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Fitbit Daily Readiness Score now available for Premium customers, ECG appears for Charge 5
Looking at my full review of the Fitbit Charge 5 from September the cons included two missing features that were announced but not available. Last week, Fitbit rolled out the Daily Readiness Score and ECG app for the Fitbit Charge 5 and we've spent a couple of weeks testing it out.
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The Daily Readiness Score is not limited to the Charge 5 either as Fitbit Premium subscribers who wear the Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Charge 5, Luxe and Inspire 2 devices also now have the ability to view their score. Remember, new owners of Fitbit devices are offered Premium memberships so make sure to at least try it out during the trial period and you may find the service valuable enough to warrant a paid subscription.
Also: Best fitness tracker 2021: Improve your health
Daily Readiness Score
The Daily Readiness Score is calculated from your recent activity, sleep, and heart-rate variability. It requires that you wear the Fitbit for at least 14 hours daily and throughout your evening period of sleep. You must also wear your device for at least four nights a week in order to receive a score.
The scores range from 1 to 100 and in my 10 days of testing I saw scores of 10, 52, and 66. Scores over 30 are required before Fitbit will suggest you are ready for exercise. I was traveling for business when I received low scores, primarily due to extensive activity and limited sleep. My score of 66 was categorized as having excellent readiness.
Below the score, Fitbit provides bar charts for your activity, recent sleep, and heart-rate variability. Tap on each of these to dive deeper into the data that your Fitbit collected. Within each of these are links to access even more of your data for a complete understanding of why your score is at the level that Fitbit provides.
Further down the screen Fitbit provides recommended workouts that are based upon your current score. These are personalized Active Zone Minutes goals that are based on your score and fitness level so they are customized for each person. These include workouts, stretching sessions, and more. If you have a low score, you may be directed to meditate, relax, or stretch.
At least three hours of quality sleep is needed to build a score so if you have short sleep sessions you may not see a score. Fitbit devices aren't perfect so if you have a score that seems out of place, you can choose to delete individual scores too.
Also: Fitbit Charge 5 review: Best fitness tracker with color display, GPS, elegant form factor
ECG for Fitbit Charge 5
The Charge 5 is the first Fitbit tracker, not smartwatch, with the ability to serve as an electrocardiogram (ECG) device with the app available via the Fitbit smartphone app. After installing the app, make sure to enable notifications in order for the app to function on the Charge 5.
In order to capture a reading, tap the app on your Charge 5 and then place your index finger and thumb on either side of the display. Hold still for 30 seconds while the data is captured and when the screen shows you are done wait for it to analyze and show your results. I've had normal sinus rhythm readings every time so that's great. You can also download a PDF report from the Fitbit smartphone app and share that with your doctor for further testing and analysis if you have an abnormal reading.