Does Fitbit app work with Samsung watch?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is all but confirmed to drop on August 10, during Samsung’s keynote Galaxy Unpacked presentation next month. Launching alongside Samsung’s newest foldable smartphones the Galaxy Watch 5, like its predecessor, is sure to come stuffed with features and be running, like its predecessor, a combination of WearOS and the next iteration of its own One UI Watch skin. 

With this in mind, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is likely to make use of one of WearOS’ most anticipated features. Everyone knows this feature is on the way, but no one has any idea what it’ll look like. Samsung might beat the Pixel Watch to the punch, and be the first true WearOS smartwatch with Fitbit integration. 

Since Google parent company Alphabet first began acquiring Fitbit, the idea of a WearOS watch running Fitbit features instead (or as well as) Google’s own Health and Fit apps has been much talked about. When the Pixel Watch was unveiled at this year’s Google IO keynote speech, “deep Fitbit integration” was promised, with the watch potentially acting just like a Fitbit tracker would; logging steps sleep, activity, and more within your Fitbit account.

It might not be able to link directly to your Fitbit account, however. Instead, it may get the information there via Health Connect, the health data sharing platform being pioneered as a joint effort by Google and Samsung. We covered Health Connect when it was first announced, arguing that everyone should pay a bit more attention and this was the beginning of a Google/Samsung fitness empire. 

Using Health Connect, Samsung could record your sleep or activity data and send it to Health Connect, which would format this data in such a way that it’s able to be uploaded to your Fitbit account. 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 already had a highly advanced suite of fitness sensors, including a “3-in-1 BioActive Sensor” that enabled the watch to monitor heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and even body composition, although how accurately a watch can calculate that muscle-to-fat-to-bone ratio, I’m not sure. The best smart scales struggle to do so accurately. It also has an ECG scanner, which is present on most premium Fitbits now, and we can only imagine the watch’s ability to collect health data during exercise would improve between iterations.

The ability to collect the same data as a top-end Fitbit, and upload the information to your Fitbit account, while also having all the same capabilities of a high-end Samsung smartwatch, might make Fitbit’s smartwatch offerings somewhat obsolete. After all, why would you buy a somewhat basic smartwatch from Fitbit with its features as the USP anymore? The Galaxy Watch 5 and its future iterations, if these predictions are true, aren't likely to cost that much more than a Fitbit Sense, but could be far more powerful.

If this is the way Google and Samsung are planning to proceed with their own devices, Fitbit may as well return to solely producing slimmer trackers, as their “true” smartwatches will be outclassed by other devices capable of linking to the Fitbit ecosystem, and doing so much more besides. However, the predicted imminent launch of the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 just a month later, this coming September, tells us that’s unlikely to be the case.

We see three possible scenarios here: one, a price drop or freeze for the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2, leaving the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch as the “premium Fitbit” devices. Two, the Versa 4 and Sense 2 represent Fitbit’s final smartwatch hurrah for a while, as the company returns to slender fitness trackers like the Fitbit Charge 5. Finally, option three is the Watch 5 doesn't actually come with the Health Connect platform, as the bridge between WearOS and Fitbit isn't quite ready yet.

Samsung’s newly-announced Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic mark a new era for Android wearables. Not only are they the first smartwatches with a 5nm chipset, but they’re the first devices to run the new Wear OS jointly developed by Google, Samsung, and Fitbit. As such, the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic boast a ton of cool features, including lightning-fast health readings and advanced sleep-tracking technology.

Note: Samsung announced several new products at its Unpacked event, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and the Galaxy Buds 2. Check out our buying guide to save hundreds on your pre-order.

The Galaxy Watch 4 uses a redesigned One UI for what Samsung calls a “seamless” experience. Compatible apps automatically download to your Watch 4 when they’re download to your phone, and now that Samsung has switched to Wear OS, Galaxy Watch users can tap into Google’s expansive app ecosystem (and finally use Spotify with offline support).

Despite the new Wear OS, the Galaxy Watch 4’s One UI software looks very familiar. It seems that we won’t know a ton about the updated Wear OS until we finally get the chance to use the Galaxy Watch 4 and future devices from other brands. There’s just one software oddity on the Galaxy Watch 4 that’s worth thinking about—it only supports the Bixby voice assistant.

Under the hood, a new BioActive Sensor uses a single chip to monitor blood pressure, detect irregular heartbeats, measure blood oxygen, and for the first time, calculate body composition. The Galaxy Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to offer readings on skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, and body fat percentage. You usually need to visit a gym or doctor to measure your body composition, so it’s interesting to see the tech in a smartwatch, even if it doesn’t turn out to be super accurate (for what it’s worth, Samsung claims 98% accuracy).

And to our surprise, the Galaxy Watch 4 can accurately measure the quality of your sleep, detect snoring, and give you “Sleep Scores.” The smartwatch’s new sleep tracking tools seem to be lifted straight from Fitbit, indicating that they may be a standard feature in the new Wear OS (and a major improvement from the sleep tracking software typically found in Wear OS or Tizen).

Galaxy Watch 4 health readings arrive at lightning speed thanks to the Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz processor, the first 5nm processor in a wearable. Samsung says that this processor is 20% faster than the chipset used in its Galaxy Watch 3—and on top of that, the Watch 4 packs a cool 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.

But what about battery life? Well, between the new processor and flashy Super AMOLED Always-On display, the Watch 4 has a battery life of just 40 hours. That’s short of the Galaxy Watch3’s two-day battery life, but it’s still better than the Apple Watch.

As always, the Galaxy Watch 4 features interchangeable wrist straps and a set of fancy new watch faces (which you can sync with the new Galaxy Z Flip 3). A new IP68 water-resistance rating and Gorilla Glass DX+ protection ensure that the smartwatch can survive your athletic escapades, while optional LTE support allows you to take calls or stream music without carrying your smartphone.

Samsung will sell the Galaxy Watch 4 in 40mm (1.2-inch display) and 44mm (1.4-inch display) sizes, with options for GPS or LTE connectivity. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic comes in larger 42mm and 46mm sizes to accommodate its control dial (which is the only thing that sets these watches apart), though its screen sizes match the standard Watch 4.

The standard Galaxy Watch 4 starts at $250, while the Watch 4 Classic starts at $350. Pre-orders open today, and Samsung is offering a $50 credit for all customers who pre-order their smartwatch before the August 27th launch date.

SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 4 Classic 42mm Smartwatch with ECG Monitor Tracker for Health, Fitness, Running, Sleep Cycles, GPS Fall Detection, LTE, US Version, Black

Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic pack a powerful new processor, plus an upgraded UI, improved Android app support, and new body composition sensor. Grab one now starting at $250.

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