Google has started blocking old Fitbit app versions behind a mandatory update screen, closing the workaround that let holdouts avoid Google Health. The push comes nearly five months after Google replaced the Fitbit app with Google Health on May 19, and support for app builds older than version 5.0 was already set to end in July. Those older builds kept working well past that deadline until now.
The switch costs real features. Badges, the Community Feed, and direct messages are gone for good, along with Sleep Profile animals. In their place, Google has added a Gemini-powered Health Coach, brought back custom food logging, and improved sleep displays since the rollout began.