Valentina Palladin
Fitbit owners who like to sync their fitness tracker with a computer to enable offline listening of downloaded music without a monthly fee will soon need to change their approach.
As spotted by 9to5Google on Saturday, Fitbit will no longer allow users to sync their devices over a computer starting in October.
“On October 13, 2022, we’re removing the option to sync your Fitbit device with the Fitbit Connect app on your computer,” a Fitbit support page reads. “Download and use the Fitbit app on your phone to sync your device.”
The Fitbit Connect desktop software lets you transfer music from your computer to the wearable if you have a supporting watch. Newer devices, like the Fitbit Sense and Versa 3, cannot store downloaded music.
After October, owners of older Fitbits, like the Fitbit Versa and Versa 2, will also have to rely on subscriptions to not-so-popular services for offline music. “After the Fitbit Connect app on your computer is deactivated, you can continue to transfer music to your watch through the Deezer app. Customers in the United States can also use the Pandora app,” Fitbit’s support page says.
Deezer and Pandora both require monthly subscriptions for music downloading and offline listening, with fees starting at $10 per month after any eligible trial periods.
Remember, Fitbits still don’t let you add music you’ve downloaded through streaming services, though you can control music on your smartphone with a Fitbit.
The new limitation shouldn’t last forever. When Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, the fitness tracker company confirmed that Fitbits running Google’s Wear OS are on the way. Wear OS has offline support for subscribers to Spotify Premium and YouTube Music.
The death of the Fitbit Connect desktop app will mean that Fitbit wearers who have managed to avoid the brand’s mobile app have fewer options. An increasingly subscription-focused marketplace has been coming for a long time now. Fitbit Connect is still downloadable on Windows 10 and Mac OS X, but the company says the Fitbit app for iPhone and Android provides the “best experience.”
For now, you can still download and listen to music from your Fitbit; you just won’t be able to add more songs after October.