- The purchase of Fitbit by Google is expected to receive EU approval.
- According to reports, the company’s new concessions could reassure the European Commission.
- The deal was originally announced in November 2019.
Google’s sales contract for Fitbit should be approved by the EU, a Reuters Report revealed on Tuesday.
The deal has been under scrutiny since November 1, 2019, when Google’s intention to buy the fitness hardware and services company was officially announced. The company had antitrust concerns mostly related to the inheritance of Fitbit user data. However, according to the report, the company has taken steps to allay the European Commission’s concerns.
For starters, Google allegedly offered to limit the use of data from Fitbit’s services. The report also suggests that Google has offered to make its Android API more accessible for companies looking to develop wearable hardware for the platform.
The European Commission must now either accept the moves or demand more concessions from the tech giant in order to get the deal approved. The commission is expected to decide on the deal by December 23rd.
Fitbit is a marquee purchase for Google, a company that has lagged behind Apple, Xiaomi and Samsung in the race for wearables and fitness tech. While the reported promise of releasing Fitbit’s user data is unlikely to support advertising revenue, the company would attract a major player in the wearable hardware space.
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