Google has confirmed that, starting November 28, 2026, the Fitbit App Gallery will stop offering apps and watch faces from third-party developers. After that date, the gallery will carry only apps and watch faces made by Fitbit and Google.
The change affects the Fitbit smartwatches that still run third-party software: Sense, Sense 2, Versa, Versa 2, Versa 3, Versa 4, Versa Lite, and the Ionic — the latter recalled in 2022.
What keeps working
Nothing disappears from your wrist on the 28th: third-party apps and watch faces already installed will keep working. The catch comes later — they will no longer receive updates, and if they are deleted or the watch is factory reset, they cannot be downloaded again.
The Sense 2 and Versa 4, launched in 2022, never supported third-party apps. For owners of those two models, the loss is limited to third-party watch faces.
What to do before the deadline
Anyone using a third-party watch face or app they want to keep should install it — or keep it installed — before November 28, and avoid deleting content or resetting the watch after that date. Google also recommends updating the Google Health app to version 5.12 so its own apps and watch faces keep working as expected. Affected watches can hold up to five saved watch faces at a time.
Developers are cut off too
The cutoff applies on both sides: from November 28, developers will no longer be able to submit new apps and watch faces or update existing ones, as the gallery administration tools are retired.
A farewell signalled since 2024
The global shutdown had a precedent: in 2024, Google removed third-party apps and watch faces from Fitbit watches in the European Economic Area, citing new regulatory requirements. For the worldwide shutdown, the company has not given an official reason. The move underlines Google's shift to Wear OS as its main watch platform, leaving Fitbit's classic smartwatches in maintenance mode. Google still sells the Sense 2 and Versa 4, which will now rely solely on the company's own catalogue.
Image credit: Fitbit Versa photographed by Kārlis Dambrāns, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
- Android Authority — Google Fitbit App Gallery drops third-party apps and clock faces
- Notebookcheck — Fitbit Sense and Versa lose third-party apps later this month
- Wareable — Google confirms end to third-party app support for Fitbit Sense and Versa
- Wikimedia Commons — Fitbit Versa (44383301630).jpg, por Kārlis Dambrāns, CC BY 2.0
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on public internet sources listed above. Consult the original sources to confirm the details.
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