You’ll need a Versa 3 or Sense to get Fitbit OS 5.0
- Fitbit has detailed Fitbit OS 5.0, which promises a variety of usability improvements for Sense and Versa 3.
- The company currently has no plans to roll over the software to older smartwatches like the Ionic.
Fitbit has detailed some of the changes to the latest version of its smartwatch operating system. Unfortunately, you can only download Fitbit OS 5.0 if you have a Sense or Versa 3 device. This is because the company designed the update to take advantage of the squircle displays on these smartwatches.
However, if you have one of these wearables, you can look forward to faster navigation and better overall usability. As you can see in the image below, one notable change is the way Fitbit has tweaked interface elements like buttons, icons, and tiles.
Another addition is a new system font called Raiju. According to Fitbit, the font is both easier to read and more space efficient.
The company also changed the size of text and buttons, as well as the typing destinations for those buttons. Fitbit claims the changes make Sense and Versa 3 easier to use when you’re in the middle of a workout like a run. You will also find new navigation shortcuts there. Swiping the touchscreen on your Sense or Versa 3 smartwatch from left to right now takes you one step back in Fitbit apps. Tapping the button on the left always takes you back to your watch face.
As mentioned above, users of older Fitbit smartwatches like Ionic, Versa 2 or Versa Lite will not get the new software. “Fitbit OS 5.0 was developed exclusively for Versa 3 and Sense, and there are no plans to roll this out to older devices,” the company said. That doesn’t mean Fitbit won’t be adding new software to these older models in the future, but Sense and Versa 3 are at the heart of the company now and in the future.
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