By the time Google announced its first Pixel Watch in October 2022, a wall was standing in the way of Fitbit's smartwatch Even without clairvoyance, you could see that Google needed a first-party competitor to the best Apple watches and wanted to use Fitbit's technology to do so And while the company has continued to put out smartwatches as some of the best Fitbit devices alongside the Pixel, that era seems to have come to an end

According to our sister site TechRadar, Google has quietly confirmed that it has discontinued production of the Fitbit Sense and Versa smartwatches Going forward, the company's Fitbit devices will only be fitness trackers like the Fitbit Charge and Fitbit Inspire; it appears that Fitbit's new smartwatch technology, watch faces and wellness features will be retained exclusively for Pixel Watch devices going forward

I am not a fan of this

I contacted Google directly to independently verify this claim and received the following statement from a Google spokesperson It is also worth noting that many of the health and fitness features we have introduced in the Pixel Watch 3 are due to Fitbit's innovation and groundbreaking fitness advancements Additionally, we just launched the Fitbit Ace LTE, and you will continue to see new Fitbit products and innovations in the future”

You are free to take whatever you want from that But as a Fitbit user since the first Fitbit Flex a few years ago, I would be lying if I said I was surprised about the death of the company's smartwatch

For many people unfamiliar with the ups and downs of the tech world, Fitbit was their wearable of choice In a review of the Fitbit Sense 2 earlier this year, my colleague Kate called the watch great and said it “has the most useful and robust wellness sensors and insights of any tracker currently available, making it an ideal choice if you want to keep track of your physical and mental health”

The question is what Google will do for users who have invested in the Sense 2, Versa 4, or the recent Fitbit smartwatch The company has already asked customers to switch their Fitbit accounts to Google accounts, and it says it will support Fitbit accounts through 2025 However, it remains to be seen how long the product itself will be supported

Furthermore, there is nothing to stop Google from discontinuing post-purchase features; both the Fitbit Sense 2 and Fitbit Versa 4 wearables shipped with Wi-Fi support removed and local audio playback unsupported

In March 2024, Fitbit discontinued community features like Challenges and Adventures on the Fitbit app The just announced Pixel Watch 3 offers free access to some of the most useful Fitbit Premium training tools, including daily Readiness Score and Target Load

Fitbit's smartwatch was clearly in the crosshairs as the Pixel Watch went strong, but I am less clear about the future of its activity tracker Google released the Fitbit Charge 6 last October with little fanfare, and the kid-friendly Fitbit Ace LTE was quietly launched earlier this year More recently, we learned that the Peloton workout will be coming to the Fitbit app next month

A lower-priced “Pixel Tracker” may eventually appear to offset the higher-priced Pixel Watch Or Google may keep the Fitbit brand and compete with other best fitness trackers like Garmin and Amazfit

Whatever happens, I don't think Fitbit as we know it will go to bat with any real conviction in the coming years It's a pixel game right now