HardwareNov 11, 2026, 8:12 AM UTC·1 min read

Google Ends Third-Party Apps and Watch Faces on Older Fitbit Watches

From the end of November, Fitbit smartwatch owners can no longer install or update third-party apps and watch faces. In the EU, the restriction has applied for some time.

A Fitbit smartwatch on a wrist showing a custom watch face. — Image: heise online

Google is cutting off third-party content on Fitbit smartwatches. From the end of November, owners of a Fitbit watch will no longer be able to install or update apps and watch faces made by outside developers.

What changes

The change affects the App Gallery on the watches, which has been the source for software and watch faces from developers other than Fitbit and Google. Once the cut-off takes effect, new installations and updates of such content will no longer be possible.

Users in the European Union are already familiar with the situation: there, the restriction has been in place for a longer time.

Why it matters

For owners of older Fitbit watches, the move narrows the ways to personalise a device they already own. Anyone who relies on a particular third-party app or a favourite watch face should expect to get no further updates for it, and should not count on being able to reinstall it later.

The step also underlines how Google is reshaping the Fitbit platform since taking over the brand, with the focus shifting away from an open ecosystem of outside developers on the older hardware.

Google has not been quoted here with details beyond the end-of-November date, so it remains to be seen how existing installations will behave in everyday use after the cut-off.

Apps worth a look

SUMO: the number puzzle

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Dialo: learn languages by speaking

Talk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.

ediviewer: read EDI files like documents

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giftdetect: the right gift in minutes

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Tags:fitbitgooglesmartwatchwatch facesapp gallery