It seems Google might be getting ready to expand that aforementioned new Fitbit app experience to free-tier users, a surprise reversal on the speed with which significant interface changes make it to the larger audience. According to unearthed references in the new Fitbit build, the Public Preview program — existing only for Fitbit Premium members previously — could soon expand to non-paying users, allowing freebie Fitbitters early access to the revamped look and feedback tools.
What the Fitbit Public Preview Probably Contains
An app teardown of Fitbit 4.60 shows onboarding prompts customized for free users, mentioning the redesigned Today, Fitness, Sleep, and Health tabs, among other things. Strings include an even more personalized Today feed, a weekly cardio goal, customizable focus metrics, and deeper fitness and sleep data views. There’s also some language suggesting users can easily jump between the two from their profile — a welcome option for anyone who would prefer stability over experimenting.
The new Health tab, which has been emphasized in previous announcements, brings long-term trends and health metrics together in one place. It’s the piece many people think is missing between dashboards and raw data: Cleaner than individual cards, more actionable than a step count. Laying open this redesign to the free tier through Public Preview would enable Google to test for itself at scale whether reorganizing the layout is in fact more engaging and makes sense faster.
AI Coaching Features Remain Paywalled for Premium
Notably missing from the free-tier preview strings is the AI-driven Ask Coach, the personal health assistant Google has been promoting as part of the redesign. There are other references still in the app that connect Ask Coach to Premium access, kind of like how most health platforms monetize advanced analytics and coaching. Beyond being a clear subscription differentiator, AI features have higher computation costs and need careful guardrails around health guidance — both powerful reasons to keep them within the paid tier.
Fitbit Premium, which normally costs $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, presently grants access to guided programs, more in-depth data, and time-limited exclusives such as advanced sleep metrics. By keeping Ask Coach in that bundle, it would retain the subscription’s value, but also open itself to free users and give them a taste of those core design improvements for making everyday tracking so much more intuitive.
Why Open the Fitbit Redesign to Free Users
Opening Public Preview to non-subscribers also makes sense for a pragmatic reason: It broadens the feedback loop beyond the most engaged audience. That counts for UI changes, when edge cases — device mix, locale quirks, notification behavior — typically only show themselves at horrifying scale in the tens of millions of users. It also provides Google with a broader funnel to experiment whether this new navigation and framing metrics help nudge users toward more frequent check-ins, which it described as a key predictor of long-term retention and, in turn, Premium conversion.
The approach echoes what we have seen elsewhere in the industry. Improvements in the Health app from Apple come with no charges to all users of iPhones, and paid tiers like Apple Fitness+ provide coaching and content. Garmin provides a pretty solid free offering with Garmin Connect Insights; it only charges for premium training plans through its own ecosystem partners. By separating UI improvements from paid features, platforms can enhance user satisfaction without discounting the purchase of a subscription.
What This Means for Fitbit and Pixel Watch Owners
All of which means current Fitbit device owners and/or Pixel Watch wearers may find its wide release leads to more achievable goals and improved day-to-day motivation. A weekly cardio goal and customizable focus metrics, surfaced directly on the Today tab, also cut back on the friction of figuring out what to prioritize. If the enhanced Fitness and Sleep sections will make trend interpretation easier, you’d expect that to lead more folks to take note of changes in training load or sleep consistency earlier — and act accordingly.
Indeed, it’s something various industry observers have pointed out before, that the “tipping point” toward smartwatches depends more and more on how good software is now, rather than just stuff like sensors.
Apple remains the leader in global smartwatch shipments, and market researchers have said that demand for wearables has stayed relatively strong as of late even despite macro headwinds, with growth arcing toward ecosystems that frequently update their apps. Opening up the Fitbit redesign for widespread testing could also be a good way for Google to remain relevant, especially as it tries to build deeper integrations across Android, Wear OS, and its services.
How to Know When You’re Included in the Preview
If Google toggles over for free users, a Public Preview invite card will show up in the Fitbit app. The wording spotted in version 4.60 suggests you’ll eventually be able to join, leave, or switch between conventional and preview experiences within your profile at any time. As with any preview software, there is a possibility that features could change without notice and bugs may be encountered — but the benefit to you is early access to Fitbit’s new design and navigation.
Bottom line: a more public Public Preview would represent a significant stride by the redesigned Fitbit app out of its walled garden. The AI Ask Coach is still set to be a Premium perk, but the core UI upgrades that inform daily tracking could soon end up in millions more hands — where real-world feedback matters most.
