14 DAY TRIAL // Fitbit’s ECG app for smartwatches and activity trackers has received the go-ahead from the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia, so the company can therefore bring this new feature to users in the country.
Fitbit Sense owners can already try out the ECG app in Australia, with similar capabilities to launch on the Fitbit Charge 5 rather sooner than later.
Worth knowing, however, is that the ECG app wouldn’t be available at launch on the Charge 5. Fitbit will most likely enable it for users with a software update, but for now, no ETA is available.
According to the company’s own list of countries supposed to get the ECG app on the Charge 5, users in the United States, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and several other regions are all supposed to be able to use the app shortly.
As compared to the Fitbit Sense, which requires users to place their fingers on the corners of the device to measure the heart rhythm, the Charge 5 needs you to touch its sides to record the signals from the heart.
Charge 5 shipping by late September
Fitbit used this occasion to remind that a simple ECG could help determine AFib in early stages.
“AFib can be difficult to detect, but the Fitbit ECG app lets you check in on your heart rhythm right from your wrist—so you have a better chance of spotting and treating it. This assessment can’t diagnose AFib on its own, but your results can help you have a better conversation with your doctor,” the company says.
The Charge 5 is currently available for pre-order, but Fitbit hasn’t provided an ETA as to when customers should be able to get their hands on the device. The shipments, however, are projected to start by the end of September.