Google Boosts Fitbit's Heart Health Monitoring, Aims To Simplify Data Sharing With Doctors, Nurses And Researchers

On Wednesday, Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google announced that it is upgrading the heart health monitoring features of Fitbit, making it easier for medical professionals to access and analyze user data.

What Happened: In a blog post, Google said that it is improving the capabilities of Fitbit’s heart-rate sensors. These sensors, which have FDA clearance, passively detect signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a potentially serious medical condition.

“Previously, it was up to you to export and share your Afib data separately with healthcare providers. Now, with your consent, healthcare partners like doctors, nurses, and health researchers can access your Afib data through a secure connection within the Fitbit Web API,” the company said.

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Only Fitbit models with an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor can accurately perform the detailed analysis required to differentiate AFib from a normal rhythm. However, Fitbit uses irregular heartbeat detection over the long term to identify possible AFib events, making detection available to a wider range of the company’s hardware, reported Android Authority.

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Why It Matters: Google acquired Fitbit in 2019, a move that jolted the wearable fitness products sector. At the time, this acquisition was seen as Google’s attempt to invade Apple’s wearables territory.

Last year, Fitbit faced some major technical difficulties, with users reporting various issues within the app. In the same year, advocacy group Noyb filed complaints against Fitbit in Austria, the Netherlands, and Italy, accusing the company of violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy rules.

Image Credits – Shutterstock

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.