Wi-Fi hardware is present, but deactivated
Fitbit announced the Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches last month, and with the wearables just about to ship, customers should be in for a treat with the latest Fitbit OS interface, taking some heavy inspiration from Wear OS 3. But while the software looks good, these new Fitbit devices apparently won’t hold a candle to their predecessors on the connectivity front, as we learn that both watches will arrive with their Wi-Fi hardware disabled.
The specs sheets for the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 include an entry for Wi-Fi, but note that it’s disabled, emphasizing that there’s no way for users to turn it on. 9to5Google rightly observes that the immediate impact there is going to be increased reliance on Bluetooth connectivity, but that has its limitations, too: Fitbit documentation for music streaming services Deezer and Pandora confirms they won’t be available on these watches.
Bluetooth bandwidth may suffice for applications like voice calling (well, coming soon, anyway) or syncing watch faces, but we start getting a little nervous when thinking about the speed of pulling down software updates or downloading new apps. That may not be a huge problem, but who wants to wait when they shouldn’t have to? Lest we forget, Bluetooth’s limited range compared to Wi-Fi is another significant limitation.
With Bluetooth, you’ll still be able to respond to texts, use Alexa, and navigate with GPS in Google Maps, but limitations with seemingly simple things like accessing music still leave a bad taste in our mouth. While we’re sure there may be a very good engineering and financial reason for giving these watches Wi-Fi hardware that users can’t access, it’s just impossible not to be frustrated.
We reached out to Fitbit looking for answers, but the company declined to comment specifically about this seemingly hamstrung Wi-Fi connectivity or the absence of convenient music playback controls for its new smartwatches. Instead, Fitbit emphasizes that it focused its development efforts on “features our users care about and use the most, including heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, and stress management.” Is it really too much to ask for all of the above?
