating newly released Fitbit devices, features, or signing up for Fitbit will require a Google account. Existing users with a Fitbit account can continue to use them, but only temporarily.
Once Google accounts on Fitbit is available, Google will provide the option to migrate a Fitbit account over to Google. However, support for Fitbit accounts is only guaranteed until early 2025, after which "a Google account will be required to use Fitbit." There is no getting around the migration in 2025—you either have to accept it or switch to an alternative brand for your health and exercise tracking.
Google is promising to be transparent about when the Fitbit account support will end and is also very keen to point out that Fitbit users' health and wellness data won't be used for Google Ads. There were binding commitments made by Google during its acquisition of Fitbit to ensure the data remains separate.
When asked for comment, a Fitbit spokesperson told The Verge, "“Google accounts on Fitbit will remain in full compliance with our commitments to global regulators. After a user signs up for or moves to a Google account, we will continue to keep Fitbit users’ health and wellness data separated from Google Ads data and this data won’t be used for Google Ads."