Millions of Fitbit owners will finally get a smart upgrade - here's what's new

Fitbit continues to be a very popular brand of fitness tracker in 2025, even if we haven’t seen new Fitbit hardware since 2023. These slim and affordable wearable devices still have legions of fans thanks to their simple user interfaces but deceptively advanced capabilities when it comes to tracking health and sports metrics.

Despite the lack of new hardware, Fitbit owner Google has been on an update blitz recently, updating the Fitbit app with a brand new look and feel that brings the design in line with other Google software and apps.

Annoyingly though this has taken Google absolutely ages, with many pages in the Fitbit app for iPhone and Android retaining the old design for months after other sections of the app had been updated.

Not only that, but Express.co.uk also reported earlier this year that Google had not fixed a major bug affecting thousands of Fitbits, despite the firm having known about it for at least six months.

One of the best things about Fitbits is the trackers continue to work on both Android and iPhone devices, despite Fitbit having been acquired in 2021 by Google, the maker of Android.

For this reason, you’d be forgiven for thinking Google might prefer the Android version of the app, but that isn’t strictly the case. In fact, iPhone users have had a certain feature for years that, according to a report from Android Authority, is only just about to make its way onto Android phones.

The new feature was spotted in a teardown of the app’s code in an upcoming version, a way online sleuths can dig into the features of an app before everyone gets the update.

It shows Google is working to bring a feature to Fitbit users on Android so that their phones will receive a notification when their Fitbit is fully charged. iPhone users have had this small but handy benefit for a long time.

Fitbits have long battery life compared to Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch models, with the Fitbit Inspire 3 boasting up to ten days’ longevity. But when you do need to charge your device, it’s easy to forget you’ve plugged it in - and if you leave it on charge all day you’ll miss out on valuable step counting, heart rate monitoring and notifications to your wrist.

With a ping to your phone to let you know your Fitbit is fully charged, it ensures you’re reunited with your tracker as quickly as possible.

It’s not clear why this feature has taken so long to bring to Android but it does point to the fragmented nature of Fitbit today. Though the brand is not dead, it does appear to be pumping the brakes, despite this and other new software additions of late.