That is worth noting because Garmin discounts can often feel predictable. Older Forerunners get trimmed, last-gen outdoor watches drop a bit and newer models usually stay stubbornly close to full price. This sale has a slightly different feel because most of Garmin’s more recent watches are now part of the mix.

Many of these deals can also be picked up on Garmin’s website. So it’s not just Amazon.

Newer Garmin watches are in the mix

The Venu X1 is probably the most useful signal in the sale. It is still one of Garmin’s newer lifestyle-leaning watches, so any discount makes it worth a second look if you want a more polished daily wearable rather than a rugged outdoor device.

That does not automatically make it the best buy. The Venu 3 still looks like the stronger value option if you want Garmin’s health tracking, GPS and smartwatch basics at a lower price. The Venu 4 sits between those two, so the decision mostly comes down to how much you care about newer hardware versus saving money.

Venu 3 – $354.99, down from $454.99 (check price on Amazon).
Venu 4 – $499.99, down from $549.99 (check price on Amazon).
Vivoactive 6 – $259.99, down from $309.99 (check price on Amazon).
Venu X1 – $599.00, down from $699.99 (check price on Amazon).

Fenix 8 is the headline outdoor deal

The Fenix 8 discount is the one that will probably grab the most attention. It is still expensive, but a price cut on Garmin’s current outdoor flagship range carries more weight than the usual deal on a model nearing the end of its cycle.

This is not the watch to buy for casual step counting. Fenix makes sense if you care about mapping, durability, battery life and deeper training tools. It remains the Garmin line for people who want a watch that can handle outdoor use without feeling like a dressed-up fitness tracker.

Epix Pro Gen 2 is the value temptation here. It is older, but still gives you a lot of Garmin’s premium outdoor features for less money. Enduro 3 is more specific again, aimed at people who care about long battery life and endurance use above almost everything else.

Fenix 8 – starting at $749.99, down from $999.99 (check price on Amazon).
Epix Pro (Gen 2) – starting at $419.99, down from $569.99 (check price on Amazon).
Enduro 3 – $749.99, down from $899.99 (check price on Amazon).

Forerunner series: For the dedicated runner

The Forerunner discounts are probably the most useful for runners, but also the easiest to overthink. Garmin has several models on offer at once, from the simpler Forerunner 55 through to the newer Forerunner 970.

For most people, the cleaner picks sit in the middle. The Forerunner 165 gives newer runners a modern Garmin entry point, while the Forerunner 265 still looks like the better step-up choice for regular training. It gives you more depth without jumping straight into the top of the range.

The Forerunner 965 now looks more attractive because the 970 exists above it. That is often how Garmin deals become interesting. The older premium model suddenly becomes the sensible buy, while the newest model is there for people who specifically want the latest version.

Forerunner 55 – $168.00, down from $199.99 (check price on Amazon).
Forerunner 165 – $199.99, down from $249.99 (check price on Amazon).
Forerunner 255 – $242.90, down from $349.99 (check price on Amazon).
Forerunner 265 – $349.99, down from $449.99 (check price on Amazon).
Forerunner 570 – $459.99, down from $559.99 (check price on Amazon).
Forerunner 965 – $499.99, down from $599.99 (check price on Amazon).
Forerunner 970 – $649.99, down from $749.99 (check price on Amazon).

Instinct keeps the rugged option cheaper

The Instinct deals are easy to understand. These are the watches to look at if you want something rugged, practical and less expensive than a Fenix.

Instinct 3 is the more interesting discount because it is the newer watch. Instinct E keeps the price lower and the formula simpler, which may be enough for people who want outdoor tracking without paying for extras they will rarely use.

Instinct 3 – $299.99, down from $399.99 (check latest price on Amazon).
Instinct E – $199.99, down from $299.99 (check latest price on Amazon).

The best value may sit one step back

The newer discounts make the sale feel more current, but the better buys may still be the slightly older models. Venu 3, Epix Pro Gen 2, Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 965 all sit in that useful zone where the feature set still looks strong, but the price has moved further from launch.

That is the bit buyers should probably focus on. Venu X1, Fenix 8, Forerunner 970 and Instinct 3 make the sale feel fresh. The older discounted models may be where the smarter money goes.

As usual, check the exact colour, case size and seller before buying. Amazon Garmin deals can vary a lot between versions, so one model can look heavily discounted while another barely moves.

The post Amazon cuts Garmin Fenix 8, Venu X1 and Forerunner 970 prices appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Fitbit Air changes the argument

What is interesting about Fitbit Air is not that it doesn’t have a screen. That is only the obvious part. The more interesting bit is that Google has made a fairly simple pitch at a fairly simple price.

For $99, users get a screenless band that focuses on passive health tracking rather than apps, calls, notifications and wrist interaction. It does not need to beat WHOOP feature for feature to be a problem. It only needs to convince enough people that background health tracking does not need to cost hundreds per year.

That is why WHOOP’s reaction has been so revealing. DC Rainmaker described the company as moving quickly onto the defensive after Fitbit Air appeared, with Reddit posts, social media comments and a longer list of future features arriving in quick succession.

The uncomfortable bit for WHOOP is price. Fitbit Air comes in cheap, works without a mandatory subscription and still gives Google a route into paid health coaching for those who want more. WHOOP still has the deeper athlete-focused platform, broader wear positions and a mature coaching setup. But the old assumption that screenless tracking belongs mainly to subscription-heavy performance wearables now looks weaker.

Apple has the same gap

This is where Apple comes in. Apple Watch is the most complete smartwatch platform, but completeness is also part of the problem. It is a screen, a notification device, a payment tool, a fitness tracker, a phone extension, a sleep tracker and a small computer on your wrist.

That works brilliantly for millions of people. It also means Apple Watch asks for permanent wrist space. If you want continuous Apple Health data, you pretty much need to wear the Watch. If you want to wear a mechanical watch, dress watch or something lighter at night, you either give up tracking or wear two devices and look like you are trying to win a wrist-based argument with yourself.

A band makes more sense than a ring

The obvious counterargument is that Apple could make a ring instead. That would fit the Apple ecosystem nicely. It could work with Vision Pro, Apple TV, HomePod and gesture control. It would also give Apple a neat answer to Oura and Samsung. And Apple may go down that route. It has a few patents along these lines.

But a ring is not the same product as an Apple Watch Air. It has different compromises.

Rings can be awkward for weight training, sport and people who work with their hands. Sizing can be annoying. Some users also worry about swelling, scratches and comfort. For sleep, rings can work well. For workouts, a wrist or arm-based tracker often makes more sense.

A screenless Apple band would sit in a better middle ground. It could use proven optical sensor placement, support straps for different wear positions and feed directly into Apple Health, Fitness and Workout data.

That is why the “Air” idea works. Not Air as in thin for the sake of thin. Air as in lighter, simpler and less demanding.

Apple already has the hard part

The good thing for Apple is that it already has the hard part done. The Health app, Fitness, Activity rings, sleep tracking, heart rate zones, training load and all the usual watch metrics are already there. A screenless Apple Watch Air would not need to invent a new ecosystem. It would just give people a smaller way to stay inside the one they already use.

That is the real point. This would not be a cheaper Apple Watch with the fun removed. It would be the thing you wear when you do not want the full Watch on your wrist. Sleep, recovery, basic workouts, background health tracking and maybe a few taps or haptics. Leave the calls, apps, Wallet, ECG and proper workout screen to the main Watch.

Apple may worry about cannibalising the Watch SE, but that feels like the wrong fear. The bigger risk is letting Fitbit Air, WHOOP, Oura or Garmin Cirqa own the “quiet wearable” slot while Apple keeps asking people to wear a screen all day and all night.

Fitbit Air makes the idea easier to understand. It is not a bad smartwatch. It is a health sensor for the times when a smartwatch feels like too much.

The post Has Google just made the case for an Apple Watch Air appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

What is actually new

The public announcement is mainly about bringing more attention to a connection that sits on top of Android’s existing Health Connect setup. Samsung Health has supported Health Connect for a while, and Withings already had Android support paths for sharing data with other health apps.

The difference now is that Samsung and Withings are promoting the link directly. Samsung is also attaching a US offer to it, with eligible Galaxy Watch buyers able to receive a Withings Body Smart scale.

But make no mistake. This is not a full merger of every Samsung and Withings health metric. It is a targeted sync around activity and body measurements.

Why this is useful

The obvious pairing is Galaxy Watch plus a Withings scale. The watch tracks steps through the day, while the scale adds weight and body composition readings at home. The French outfit has the best smart scales on the market.

There are limits, though. Heart rate and sleep are both supported by Samsung Health and Health Connect at a technical level, but the public Samsung and Withings material does not confirm that those metrics are part of this new cross-sync. The same goes for blood pressure, even though Withings sells blood pressure monitors and Health Connect supports blood pressure records.

Health Connect is doing the quiet work

The likely flow is not Galaxy Watch talking directly to the Withings app. It is more likely Galaxy Watch data moving into Samsung Health on the phone, then through Health Connect, then into Withings. Withings data follows the same kind of route back toward Samsung Health.

That is useful because Health Connect gives Android users a central place to manage permissions. It also means users can choose which apps can read or write certain health records, instead of handing over everything at once.

There is still some friction. Users need the right app versions, Health Connect permissions need to be enabled and older Android phones may require the separate Health Connect app. Watch data may also depend on when the Galaxy Watch syncs back to the phone.

Why Samsung and Withings both want it

For Samsung, the partnership makes Samsung Health look more complete without the company having to build every health device itself. Galaxy Watch already gives the company daily activity data, but a scale is still the better tool for weight and body composition trends.

For Withings, the benefit is access to Samsung’s smartwatch audience. If Galaxy Watch step data can feed into the Withings app, the app becomes more useful to people who may own a Withings scale but wear a Samsung watch.

There is also a service angle here. Both companies benefit if users keep returning to their health apps, checking trends and connecting more devices. That can support longer-term engagement and, potentially, paid health features around the data.

Source: Samsung, own research

The post Samsung and Withings make health data sharing less messy appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

You can check Fitbit Air on Amazon, while WHOOP is available from the WHOOP website.

Price and subscription

The price difference is the easiest part of this comparison to understand. Fitbit Air costs $99.99 upfront and core tracking works without a required subscription, while Fitbit Premium remains optional at $9.99 per month. It also comes bundled with Google AI Pro and Ultra plans, so that’s something to be aware of.

That paid layer adds Google Health Coach and extra Premium features, but it is not needed just to keep the device useful. This gives Fitbit Air a cleaner entry point for people who want passive tracking without signing up for another annual payment.

WHOOP 5.0 takes the opposite route. The hardware has no upfront cost, but membership is required and starts at $199 per year, with higher tiers going up to $359 per year.

That changes the long term maths quickly. Over three years, Fitbit Air can stay close to $100 if you skip Premium, while WHOOP lands between $597 and $1,077 depending on the membership tier.

Design and comfort

Both devices remove the screen, so the phone app does most of the work. That means no glancing at stats on the wrist, no widgets and no on-device workout controls in the traditional fitness band sense.

But Fitbit Air is the lighter device. Its pod weighs 5.2 grams, which makes sense for something designed to sit in the background during the day and overnight.

WHOOP 5.0 is heavier at around 10 grams and its pod is also larger. But it gives users more flexibility. It can sit on the wrist, bicep, calf or inside WHOOP apparel, which is useful for gym sessions, contact sports or anyone who dislikes wrist tracking during workouts.

This is a clear split. Fitbit Air wins if you want the smallest and least intrusive option. WHOOP wins if placement flexibility is part of the reason you want a screenless tracker. Granted, Fitbit may over time introduce other wearing options.

Sensors and health tracking

As far as sensors, a big technical gap is heart rate sampling. WHOOP 5.0 samples heart rate at 26Hz, while Fitbit Air sits around 0.5Hz, or roughly once every two seconds.

That does not automatically mean WHOOP will always be more accurate in every situation. Fit, placement and algorithms still count. But on paper, WHOOP is clearly built for denser continuous heart rate capture.

Fitbit Air still covers the main health metrics. It tracks heart rate, SpO2, skin temperature, sleep and readiness style data. It also includes PPG based AFib alerts and Cardio Load.

Fitbit Air*

Order now

WHOOP covers heart rate, SpO2 and skin temperature too, but its platform leans harder on interpretation. ECG and blood pressure insights belong to WHOOP MG, so they should not be treated as standard WHOOP 5.0 features. But they are there is you opt for this version of the device.

Fitness and recovery

Fitbit Air supports more than 40 auto detected activities. That should cover normal users who want workouts recognised without building their life around training metrics.

WHOOP 5.0 supports more than 145 activities and has the more developed recovery system. Its core experience revolves around Strain, Recovery, sleep coaching, WHOOP Age and Pace of Aging.

Fitbit Air should not be dismissed as basic though. Cardio Load uses a TRIMP based approach, which gives Fitbit’s training load system a stronger foundation than many people may expect from a small screenless tracker.

The difference is how far each platform goes. Fitbit Air gives users useful health and fitness context. WHOOP tries to turn that context into a daily recovery and training plan.

But you can get more with the Fitbit. Air brings Readiness, Cardio Load and Google Health Coach through Premium, so Google is clearly moving in the same direction. But Gemini based coaching still needs to prove itself in daily use.

Sleep

Sleep tracking is one of the closer parts of this comparison, but WHOOP does more with the data after the night is over. Fitbit Air covers the basics with sleep stages, sleep score and Smart Wake, while WHOOP 5.0 adds sleep need, sleep debt, sleep consistency and bedtime targets tied directly to recovery.

That is the important difference. Fitbit can tell users how they slept and fold that into readiness style insights. WHOOP tries to calculate how much sleep a person needs, how much they missed and what that means for recovery the next day.

WHOOP connects sleep need, strain, recovery and bedtime guidance into one system. If you train harder, sleep badly or build up a deficit, the app adjusts the recommendation around how much sleep you should aim for and how ready your body is to perform.

Battery and charging

Battery life is one of WHOOP 5.0’s stronger hardware advantages. It lasts up to 14 days, while Fitbit Air is rated for up to seven days.

Fitbit Air still looks practical for normal use. Google says a five minute charge gives around one day of battery life, so a short top-up should be enough if you forget to charge it overnight.

Fitbit Air*

Order now

WHOOP has the better charging setup for continuous tracking. Its slide-on PowerPack lets users charge while still wearing the device, while Fitbit Air uses USB-C charging and needs to come off the wrist.

Which one makes more sense

Fitbit Air makes more sense if you want a screenless tracker that covers the basics but don’t want to fork out a lot of cash. It is lighter, simpler and easier to recommend to someone who wants passive health tracking without a full recovery platform.

WHOOP 5.0 makes more sense if recovery is the reason you are buying. The longer battery life, more frequent heart rate sampling, broader wear positions and deeper coaching system give it a clear edge for serious training.

So the split is fairly clean. Fitbit Air wins on price, weight and subscription flexibility. WHOOP 5.0 wins on battery life, wear options, sampling rate and recovery depth.

That makes Fitbit Air a real threat, but not because it beats WHOOP at its own game. It makes screenless health tracking cheaper and easier to try, while WHOOP remains the more complete option.

You can check Fitbit Air on Amazon, while WHOOP is available from the WHOOP website.

Tech specs comparison

The post Where Fitbit Air wins vs WHOOP and where it still falls short appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The free app still does the basics

Google is splitting the new Health app into a Base experience and a Premium experience. Base is included in the Google Health app when paired with a watch or tracker. It covers activity tracking, sleep tracking, health metrics and wellness logging.

That means steps, calories, distance, cardio load, readiness, sleep score, sleep schedule, sleep duration, sleep stages, heart rate, HRV, breathing rate, SpO2 and health records all sit in the standard layer. Users also get logging for weight, nutrition, water intake, moods and cycles.

That is not a barebones app. For many users, it will probably cover enough. The real difference comes when Google starts adding coaching and interpretation on top of those numbers.

Premium is where the AI layer sits

Google Health Premium adds the more advanced layer. That includes Ask Coach, which lets users ask health questions around the clock and receive personalised answers and insights. It also includes weekly fitness plans that adapt around goals and daily life.

Sleep gets a deeper layer too. Premium adds personalised summaries with coaching insights, rather than only showing scores and stages. The same applies to broader health and fitness trends, where Google promises proactive insights and guidance across metrics.

Medical record summaries may become one of the more interesting parts. Google says Premium can summarise medical records and allow users to ask questions that feed into coach recommendations. That could make the app feel less like a fitness dashboard and more like a personal health hub, assuming the execution holds up.

Fitbit Air buyers get three months of Google Health Premium included. After that, the subscription costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year if taken on its own. That is the part many buyers will notice first, but it is not the only route into Premium.

AI Pro changes the equation

Google says Google Health Premium is now included at no extra cost with Google AI Pro and Ultra plans. That is the important bit. For $20 per month, AI Pro users now get access to Google’s AI tools and the premium health platform in the same subscription.

That makes AI Pro look more attractive than it did a year ago. It already brings higher limits across Gemini and other Google AI products, including Flow, Gemini Code Assist, CLI and Antigravity. It also includes 5TB of storage and Home Premium.

Fitbit Air benefits from the bundle

This helps Fitbit Air in a very practical way. The device has no screen, so its value depends heavily on the app experience. If a buyer already pays for Google AI Pro, Fitbit Air effectively becomes a $99 tracker with the Premium software already covered.

That is a cleaner pitch than asking someone to buy hardware and then add another separate subscription after three months. It also gives Google a different model from WHOOP, where the membership sits at the centre of the product. Google can sell cheap hardware, offer a trial and let AI Pro absorb the premium layer for people already inside its wider ecosystem.

The post Fitbit Air gives Google AI Pro an unexpected upgrade appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Zepp OS 6 is the big one

The most important item is Zepp OS 6. It appears in the May column without much detail, but a full operating system generation is still the headline here.

Zepp Health has not explained what Zepp OS 6 changes, so there is no point guessing a new interface, new apps or specific performance gains. The safer read is that Zepp Health is preparing the next software layer for its watch platform. That could affect how future features work across watches, the Zepp Health app and Zepp Flow.

That makes Zepp OS 6 the strategic part of the roadmap. The individual feature updates are easier to understand today, but the OS jump is the bigger signal.

Balance gets the strongest May package

The original Balance gets the clearest May upgrade bundle. The roadmap shows BioCharge support, Stryd support, Helio Strap support and integration with TrainingPeaks plus Intervals.icu.

That is a strong set of additions for a watch that already sits in the more serious fitness part of the Amazfit range. Helio Strap support also stands out. It shows Zepp Health tying its watches and external sensors more closely together.

Zepp Flow gets more useful

Zepp Flow also gets a sizeable May update. The roadmap says it will be able to answer questions about Launcher 2.0, add Thai and Czech language support and query fatigue level, physical capacity, training status and lactate threshold data.

It will also be able to initiate a lactate threshold test and training library workouts. That makes Zepp Flow more useful for training rather than just basic voice control.

This is where the roadmap becomes more interesting. Voice assistants on watches can feel shallow when they only handle simple commands. But asking about fatigue, training status or lactate threshold is different. These are exactly the sort of things users may want quickly, without digging through menus.

Balance 2 gets HYROX next

Balance 2 gets HYROX Race mode in June. That fits Amazfit’s recent push into more specific sports modes rather than relying only on generic workout profiles.

Active 3 Premium gets a training calendar and Pickleball 2.0 in May, while Active Max gets Pickleball 2.0 in June. Helio Strap also gets a sleep algorithm update, which keeps it relevant beyond workout heart rate tracking.

You can view the roadmap in full on the Zepp Health website.

The post Zepp OS 6 leads Amazfit roadmap for May appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

CYPLORE is trying to solve one of the biggest problems with e-bike conversion kits. It adds electric assist to existing road and gravel bikes while keeping the weight down.

The project has just launched on Kickstarter with prices starting around $599 for the FLEX version and $779 for the ready-to-ride ONE wheel setup. The pitch is simple enough. Give riders extra help on climbs and long rides without turning a lightweight carbon bike into something that suddenly feels heavy and awkward.

A very different kind of e-bike conversion

Most conversion kits end up changing the personality of the bike. You usually get a bulky mid-drive motor, a large external battery and extra weight that changes handling even when the system is switched off.

CYPLORE is clearly trying to avoid that. The motor sits inside the rear hub while the battery disguises itself as a bottle mounted in the standard cage position. There is also a small wireless remote that docks neatly onto the setup. From a distance, the bike still looks mostly normal.

That low profile approach is probably the most interesting thing here. Plenty of cyclists still resist full e-bikes because they either dislike the added mass or simply do not want their expensive road bike turning into something visually cluttered. CYPLORE seems aimed directly at those riders.

The quoted 1.7kg total system weight is also unusually low for this category. That includes both the motor and battery. The battery itself weighs roughly 800g and delivers a claimed 50km assisted range from its 111Wh capacity. USB-C charging is supported and the company says a full recharge takes around an hour.

The ride feel will decide whether this works

CYPLORE says the system uses a torque sensor that adjusts assistance based on pedalling effort in real time. Push harder and the support increases. Ease off and the motor backs away. The company also says the built-in clutch fully disengages the motor when assistance is not active, removing drag resistance from the wheel.

That last part is important because some lightweight hub systems still feel slightly sticky when riding without power. Road cyclists tend to notice those things immediately. If CYPLORE has genuinely managed a near invisible ride feel, that could end up being the real selling point rather than outright speed or power.

The system is rated at 250W and targets modern road and gravel bikes using 142x12mm thru-axles. Compatibility includes most Shimano and SRAM drivetrains.

Two versions depending on how much flexibility you want

The ONE version is the simpler option. It arrives as a complete rear wheel with the motor already built in. Riders swap out their existing rear wheel, attach the bottle battery and ride away within a few minutes.

FLEX takes a different approach. Instead of a complete wheel, buyers receive the hub motor and build it into their own preferred wheel setup. That will probably appeal more to experienced cyclists who already have favourite rims or very specific wheel configurations.

CYPLORE also splits its setups into road and gravel variants. The road rims support 25 to 32c tyres while the gravel option stretches from 32 to 55c.

There is app connectivity too. The system connects to cycling computers over ANT+ and syncs activities to Strava through the CYPLORE app. Riders can monitor battery levels, switch assist modes and view ride history from the app itself.

A familiar Kickstarter balancing act

Like many cycling hardware projects, CYPLORE sits somewhere between exciting concept and wait-and-see territory.

The company says it already has working prototypes and has completed performance testing. It also claims the founding team includes engineers and former staff from Samsung, Xiaomi, Alibaba and e-bike system companies.

Still, Kickstarter hardware campaigns always carry some uncertainty. Manufacturing delays, supply chain problems and shifting timelines remain common across the category. CYPLORE currently estimates deliveries for November 2026.

Price: $599 and up

Raised: $333,474 of $10,000 goal

Estimated delivery: November 2026
33 days to go before campaign closes

View on:

The post A new Kickstarter wants to make your road bike electric without the bulk appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The rollout is due to happen between May 19 and May 26 for most users. The redesigned app is organised into four main sections: Today, Fitness, Sleep and Health.

Unfortunately, as part of this shift Google is cutting back several features that gave Fitbit its more playful and social identity over the years. Here are the details.

The old Fitbit feel is being stripped back

For starters, badges will no longer be supported. New badges will stop appearing and historical badges will be deleted after the transition period, which removes one of Fitbit’s longest running motivational hooks.

Sleep Profile is also going away. That means users will no longer receive the monthly sleep animals that tried to turn sleep patterns into something easier to understand and slightly more fun.

Of course, Google is not removing sleep tracking itself. The company says sleep score and sleep algorithms have improved. But the older Fitbit layer built around monthly sleep types will not carry across.

For Premium users, the answer seems to be Google Health Coach instead. You can still ask what type of sleeper you are, but the response will come through coaching rather than a fixed monthly Sleep Profile format.

Social features take a hit

The social side of Fitbit is being reduced quite a bit. Groups and Community Feed are being removed, direct messages are going away and users will no longer receive notifications from other users.

Profiles are changing too. The new Social profile will use your Google Account name, email address and profile picture, with approval requested when you first log in to Google Health.

That also means custom usernames and custom profile photos will no longer be supported. Your profile will also drop fields such as sex, height, weight, location and friends list, so the old privacy settings linked to sharing those fields will disappear as well.

Kid accounts are losing the ability to have or add friends. Weekly leaderboards remain, but the overall direction is clear: Fitbit’s community layer is becoming narrower and more controlled inside the Google Health structure.

Some health tracking details are going away

A few health metrics are also changing or disappearing. Estimated Oxygen Variation will no longer be available, with Google pointing users toward SpO2 data in the Health tab instead.

Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 users will also lose Snore Detection. Skin temperature minute by minute data is being removed too, although daily and weekly skin temperature trends will remain available.

Stress tracking is changing shape rather than disappearing completely. Graphs of stress checks will no longer appear in the mobile app, while the old numerical Stress score is being replaced by Resilience.

That Resilience score will use labels such as Optimal, Balanced and Low instead of a number. This fits the broader Google Health approach, which seems less focused on old Fitbit style dashboards and more focused on interpreted guidance.

Blood glucose tracking is being trimmed as well. Users will no longer be able to add symptoms or set reminders to check glucose levels, although glucose data can still be imported through Health Connect or Apple Health and logged manually.

Google is pushing Fitbit toward coaching

The replacement app is not just a cleanup job. Google is moving the experience toward coaching, weekly targets and broader health context.

The Fitness tab will include activity tracking, workout videos and weekly cardio load. For Google Health Premium users, it will also house personalised weekly fitness plans created with Google Health Coach.

Daily cardio goals are being replaced by a weekly cardio target. That is a sensible change in theory, because training and recovery rarely fit neatly into identical daily boxes.

VO2 max is also changing. The old Cardio Fitness Score name is going away and the new VO2 max calculation will use GPS run data, with the option to include connected third party app data.

Food Plans are being removed, too. Users will still be able to set a personalised calorie target in the Nutrition section and set macronutrient targets, but the old calorie plan structure will not continue.

Recipes are being removed for Premium users. That is another small sign that Google wants Health Premium to revolve around coaching rather than keeping every old Fitbit Premium content feature intact.

The transition may annoy long time Fitbit users

There is a clear logic behind the redesign. Google wants one health app that can handle Fitbit data, Pixel Watch data, third party connections, health records and AI coaching in a cleaner way.

But that does not mean every removal will land well. Fitbit users who still care about badges, Groups, Sleep Profile animals or direct messaging may see this as another piece of Fitbit culture being filed down.

The timing is also worth noting. Social experiences in the old Fitbit app will be locked from May 12, which means users will not be able to add or remove friends and leaderboards will stop updating before the full Google Health rollout begins.

Data tied to removed features will remain available to download or delete until July 15. After that, Google says it will begin deleting that data from its systems.

The new Google Health app may become more useful over time, especially if Google Health Coach proves genuinely helpful rather than just another chat layer. But the trade off is obvious: Fitbit is becoming more Google and some of the old Fitbit personality is being left behind.

The post Google Health app drops badges, sleep animals and social features appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The filing was published on May 7, 2026 as US 2026/0123720 A1. It is technically a continuation of an older application from 2022, so this is not Oura suddenly revealing a brand new product direction. But it does show the company is still spending time protecting modular ring concepts.

This looks broader than the earlier battery idea

The earlier patent was easier to explain. It focused on a ring with a removable battery section, which immediately made sense because battery lifespan is one of the weak points of smart rings. Tiny batteries degrade and there is only so much room inside a ring to work with.

This new filing takes the idea further. Instead of just swapping a battery section, Oura describes a removable outer cover that can connect to the ring itself. The diagrams show electrical contacts and inductive components lining up between the ring and the cover, which suggests this is more than just a protective shell.

In simple terms, Oura seems to be imagining a ring that can temporarily gain extra hardware when needed. That could mean more battery life, different sensors or extra functionality without making the main ring permanently bigger.

Why this direction makes sense

Smart rings are always fighting the same battle. People want more sensors, better battery life and more advanced tracking, but they also want the ring to stay thin and comfortable. There is not much physical space to play with.

A modular setup could help with that. You keep the everyday ring small, then add something extra only when you actually need it. Maybe that is overnight tracking, longer battery life during travel or more advanced health monitoring for certain situations.

That part is still speculation, because patents often stay patents forever. But the interesting thing here is not the exact implementation. It is the fact that Oura keeps circling around the same general idea of expandable smart ring hardware.

The drawings also show different attachment methods. Some use electrical contact points. Others appear to rely on inductive components. There are even locking mechanisms and partial outer modules that clip around sections of the ring instead of covering the whole thing.

Probably not a near term product

We would not read this as evidence that Oura Ring 5 is about to launch with snap on accessories. Patent filings are often much broader than what companies actually ship. Sometimes they are defensive. Sometimes they are just future thinking.

Still, it is notable that Oura now has multiple patents pointing toward some kind of modular architecture. There was the detachable battery concept. Now we have removable functional covers that could hold different electronics.

That starts to look less like a one off experiment and more like an area Oura genuinely finds interesting. Whether users would actually want clip on ring modules is another question entirely.

This article originally appeared on Gadgets & Wearables, the first media outlet to report the story.

Source: USPTO

The post Oura’s detachable ring idea may be bigger than just battery swaps appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Instead of only responding to recovery, sleep and strain data, WHOOP can use those details to shape future guidance. The idea is simple enough. If recovery drops after travel, illness or a rough week at work, the coach has more context than the sensors can provide on their own.

WHOOP wants its coach to remember context

WHOOP already has an AI chat feature, but Memory is something that is more persistent. And it is not just a place to ask a one-off question. It is a section where users can store context that may influence coaching over time.

That makes sense for a product built around behaviour patterns. A wearable can show resting heart rate, HRV, strain and sleep consistency, but it cannot always tell why those numbers changed. Memory gives WHOOP a way to connect the data to real life.

Individual entries also appear to have an active toggle. That suggests users may be able to decide which details influence coaching and which ones stay stored without shaping future guidance.

The coaching becomes more personal

WHOOP Coach can now reference longer term patterns before giving advice, including average day strain, VO2 Max, resting heart rate, sleep consistency and strength activity. The important change is not the data itself. WHOOP already had plenty of that.

The difference is the extra layer around it. A user could add that they are recovering from a knee injury, trying to build a strength routine or dealing with poor sleep because of work stress. That gives the coach a better chance of producing guidance that fits the situation.

This also pushes WHOOP further away from being a dashboard of scores. It looks more like a long term coaching system that blends sensor trends with user supplied context.

Still early, but the direction is clear

Memory still looks like a beta feature, so the final version may change before broader rollout. The core idea, though, is easy to understand. WHOOP wants its AI coach to remember more about the person behind the data.

Whether users want that much interaction is the open question. Some will like the extra personalisation, especially if it makes recommendations less generic. Others may prefer WHOOP to stay more in the background and let the sensors do most of the work.

Either way, this is a notable software move for WHOOP. The company already had AI chat, but Memory gives that system something more useful to work with over time.

The post WHOOP beta reveals Memory feature for long term coaching appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.