For smart wearables that are capable of storing music, this can be an option if you are, say, going for a run but don’t want to take your phone with you. But if you own a Fitbit Versa, Versa 2 or Ionic, and you transfer music to them from your PC, then things might get a little complicated in the near future.
First spotted by 9to5Google, the support page states that Fitbit is “removing the option to transfer playlists to your Fitbit watch through your computer”. This goes into effect on 13 October. Further down, it goes on to say that the Fitbit Connect app, which is what is used to move music from your PC to the three wearables mentioned, will be “deactivated” after said date.
This is not an issue with newer devices, which don’t support music transfers from PC anyway. But for those holding on to the older devices, you’ll have to keep your track list in the affected Fitbit models up to date before 13 October. After that point, you’re left with effectively one option, which is downloading from supported music streaming services.
And on the relatively long list of such providers, only two are mentioned explicitly by Fitbit. One is the music streaming service Pandora, which isn’t available locally. The other is another music streaming service, Deezer, which only offers its premium plans here. Spotify is naturally not on the list, since you can’t buy songs from there anyway.
Fitbit does not say why it is discontinuing the Connect app. The Verge speculates that there isn’t enough demand for the company to keep it up and running. Which is probably a fair assessment. While being able to operate without a phone nearby is a plus point for some wearables, chances are people are still used to just taking their phone with them anyway.
(Source: Fitbit via 9to5Google, The Verge)
