Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 now supporting Google Assistant

Aug 26, 2020 08:31 GMT  ·  By

Fitbit has recently announced its new generation of smartwatches, and both the Fitbit Sense and the Versa 3 come with massive improvements over the previous models.

Among them, there’s supposed for Google Assistant, a feature that many actually saw coming.

And it’s all because last year Google announced the takeover Fitbit, a move that many expected to lead us to deeper integration of the search giant’s services into Fitbit’s smartwatches.

While the deal is still waiting for regulatory approval, Google and Fitbit are already working together on this early integration, and Google Assistant is the first feature that goes live on the new-generation models.

Previously, Fitbit smartwatches, including the Versa 2, only supported Amazon’s Alexa, but with the release of Versa 3 and Sense, users can choose from two different assistants.

There are several things that you need to know about the assistant integration into Fitbit devices.

First and foremost, only Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense will support Google Assistant, and there’s a good chance this won’t happen at launch. Fitbit will start shipping the new devices in late September, but Google Assistant is projected to roll out in “late 2020.” In other words, Fitbit could very well enable the new feature on its smartwatches with a firmware update later this year.

In the meantime, Alexa will continue to be available for everybody, and Amazon’s assistant will be offered straight from the launch.

Fitbit hasn’t confirmed whether it plans to bring Google Assistant to the Versa 2, the model that already supports Alexa, but a future firmware update could be used to enable this functionality too.

New-generation Fitbit models

To use Google Assistant on a Fitbit device you’re going to need a Google account, so you’ll have to connect your Google and Fitbit accounts. If the company wants to make Google Assistant work in the same way as Alexa, then you can interact with the assistant for all kinds of stuff, including starting a workout, checking the weather, setting a bedtime reminder and alarms, and even controlling your smart home that is connected to the Fitbit device.

There’s a chance Google Assistant will also be able to speak your stats, so for example, in the morning you can just listen to a summary of how you slept the previous night.

The bad news is that Google Assistant won’t be available all over the world, but only in certain markets. For example, users in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the UK will all receive the new feature. In Asia, India, Japan, and Singapore are the only countries where Google Assistant will be available on the Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense.

One thing that is yet to be confirmed is whether launching Google Assistant will be possible using the “Hey, Google” wake-up phrase. In the case of Alexa, the Fitbit Versa 2 required users to manually open the Alexa app on the watch and only then speak a voice command, so it remains to be seen if the same approach is being used for Google Assistant too.

The new Fitbit Sense is available for pre-order today at $329.99, and it is offered in two different color combinations, namely Carbon/Graphite Stainless Steel and Lunar White/Soft Gold Stainless Steel.

The new Versa 3, on the other hand, costs just $229.95, and it is offered in three finishes called Midnight/Soft Gold Aluminum, Black/Black Aluminum, and Pink Clay/Soft Gold Aluminum.

Both models can be pre-ordered today, while the actual shipping is projected to kick off in late September, with more info to be shared closer to launch.

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New-generation Fitbit models
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