Prevent under-training or pushing your gym session too far with Fitbit’s latest upgrade that gives users access to two ‘personalised’ features – even if your device is five years old
Fitbit just got a surprising new upgrade, providing users with even more ‘personalised insights’ into their workouts. The brand was acquired by Google back in 2021, and confirmed it wouldn’t produce any more smartwatches following the release of its Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2.
However, the existing devices have still stood the test of time thanks to a slew of updates provided by Google – including the move to make Fitbit users their Daily Readiness Score completely free, instead of being a paid-for feature. Now, Google is bringing its Cardio Load and and Target Load features (which were exclusively for the Google Pixel Watch 3) to other Google Pixel and Fitbit models.
Cardio Load helps you understand how hard your heart is working during exercise and throughout the day. “Based on your activity history, it even tells you your training status: if you are maintaining or improving fitness, or under-training or overtraining,” Google explained. Target Load then uses this data to provide a recommendation on how much activity you should aim for, making sure you never over do it.
“We could have just added these data points to the Daily Readiness algorithm, and thus the Daily Readiness score, but that would have been making it something of a black box — instead you get a comprehensive picture of your body’s recovery, as well as a practical goal of how much to take on as a result,” said Cathy Speed, a professor of Sports Medicine and Human Performance at Cardiff Met University, and senior clinical specialist on the Fitbit team. “We think it’s more impactful to give people these personalised insights.”
The update started rolling out on December 9 – but you’ll need to make sure both your Fitbit and the app is running the latest to get the new features. As reported by the Express, the app itself can be updated by heading to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store on your phone, searching for Fitbit, tapping the right apps, and seeing if there is an update available.
Free Fitbit upgrade – full list
You might be expecting the upgrade to be exclusively for the latest Fitbit model, like the Fitbit Versa 4, but Cardio Load and Target Load is actually available on devices dating back to 2019. The upgrade includes Pixel Watch 1 and Pixel Watch 2, as well as:
- Fitbit Inspire 2
- Fitbit Inspire 3
- Fitbit Luxe
- Fitbit Sense
- Fitbit Sense 2
- Fitbit Versa 2
- Fitbit Versa 3
- Fitbit Versa 4
- Fitbit Charge 5
- Fitbit Charge 6
Fitbit vs Apple Watch – which is better? Have your say in the comments section below
