- Fitbit rolls out some “significant updates” to its app for Premium subscribers
- This will include a 15% boost to “sleep staging accuracy”
- Google is also letting you link your health records to the Fitbit app in the US
If you subscribe to Fitbit Premium, you’re about to get some new features inside the Fitbit app, as part of the Personal Health Coach feature that launched last year — and one of the upgrades is a better detection algorithm for judging when you’re actually asleep.
As per Google’s announcement, the incoming updates will apply “an additional 15% increase in sleep staging accuracy” to your stats. The algorithm should be better than ever at recognizing when you’re sleeping and when you’re just relaxing with a good book.
Google says it’s pumped more training data into the sleep tracking AI, so your naps and sleep stages should now be more accurately tracked. That in turn will mean more useful insights and advice as to how to improve your sleep schedule and overall health.
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The updates will track “not only how much sound sleep you got, but how long it took you to get there” Google says. These upgrades should start appearing over the next few days for those using the Personal Health Coach (which remains in “Public Preview” status).
A fuller health picture
There are some other improvements to talk about too. Google says it’s adding the ability to link your health records to the Fitbit app, for users in the US — again, this only applies to Premium subscribers with access to the Public Preview of the Personal Health Coach.
Connecting health data will mean you get a “fuller picture of your health” according to Google, and it’s keen to emphasize the tight security and privacy controls around the feature. None of this health data will be public or used for ad targeting.
One example Google gives for how this can be useful is if you’re trying to lower your cholesterol: the health coach will be able to see exactly where you’re at with this, rather than giving you generic guidance that could apply to anyone.
Other imminent upgrades include support for continuous glucose monitor devices in the Fitbit app. If you’re a Premium subscriber and haven’t already signed up for the Public Preview of the health coach, you can check your eligibility here.
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