14 DAY TRIAL // Fitbit has released a new firmware update for the Charge 4, and this time the changelog includes some highly-anticipated new features.
First and foremost, today’s rollout brings the firmware version to version 1.96.29, and it’s exclusive to the Charge 4 released only a few months ago.
The main highlight in this firmware update is Dynamic GPS, a new feature that’s supposed to make GPS tracking even more accurate and energy-efficient.
Better GPS tracking, Smart Wake
What Dynamic GPS does is use your phone’s GPS sensors whenever the mobile device is around. In other words, if you’re working out and the smartphone that the Charge 4 is paired with is close to you, the wearable uses its GPS sensor for things like tracking the route, the pace, and generating other GPS-related statistics. This way, the information that it provides could actually be more accurate, while the Charge 4 should eat up less battery since its GPS sensor is turned off.
If a mobile device isn’t nearby, then the Charge 4 automatically enables its own GPS sensor to ensure that you’re provided with the same amount of data. Settings to configure how you want Dynamic GPS to work on your Charge 4 are available on the tracker.
This new firmware update also introduces Smart Wake, a feature of the Alarms app that monitors your configured alarms and sleeping stages to wake you up at the right time. The purpose of this feature is to help make sure you’re waking up feeling rested, as Fitbit uses a complex algorithm to determine when the alarm should ring.
And last but not least, the Charge 4 now comes with options to configure how long your screen stays on. There’s a new Screen Time Out option on the tracker just for this purpose.
Updating the Charge 4 to the latest version is possible via the Fitbit app on the smartphone it’s paired with.