Newer watches in the Versa line can’t install third party apps, even though earlier models can.
Google has been removing features from the fancier Fitbit lines to push people towards their smartwatch. There weren’t many good third party apps, so it isn’t a major loss, bit it’s annoying.
They’re either trying hard to sabotage the Fitbit brand, and bought it to destroy it, or they’re just doing usual Google makes-no-sense random product killing. Does anyone understand why Fitbit Sense supported Google Assistant but Sense 2, released after Google bought Fitbit, only supports Amazon Alexa? For whatever reason, they’re intent on making the Fitbit experience worse.
That said, they also significantly reduced the functionality of Google Assistant on all devices recently. I have no idea what they’re up to.
The Fitbit app store was very bad. I wouldn’t buy another Fitbit device, which is perhaps what Google wants.
I think they’re trying to kill the fitbit line and replace it with the pixel watch and WearOS
My reasoning:
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Enshittification of the non-watch devices
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Pixel Watch 2 actually being an improvement on 1, they don’t always do that
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PW2 just being their highest end fitbit + watch
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Many people I know who had fitbits decided to move over to a smartwatch for convenience of other features at not that much increased cost. It could be that offering devices below a watch has become less worth it in their eyes and to be something left to other niche manufacturers.
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WearOS in general has seen massive improvements over AndroidWear and I think they’re hoping that the license fees they’ll get from third party cheaper watchmakers that end up using WearOS. Kinda like what they do with Android, offer an expensive top of the line flagship device, maybe a middle ground option, and leave it to the niche companies willing to do the work to find out what exact features people want on the cheap end while bringing in their licensing and app store fees.
It worked for phones, I can see it working for this kind of device, but it means dropping the old “lesser” line of devices
You have to pay to use wearOS? It’s the first I’ve heard of it, but it sounds really scammy.
