Removal of Third-party Products from the Fitbit Gallery for EU Users in June 2024

[Gondwana]

See here.

There may be more info about the KiezelPay implications of this in the KiezelPay Discord server.

[Guy_]

@Gondwana - thanks for posting this.

It would seem Google is trying to discourage people from using Fitbit smart watches by removing the gallery from all of Europe (bar the basic Fitbit clocks and apps), in addition to withdrawing sales from many countries.

If the advertising is updated correctly it's going to be effectively a precursor to watch sales in the whole EEC becoming insignificant, especially if users can't create their own faces or have access to any of the available public ones.

It remains to be seen how Fitface clocks are going to be handled.

Already there has not been any response to the GAM login and link problem.

[Guy_ · Accepted solution]

As far as can be ascertained here is an Information page for EEA users/developers.

In June 2024 third party published and private links will no longer be downloadable from the the Fitbit Online Gallery

This applies to the 27 EEA countries currently listed here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Economic_Area notably

27 EU member states

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia (provisionally)
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden

It is unknown if or when some other countries may fall into this category following future law changes.

Common FAQ

• What will determine if this applies to you? - it will be based solely on your IP address (*) in use on your mobile device.
• Will already loaded clocks and apps be removed? - no.
• Will users still be able to see their installed clock and app, "See all details"? - yes.
• Will users still be able to contact the developer for already installed clocks and apps? - yes.
• Will EEA developers still have access to the Gallery App Manager to submit updates and new items? - yes.
• Will EEA users still be able to receive updates for their installed clocks and apps? - no.
• Will EEA users still be able to create their own clocks and apps? - only if they can sideload them, in principle does not work for Sense 2 and Versa 4
• Will searching online via a browser return clocks and apps that cannot be downloaded in the mobile app? - Possibly.

* An IP address attributed to one of those listed countries will determine if you are in the EEA. Users with IP addresses from other countries, for some reason, will not be impacted.

It is unknown if the same restrictions to download material will be applied to Pixel Watches and the PlayStore.

If more information becomes apparent this page will be updated - You can choose the option to make a Permalink  of this page and bookmark it for future reference.

See also removal of sales from countries which can overlap.

Update: as of April 2024, Google announced Android phones with OS prior to version 10 will no longer be able to install the Fitbit App.

[asiayeah]

Do we have any update on this one?

Are EU Fitbit users going to receive any compensation from Fitbit? Because this rather fundamental but important feature is being removed.

Do we know what "regulatory requirements" have led to this Fitbit's decision? 

Does it impact Google Pixel Watch or Pixel Watch 2?

Thank you!

[george.carstoiu]

Given that only a limited number of clock faces can be active at a certain point, does this mean that only the active ones will be kept, while others that were bought in the past will be lost as they can't be installed anymore?

If that is the case, then what compensatory means does Google plan to address this, as basically paid content will not be available Uber night.

[Guy_]

Hi @george.carstoiu - only the installed clocks (5 saved clock faces) and apps will be available for use after the change, only Fitbit stuff will be available for loading after the change.

[george.carstoiu]

@Guy_ so basically my purchases of clock watches would be invalidated since only 5 clock faces can be installed at one time. 

Maybe a moderator can explain how exactly is this a reasonable approach by Google?

[Guy_]

@george.carstoiu- Unfortunately only 5 can be retained. Moderators aren't able to provide reasons.

Google makes decisions, such as Fitbit has removed its products from nearly 30 countries to ‘align’ with Pixel, (Fitbit.com Updates) and including the effect of imposing the new restrictions on the other EEA countries will mean there will be only a few countries left.

So many things have been removed in the last few years, the indication is Google is intending to close down Fitbit operations and it's only a matter of time before they cease operations..

And don't forget the poor developers who already invested considerable effort to create those clocks are not going to be able to recuperate revenue in the EEA and countries where Fitbit no longer sell.

[Guy_]

Update: as of April 2024, Google announced Android phones with OS prior to version 10 will no longer be able to install the Fitbit App.

[SunsetRunner]

I was tinkering with getting myself a fitbit to develop for it, but now reading all this, I think there is a pattern of making fitbit unattractive for users in the European market.

There seem to have been several legal actions as google/fitbit violates European data protection laws with their politics.

so I'll watch out for another system.