Google to Make Account Login Mandatory for New Fitbit Users in 2023

Wearable technology company Fitbit has announced a new clause
that requires users to switch to a Google account “sometime” in
2023.

“In 2023, we plan to launch Google accounts on Fitbit, which
will enable use of Fitbit with a Google account,” the Google-owned
fitness devices maker said^[1].

The switch will not go live for all users in 2023. Rather,
support for Fitbit accounts is expected to continue until at least
the beginning of 2025, after which a Google account will be
mandatory for using the devices.

The deeper integration also means that a Google account will be
compulsory to sign up for Fitbit and activate new features,
including those that incorporate Google products and services such
as Google Assistant.

Also necessitated as part of the transition is the consent from
the part of users to move their personal data from Fitbit to
Google. The internet giant stressed that^[2]
users’ personal information will not be used to serve ads.

The goal, Fitbit said, is to include a “single login for Fitbit
and other Google services, industry-leading account security,
centralized privacy controls for Fitbit user data, and more
features from Google on Fitbit.”

The development comes more than three years after Google
announced^[3]
similar changes in May 2019 post its acquisition of smart home
company Nest.

In January 2021, when Google completed its Fitbit acquisition,
the company said^[4]
the “deal has always been about devices, not data,” and that it
“will protect Fitbit users’ privacy.”