Unfortunately, how you access music on your old Fitbit tracker is about to get a lot more complicated
Fitbit introduced its first fitness tracker way back in 2009, but it wasn’t until years later that the company offered a dedicated mobile app for smartphones. Instead, Fitbit devices initially were synced by connecting them to a computer via a dock — how archaic, right? Called Fitbit Connect, the data transfer tool for both Windows and Mac computers can still be used for syncing trackers, but that’s finally about to change, as Fitbit shares plans to deactivate this desktop option in October.
Fitbit’s support docs for setting up new devices now explain that as of October 13, the option to sync a tracker or smartwatch through Fitbit Connect software is being removed (via 9to5Google). Users are advised to make the switch to the mobile app before October rolls around, and given how phones have clearly overtaken computers in the years since Connect was first released, we’d say that move is long overdue.
One potential cause for concern with the termination of Fitbit Connect is the loss of the ability to sync music files to wearables for offline operation. While you’ll still be able to access music on your devices, the software won’t support changing those tracks. Instead, Fitbit advises uses get their music fix through streaming apps like Pandora and Deezer.
