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Latest Fitbit Blaze firmware update finally makes the tracker worth buying

Fitbit has released a new firmware update to the Blaze that brings third-party app notifications, new watch faces and move reminders.
By
September 28, 2016
Fitbit Blaze review AA 7

The Fitbit Blaze is a deceptive little fitness tracker. It may look like a smartwatch on the surface, but dive a little deeper and you’ll find it’s actually missing most of the smartwatch-y features we’ve come to expect from fitness tracker/smartwatch hybrids. When we reviewed the Blaze a few months ago, the lack of third-party notification support and poor selection of watch faces were some of our biggest gripes with this tracker. Thankfully Fitbit has finally heard our cries and released a new update that fixes these issues.

The Fitbit Blaze is getting updated to firmware number 8.301.4, which brings, among other things, support for third-party app notifications. Previously, the Blaze only supported call, text and calendar notifications, but now you’ll be able to receive notifications from email and other third-party apps on your wrist. What’s more, the Blaze now has support for emoji.

Fitbit also included 5 new watch faces in this update, which is great news. I know this is only my opinion, but I really didn’t like any of the stock watch faces the Blaze previously supported. Now with this new update, you’ll have access to 2 new digital faces and 3 analog. The Moment watch face (in the screenshot below) is by far my favorite, as it displays the time, date, heart rate and cycles through your step count, distance, stairs and calories.

Last but not least, the Fitbit Blaze now supports move reminders! You can now track your stationary time throughout the day and get a reminder to move hourly as needed.

I still can’t say this is the best fitness tracker out there. It doesn’t have a built-in GPS, it’s not waterproof and the heart rate monitor is still pretty inconsistent at times. But thanks to this latest update, I can say the Fitbit Blaze is finally worth buying. It’s available now on Amazon for just under $200.

Fitbit Blaze review
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