14 DAY TRIAL // It’s been a really busy week for Fitbit, as the company has announced support for Google Pay and Google Maps for the Fitbit Sense 2 and the Versa 4 smartwatches.
And now Fitbit is back with more good news, this time in terms of software updates for the same two smartwatches.
More specifically, Fitbit has started the rollout of new firmware updates for the two models. The new build is 1.184.52, and it can be downloaded right now on the Sense 2 and the Versa 4 – worth knowing, however, is that the rollout takes place gradually, so it could take a while until the update shows up on your device.
There are three big changes in the new firmware updates (though Fitbit says other bug fixes and improvements are also available):
First and foremost, Fitbit is enabled the built-in speaker and microphones on the device to take calls from the wrist. This makes the smartwatch even smarter, and needless to say, it’s one of the most anticipated features so far.
Then, Fitbit says beginning with this update, users can turn off the screen of their smartwatches by simply covering the display when not in use. This is obviously a feature that comes in handy from a battery perspective, as the smartwatch can automatically turn off the screen when it’s covered by a jacket, for instance.
And last but not least, Fitbit explains that Google Pay is now rolling out to the Sense 2 and the Versa 4, as announced earlier this week.
Google Wallet support on the Sense 2 and the Versa 4
Fitbit devices sporting an NFC sensor already support contactless payments via Fitbit Pay. But beginning with this firmware update, both the Sense 2 and the Versa 4 come with Google Wallet integration, which means that users can now make payments with Google Pay as well.
At this point, it doesn’t look like Google and Fitbit want to bring Google Wallet support to older devices as well, even though the original Sense, for instance, should be perfectly cable of making payments via Google Pay.
Of course, this could change in the future, but at this point, only the Sense 2 and the Versa 4 are getting such functionality as part of the latest firmware updates.
“Google Wallet will join Fitbit Pay as a new payment option for Sense 2 and Versa 4 users, allowing you even more opportunities to go about your day hands-free. With just a tilt of your wrist, you can make speedy, secure, and contactless purchases without needing to pull out or bring your wallet,” Fitbit originally announced.
“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.”
If you want to add credit cards that can be used with Google Pay, what you need to do is to launch the Google Wallet menu from the Fitbit app. This would obviously require users to add their own cards to the app, and when the setup is complete, the contactless payments can be made from Google Pay as well (separately from the Fitbit Pay experience) as long as one of the two aforementioned devices is being used.