November 13, 2026, 5:22 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
If you use a Fitbit watch, you can customize its appearance with various watch faces. For example, you can prominently display steps during a walk or your heart rate during exercise. Until now, designs from independent developers were also available. However, this selection will now be limited for several Fitbit models.
Google Limits the Fitbit Gallery
Google announced the change on November 9, 2026–starting November 28, apps and watch faces from other providers can no longer be downloaded. Updates for these contents will also be discontinued. Afterward, only offerings from Fitbit and Google will remain in the Fitbit Gallery. Developers can no longer publish new content there.
In the European Union, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, Google already stopped downloads from third-party providers via the smartphone app in June 2024. The company cited the EU Digital Markets Act, which aims to ensure fair competition on online platforms, as the reason. Google did not specify which particular provision of the law led to this decision.
Google Focuses on the Pixel Watch for Smartwatches
The change is part of a longer transition in Google’s watch offerings. The company acquired Fitbit in January 2021. The last Fitbit smartwatches for adults were released a year later. In fall 2022, Google launched its first Pixel Watch.
Fitbit’s heart rate monitoring technology is still part of this watch series. There was also a change in the associated software: Since May 2026, the Fitbit app has been named Google Health. Data from the Pixel Watch is also collected there.
However, the Fitbit brand has not completely disappeared. Google continues to sell fitness bands under this name, including the Google Fitbit Air and the Fitbit Edge, released in October 2026.
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These Fitbit Models Are Affected
The end of third-party downloads affects the Fitbit Versa, Versa 2, Versa 3, and Versa 4. It also includes Sense and Sense 2. Google’s online help also mentions the Versa Lite and Ionic.
For two models, the restriction is slightly different: On Versa 4 and Sense 2, third-party apps could not be installed anyway. For these two watches, the change only affects watch faces from other providers.
Installed Apps and Watch Faces Remain
According to Google, if you already have apps or watch faces from other providers installed on your Fitbit, you can continue to use them. However, it can become problematic if the watch needs to be reset to factory settings.
In such a reset, the installed extras are deleted. After November 28, 2026, they can no longer be downloaded again. The same applies if users themselves remove a third-party app or corresponding watch face from the watch.