Google Assistant support is coming to the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 thanks to a new update rolling out starting today in the US. Alongside it, Fitbit OS 5.1 also adds new blood oxygen monitoring features, support for audible replies from Alexa, and enhancements to the watches’ calling and messaging features.
Both smartwatches already support Amazon’s Alexa, but with the addition of Google Assistant Fitbit says they’re becoming the first smartwatches to offer a built-in choice between the two voice assistants. Support for Google Assistant has been on the cards since the company announced the smartwatches earlier this year. It’s unlikely that these will be the last Fitbit devices to support Google’s voice assistant, given the search giant is currently in the process of buying Fitbit. If you want to switch which voice assistant you use, Fitbit says you can do so from the companion app.
That doesn’t mean Fitbit is ignoring its Alexa functionality, however. Fitbit OS 5.1 also adds the ability for Alexa to audibly reply to your queries via the smartwatch’s speaker, rather than just displaying its responses onscreen.
The watches’ calling and messaging functionality is also being improved with the update. The Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense can now answer calls directly when a phone is nearby using their built-in speakers and microphones. Previously the watches could be used to accept or reject calls, but users still had to speak into the phone itself. Fitbit also says the watches will now support voice-to-text commands for responding to text messages on Android.
Finally, the watches’ SpO2 blood oxygen tracking is receiving some improvements, with Fitbit saying you’ll no longer need to use a special clock face to see blood oxygen data. However, if you’re someone that does want to get this information from a watch face, the company says it has new SpO2 clock faces coming to the watches by the end of the year.
