Previously, only US Fitbit users had access to Google Assistant functionality, but this has now rolled out to the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and Singapore.
Google Assistant on Fitbit is promised for non-English language countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Japan in “early 2021”.
Alexa exercise skill is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese.
The voice-assistant functionality works with the two latest Fitbit smartwatches. Read our Fitbit Sense review and Fitbit Versa 3 review.
The rival Apple Watch uses Apple’s own Siri voice assistant only. Check out our full comparison between Fitbit and Apple Watch for more on how the two brands stack up.
Existing Sense and Versa 3 users need to update their firmware to gain Google Assistant, and this will be prominently displayed on at the top of the Fitbit app’s Today home screen.
With Google Assistant or Alexa on your Fitbit, you can get answers to your questions, get quick news, info and weather, set alarms, start Fitbit workouts, control smart home devices, and more by talking to your watch.
With Google Assistant and Alexa, you’ll see replies in text format on your smartwatch. Alexa can also respond via audio – the audio response is optional and can be turned off.
It can control Spotify, Pandora or Deezer only if you have those music apps installed on your phone.
You can enable the Fitbit Skill in the Alexa app to ask your activity for the day, how you slept last night and more.
For added functionality, you can set up the Google app on your Android phone – or the Google Assistant app if on an iPhone – to access a variety of Google Assistant features while on the go.
Fitbit promises that neither Google Assistant nor Alexa are always listening on your Fitbit smartwatch, and don’t collect any voice data or audio clips from your smartwatch.
The microphone in your smartwatch turns on only when you’re using a feature that requires your voice. The microphone turns off when the voice assistant responds, when you close it, or when your watch’s screen turns off.
You must activate your voice assistant before the microphone in your smartwatch turns on, and you don’t need to use the “Hey Google” or “Alexa” commands to use the Google voice features on your Fitbit smartwatch?
To activate Google Assistant on your smartwatch: When the left shortcut button is set to either voice assistant, press and hold that button and say your request; otherwise, open the Google Assistant or Alexa app on your smartwatch.
Your phone needs to be nearby, with the Google and Alexa apps running in the background to use voice controls on your Fitbit.
You can start eight exercises on your wrist with Google Assistant – Walk, Run, Bike, Yoga, Weights, Elliptical, Treadmill, Workout – or any of the 20 exercises with Alexa.
To control exercises, simply open the assistant app on your smartwatch, or press the shortcut button on the side of your smartwatch.
Tell Google Assistant to “Start a run”, “Start yoga” or “Start a workout”.
Tell Alexa to “Start a run with Fitbit”, “Ask Fitbit to start cycling”, or “Tell Fitbit to start swimming,” for example.
See if either of the two voice-friendly Fitbit smartwatches are for you in our best Fitbit roundup, and look for the best Fitbit deals online.
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Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.
