We already know that Fitbit has officially stopped making smartwatches but we’ve now had another signal that the activity tracker brand might be moving towards getting phased out.
This week, the brand posted on X (formerly Twitter) that its official account has been closed down. It’s still live at the time of writing, presumably so people see the announcement that Fitbit news will now appear on the @madebygoogle account.
However, the same move hasn’t taken place on Instagram and Facebook, while the Fitbit support X account remains. The UK and Ireland pages were redirected earlier this year, but we can’t see the page on Facebook at the time of writing.
“Starting today, follow us over there for all the latest Fitbit news, tips, and fun or head to @Fitbit on Instagram and Facebook,” said Fitbit on X.
Although Google, which has owned Fitbit since 2021, hasn’t made any official announcement about the future of the wearable brand, fans are understandably worried.
Is this another nail, albeit a small one, in the coffin for Fitbit? We hope not but it doesn’t look overly positive.
Aside from the Fitbit Ace LTE which hasn’t seen a UK launch yet, it’s been over a year since the last Fitbit, the Charge 6, was launched. Since then, there’s been very little in the way of rumours for anything new such as a Versa 5 or Charge 7.
Matt Farrington-Smith / Foundry
Matt Farrington-Smith / Foundry
Matt Farrington-Smith / Foundry
According to Statista, Fitbit sold 6.6 million devices in 2023. That’s down almost 30% from 2022 and sales have been declining to varying degrees since 2019.
It’s not unusual for Google to shut things down and Fitbit might be no exception. It has to compete with not only cheap activity trackers/smartwatches from the likes of Xiaomi, Amazfit and CMF but also a wave of new wearables such as smart rings, even if the latter are currently far more expensive.
While it may be too early to call the time of death for Fitbit, the prognosis isn’t particularly positive either.
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Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor, Tech Advisor
Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been at Tech Advisor for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.