Fitbit’s new Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches are curiously arriving without Wi-Fi support
Fitbit announced theSense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatcheslast month, and with the wearables just about to ship, customers should be in for a treat with the latest Fitbit OS interface,taking some heavy inspiration from Wear OS 3. But while the software looks good, these new Fitbit devices apparently won’t hold a candle to their predecessors on the connectivity front, as we learn that both watches will arrive with their Wi-Fi hardware disabled.
The specs sheets for theFitbit Sense 2andVersa 4include an entry for Wi-Fi, but note that it’s disabled, emphasizing that there’s no way for users to turn it on.9to5Googlerightly observes that the immediate impact there is going to be increased reliance on Bluetooth connectivity, but that has its limitations, too: Fitbit documentation for music streaming servicesDeezerandPandoraconfirms they won’t be available on these watches.
Bluetooth bandwidth may suffice for applications like voice calling (well, coming soon, anyway) or syncing watch faces, but we start getting a little nervous when thinking about the speed of pulling down software updates or downloading new apps. That may not be a huge problem, but who wants to wait when they shouldn’t have to? Lest we forget, Bluetooth’s limited range compared to Wi-Fi is another significant limitation.
With Bluetooth, you’ll still be able to respond to texts, use Alexa, and navigate with GPS in Google Maps, but limitations with seemingly simple things like accessing music still leave a bad taste in our mouth. While we’re sure there may be a very good engineering and financial reason for giving these watches Wi-Fi hardware that users can’t access, it’s just impossible not to be frustrated.
We reached out to Fitbit looking for answers, and the company emphasizes that it focused its development efforts on “features our users care about and use the most, including heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, and stress management.” As for the Wi-Fi in specific, the chips Fitbit is using in these wearables integrate both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi onto the same silicon, so that’s why the Wi-Fi hardware is there, even if it’s not being actively used. Instead, as we’ve observed, Bluetooth will be used for all data connectivity, including downloading updates. We’re still not sure exactly why this change was made, but at least we’re now clear on what to expect.
UPDATE: 2022/09/22 18:28 EST BY STEPHEN SCHENCK
Fitbit response
This post has been updated with additional information from a Fitbit spokesperson.
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