Fitbit debuted its first real smartwatch effort, the Fitbit Ionic (opens in new tab), in October and, while we found it to be a pretty solid fitness watch in our review, some users were concerned with the limited choice of apps and clock faces included at the outset. Now, Fitbit is tackling both concerns – and more – with the smartwatch's first major update.
Perhaps the biggest addition is a slate of new apps from popular brands. A variety of different apps are included here, such as The New York Times, Uber, and Yelp. Apps for controlling your smart home devices, like Nest and Hue, debut as well, in addition to entries from Flipboard and United Airlines. Further, Fitbit says that it is expecting more apps from brands like British Airways, Lyft, and Walgreens to launch in January.
On top of the list of new apps, Fitbit has included more than 100 new clock faces in this update as well. That's in addition to the relatively measly 17 faces included with the watch at launch.
Bolstering all of this is the introduction of Fitbit Labs, an initiative from Fitbit's research team that will build out unique, experimental clock faces and apps for Ionic. Current examples of what Fitbit Labs will be working on include a clock face that helps you stay active by feeding your steps to a virtual pet, a clock face with a mood log, a tennis app that tracks your swings, and more.
Lastly, Fitbit has added new supported banks (opens in new tab) for Fitbit Pay, a Fitbit Leaderboard app, and general enhancements to speed up touch interactions. The company also revealed that it plans to add Deezer as a music service in 2018.
Fitbit Ionic users should be able to grab the update via their Fitbit app now. And if you're curious about the fitness company's new smartwatch, you can check out our review for our full impressions of the wearable.
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