FITBIT

Fitbit Air counted 133 more calories than the Oura Ring

Distance and heart rate matched across all three trackers. Only the calorie figure split, and Google's help page already carries reports of it.

By iDeviceAug 4, 5:14 AM CT3 min read

Andy Boxall walked 40 minutes wearing three fitness trackers and got three different calorie counts. The Fitbit Air, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and the Oura Ring 5 agreed on distance to within 0.06 of a mile, and on average heart rate to within one beat per minute. Then the calories came back at 352, 225 and 219. Google's own help page already carries reports of the Fitbit Air overcounting calorie burn.

Two days earlier the same three trackers scored one night of sleep identically at 88. The Fitbit Air still logged 30 minutes more sleep than the other two, and Samsung Health recorded 40 minutes awake where the others barely registered any. On August 2 Google Health started writing Fitbit exercise records into Apple Health. An iPhone now picks up that 352-calorie figure without you opening the Fitbit app.

FITBIT3 min read

Fitbit data can finally write to Apple Health, twelve years late

Aug 3

Google Health 5.05 adds two-way Apple Health syncing, so Fitbit exercise, sleep, vitals and steps can write into the iPhone's health store without a third-party bridge.

Fitbit Air2 min read

Google Wants to Coach Your Health Even If You Wear an Apple Watch

May 8

Google launched the screenless $99.99 Fitbit Air on May 7 and rebranded the Fitbit app to Google Health, with the Gemini-powered Google Health Coach going globally available May 19. Google says the new AI coach will work across wearables including Apple Watch through HealthKit, putting Google in direct competition with Microsoft Copilot Health, ChatGPT Health, and whatever AI health features Apple announces at WWDC on June 8.

GARMIN3 min read

Garmin's screen-free Cirqa outran its own supply

Jul 30

Fitness revenue jumped 25% and the $199 Cirqa is on 5-8 week backorder.

GARMIN CIRQA1 min read

Garmin backpedals on Cirqa's paywalled heart rate

Jul 24

Garmin sold the $199.99 Cirqa as the subscription-free Whoop alternative, then gated live heart rate behind Connect+, and is reversing after backlash.

WHOOP3 min read

Whoop hires the FDA committee chair who oversaw wearables

Jul 22

Whoop's new chief medical officer chaired the FDA's first digital health advisory committee, the one whose remit covers wearables.

You have reached the end of this stream

Those are all the stories we have lined up here.

More news