Google has acquired Fitbit

Says the deal is about devices and not data, will protect Fitbit users’ privacy.

Google has acquired wearable maker Fitbit said the technology giant on Thursday (14 Jan 2020) for $2.1 billion. Rick Osterloh who is senior vice president, devices & services announced on Google's blog The Keyword.

The acquisition comes after the European Union (EU) approved the move in December 2020 but is “conditional on full compliance with a commitments package offered by Google.” - Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won't be used for Google ads and this data will be separated from other Google ads data.

Osterloh in the blog post said, “This deal has always been about devices, not data, and we’ve been clear since the beginning that we will protect Fitbit users’ privacy.”

He went on to say that they will also maintain access to Android APIs that enable devices like fitness trackers and smartwatches to interoperate with Android smartphones, and will continue to allow Fitbit users to choose to connect to third-party services so they’ll still be able to sync their favourite health and fitness apps to their Fitbit account.