Fitbit upgrades its software with new social features and personalized workouts

By Kelly Hodgkins Published December 19, 2017

Since the release of its first wearable in 2008, Fitbit has been synonymous with fitness tracking. The company set the fitness world on fire with its Fitbit Classic, which could measure parameters like sleep and step count. More than just a measurement tool, the tracker could also send that data to a companion website, which would analyze the raw movement data and provide valuable fitness information to the wearer. Fitbit continues to innovate in this analysis area with its latest Fitbit software, which improves both the core Fitbit app and the companion Fitstar personal trainer.

In the newest revision unveiled at CES 2017, Fitbit has created a new Community social experience to help wearers connect with other Fitbit owners for motivation and inspiration. The Community functions like a mini-Facebook for your fitness tracker. It includes a Feed social feature that lets users share their inspirational moments, exchange messages among friends, read helpful articles from fitness experts, and even join up to 20 groups of like-minded individuals.

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Fitbit also updated its Fitstar Personal Trainer software with an entirely new interface that emphasizes customization and personalization so users can meet their exercise goals more quickly and easily. The updated software has a new Personal Goal feature that guides a user and helps them reach achievable goals based on their activity level and their selected fitness goals. The updated app allows a user to set fitness goals in such areas as sleep, exercise, weight, and more. The software then uses these goals along with data from the tracker to provide recommended workouts. “For example, if your motivation is to get more fit and your data shows you walk an average of 9,200 steps per day, Fitbit may recommend setting a higher goal of 10,000 steps per day,” notes Fitbit in a statement.

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The updated Fitstar Personal Trainer is available now for Android, iOS, and online users through a software update. The new Personal Goal Setting will be rolled out to all existing Fitbit app users globally in January 2017, while the Community feature will be made available to U.S. Fitbit app users in March 2017 and then globally to all users in 2017.

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Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…

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