14 DAY TRIAL // Fitbit Charge 4 was already capable of providing SpO2 readings, but these were only available in the mobile companion app.
But thanks to a new firmware update released this week, the activity tracker now comes with a dedicated on-device app in this regard, thus providing users with SpO2 values after waking up.
The new firmware version is 1.100.34, and once installed, you should be able to see a SpO2 tile when you swipe up from the main screen with the clock.
Fitbit confirms in the official release notes of this new firmware update that blood oxygen saturation readings are available as part of a dedicated app:
- Your Fitbit device can now estimate your blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) while you sleep.
- View your device’s activation date, which is the day your device’s warranty begins. The activation date is the day you set up your device.
SpO2 also available on other Fitbits
Worth knowing, however, is that SpO2 tracking continues to be available only when wearing the Fitbit Charge 4 to sleep, with the information to then be displayed approximately one hour after waking up.
“Your Fitbit device measures your SpO2 levels while you sleep using red and infrared sensors on the back of the device. The sensors shine red and infrared light onto your skin and blood vessels, and use the reflected light that bounces back to estimate how much oxygen is in your blood. Note that you might see the red and infrared sensors continue to blink for around 30 minutes after you wake up,” the company explains.
The recently-released Fitbit smartwatches, including the Sense and the Versa 3, also come with SpO2 readings, and you can easily collect data by simply installing the dedicated app in this regard. On older models, like the Ionic, Sense, and Versa, the data can be collected with a dedicated face.