Fitbit announces upcoming OS 4.1 update, expanded Premium features
While Google will soon own the company, Fitbit continues to develop and enhance its wearable products and the hope is that these efforts won't change for some time. The new OS 4.1 update will be available for the Fitbit Ionic, Versa Lite, Versa, and Versa 2 starting on 3 December.
Fitbit OS 4.1
Featured
Back when the Fitbit Versa 2 was released, one of the features I looked forward to was smart wake and I'm pleased to see this is one feature of OS 4.1. There are plenty of other new features coming with this update, including:
- Smart wake: Smart wake will gently begin to wake you with subtle vibrations during the optimal part of your sleep cycle (during light or REM) within a 30 minute window prior to your pre-set alarm. This allows you to wake up feeling refreshed.
- Clock face switcher: You will now be able to store up to five clock faces right on your device and quickly change from one to the other using the new clock face switcher.
- On-wrist Sleep Score: The score will now be available in the on-device dashboard that can be accessed by swiping up from the clock face.
- Exercise app improvements: The redesigned Exercise app will now display all 20 workouts in a new streamlined list on your wrist.
- Battery notification: When your battery is running low, a new feature will automatically disable notification vibrations and if on, the always-on display on Versa 2 to preserve your battery life.
- Agenda app: A new Agenda app allows you to see your calendar right on your wrist.
Also: Google's $2.1 billion bet on Fitbit: What will it do with the corporate wellness business?
While the features above are part of the OS 4.1 update, the Versa 2 will also see improvements in the always-on display, Amazon Alexa exercise invocation, and an improved algorithm for heart rate tracking.
Fitbit Premium membership
Fitbit Premium is available for $79.99 for a year membership. I subscribed when it was released and am enjoying the guided programs, advanced sleep analysis, and other insights. With today's announcement, Fitbit will soon be offering the following:
- Wellness Reports: Premium users will now have access to a Wellness Report, which can easily be downloaded and shared with your doctor, personal trainer or nutritionist, helping ID trends over time, issues or conditions, and more.
- New workouts: Fitbit added new workouts from popular brands like Daily Burn, POPSUGAR, Down Dog, Whil, and Yoga Studio by Gaiam.
- A new mindfulness section: A new section in the Discover tab will provide Premium members with a variety of medication session, breathing exercises, and soothing audio tracks.
- New challenges: Fitbit is launching three new challenges and games for Premium members over the next few months.