Monitoring your blood oxygen may not be a major concern for a lot of people and so it’s not such an in-demand feature from consumers. But if you’re a Fitbit user, it’s a new thing that they’ve added to existing devices. Selected wearables, particularly those with built-in heart rate monitors now come with blood oxygen monitoring features that they have rolled out through a software update. Users will now be able to access and use this within the Fitbit mobile app.
If you’re not familiar with blood oxygen monitoring, it’s a way for you to check whether your blood oxygen level has decreased and when this happens. This is especially helpful for those with conditions like sleep apnea, where those suffering from it may regularly stop breathing while they’re asleep during the night. It’s not as popular as heart rate monitoring features and so not a lot of wearables have it, even if some smartphones actually do.
Fitbit hinted at bringing blood oxygen monitoring back in 2017 but after that initial interest, we did not hear anything about it anymore. Well, that is, until now. The feature has already started rolling out through a software update on devices like Versa, Versa 2, Versa Lite, Charge 3, and Ionic wearables. It seems to be limited to device owners in the United States for now but that may change later on.
It is able to measure your blood oxygen levels through the sensor located on the backside of the watch. You will be able to see the patterns and the changes in your blood oxygen level. The Fitbit app explains how these patterns may show a health concern that you are not feeling or have not noticed without seeing this data. It will or should probably also tell you when it’s time to see a doctor.
We can probably expect this feature to be added to upcoming Fitbit wearables as well. But if you have one of those devices mentioned, at least you won’t have to upgrade anytime soon, if that’s a feature that you really wanted to have.
