Google halts income of Fitbit merchandise in 30 nations

Facepalm: Google obtained Fitbit in 2021, pledging to beautify accessibility to fitness and well-being services for a broader target audience. However, this dedication appears to be wavering, because the tech massive is now taking flight from almost 30 national markets, in the main situated within the Americas.

Google has formally stated that Fitbit merchandise are no longer being bought in Mexico and other Latin American countries. While present users will nonetheless get hold of guide, consisting of software updates and get admission to to customer support, the circulate places Fitbit right into a extra extraordinary product class for a worldwide audience.

In addition to exiting Mexico and the LATAM markets, Google has found out plans to withdraw from South Africa. A Google spokesperson stated the removal of Fitbit (and Nest) merchandise from sure markets is part of an effort to align its hardware business with the local availability of Pixel devices. Notably, Pixel smartphones have now not been presented in South Africa, while Fitbit gadgets have been part of the nearby marketplace for approximately a decade.

Google has confident users that there will be no changes to present Fitbit gadgets, ensuring they'll retain to acquire updates and bug fixes. Last month, Fitbit's departure from severa national markets in Asia (along with Hong Kong, Korea, and Malaysia) and Europe (consisting of Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and greater) become also confirmed.

Following its withdrawal from Mexico, Latin America, and South Africa, Fitbit devices at the moment are to be had for buy in best 23 countries worldwide. The supported markets consist of america, Canada, most of Western Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and New Zealand.

While Google has said its intention to align the Fitbit hardware business with Pixel phone sales, there can be extra motivations in the back of this selection. Google has ceased Fitbit income in European international locations missing respectable Google Store help, hinting that the tracking devices would possibly make a return in those nations while full Store guide becomes available.

Google acquired Fitbit for about $2.1 billion two years in the past, a circulate that confronted scrutiny from European authorities. Concerns had been raised approximately the capability integration of Google's marketing business with Fitbit's monitoring platform. To address these worries, the Alphabet-owned enterprise made commitments to guard person privacy, forming a series of binding agreements with worldwide regulatory government.