The classic Fitbit app is finally dead

Google has been dismantling the old Fitbit experience piece by piece ever since it replaced the app with Google Health earlier this year. Some longtime users resisted the move by clinging to older Fitbit versions, even after Google warned that builds older than version 5.0 would lose support in July. That workaround somehow kept working for months, but the reprieve now appears to be over as Google starts blocking access behind a mandatory update screen.

Reports are emerging from users still running the old Fitbit app that they can no longer get past the prompt without updating. Since installing the latest version means moving onto Google Health, this effectively forces the remaining holdouts to finally make the switch.

For Fitbit loyalists, that’s more consequential than a routine app upgrade. Google Health arrived with a completely redesigned interface, a stronger focus on centralized health data, and deeper integration with the Gemini-powered Health Coach.

The transition also came with losses. Google removed or substantially changed several familiar Fitbit features, including badges, sleep profiles, sleep animals, and several social features. That gave longtime users plenty of reason to stick with the old app if they preferred its layout and workflows.

There was clearly some resistance, too. In an Android Authority poll shortly after launch, half of the respondents said they didn’t like the new Google Health app.

Google has continued refining the Health app since then, including improvements to nutrition, sleep, fitness tracking, and other parts of the experience. But those updates are becoming beside the point for anyone still hanging on to a classic Fitbit.

Google hasn’t made any official announcement about this latest round of forced updates, so it’s unclear whether the change is rolling out in stages or has already reached everyone still on an older build. What is clear is that the options for holdouts are shrinking fast.

After months of surviving past Google’s original support deadline, the old Fitbit app has reached the end of the road. Users now face a straightforward choice: either move to Google Health or look for another fitness-tracking platform.