14 DAY TRIAL // After becoming a Google asset, Fitbit is slowly but surely getting more and more Google technology, and at some level, this makes perfect sense.
The latest update brings two important additions on this front, and the first of them is Google Wallet support.
At this point, if you want to make a payment with a Fitbit device, you can safely use Fitbit Pay for contactless payments. As long as your device has an NFC sensor, Fitbit Pay should really come in handy, as it supports not only credit cards, but also debit cards, and even transit. The main shortcoming is that Fitbit Pay isn’t currently supported by all banks out there – or at least, not by all of those that currently work on an Apple Watch, for instance.
With Google Wallet support, Fitbit Sense 2 and Fitbit Versa.4 are therefore getting access to Google Pay, so the support for contactless payments is greatly enhanced.
“Access your stored credit or debit cards with Google Wallet on Sense 2 and Versa 4 to pay for purchases everywhere Google Pay or contactless payments are accepted. With Google Pay, your real card information is never shared. You will be prompted to unlock your device with a pin whenever you put your watch on or right before the first transaction of the day, which will prevent others from making purchases if your device is ever lost or stolen,” the company announced.
The second addition is the one that people who travel a lot are going to love.
Google Maps is coming to Fitbit devices, so users will be able to access turn-by-turn directions right on their screen.
This means that pulling out the smartphone to get Google Maps navigation instructions would no longer be required, as all the information is available on the smartwatch.
Once again, only the Sense 2 and the Versa 4 will be supported, and of course, a connection to the smartphone must be active – this is because the smartwatch uses the Bluetooth connection to pull information from Google Maps.
Worth knowing, however, is that before getting directions from Google Maps on your Fitbit smartwatch, you need to configure the destination on the smartphone. At this point, there’s no way to do the whole thing on the smartwatch, as the Fitbit device only pulls the step-by-step directions from the smartphone and displays them on the screen.
“Whether you’re on a walk exploring a new city, want to take the fastest route to tonight’s holiday dinner, or just need reassurance that you’re headed in the right direction to your yoga class, Google Maps gives you reliable, real-time navigation so that you can explore your world more confidently,” Fitbit says.
“To start Google Maps (coming soon to your Sense 2 or Versa 4), make sure Bluetooth is on and the Fitbit app is open on your phone. Then open Google Maps on your phone, enter your destination, and press start, turn-by-turn directions will automatically begin on your smartwatch. At the end of your navigation, you’ll see a summary of your stats that includes steps, Active Zone Minutes, heart rate, and more during your route.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Fitbit wants to bring Google Maps to older smartphones, and this is quite a shame given the original Sense seems perfectly capable of showing step-by-step instructions on its screen.
At this point, there’s no ETA as to when the rollout of Google Maps on Fitbit devices would start, but expect the whole thing to happen sooner rather than later.