One of the reasons why Google acquired Fitbit is not just for its hardware but also its software that comes with their smartwatches and fitness trackers. Users have only two choices though, either to use the free version or to subscribe to Fitbit Premium for $9.99 per month for access to a lot more data and options to manage your health and fitness information. But after the confirmation of its acquisition, it looks like they are also looking into a third, more affordable but slightly better than free option.
9 to 5 Google shares that Fitbit is doing a survey asking users to review if they would be interested in a “potential new service offering”. This new thing happens to be a new Fitbit subscription tier that would be more affordable but also will have a bit more features than the free tier. Compared to the Premium plan though, it’s not offering that much since it’s almost just a quarter of the price.
What the plan offers is additional historical data from the ones that you already get from the free tier. You will be able to see your activity, sleep, stress, and health metrics “forever” with the unlimited historical data. The free plan just lets you see 30 days of data or even just 7 days from some of the metrics available. That seems to be the only thing mentioned about this planned new subscription tier but that doesn’t mean it will be the only offering.
The Google acquisition of Fitbit came with several controversies, including concerns that Google will be taking advantage of the data of Fitbit users. The tech giant had to come up with a compromise that they will not use any of the data to sell targeted ads. One way they will probably monetize is to bring in more subscriptions. The $9.99 a month may be too steep for some so having a cheaper option can encourage free tier users to switch to a paid subscription.
Since this is still in an exploratory stage, we can’t expect an announcement from Fitbit anytime soon. So for now, you’ll have to choose between Free and Premium, although some of the Premium features have also been made available to the free users.
