Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has begun rolling out the Fitbit Air’s first post-launch firmware update, bringing bug fixes and general performance improvements.
- The update could deliver Google’s previously announced improvements to automatic workout detection.
- The rollout is gradual, so not all Fitbit Air users will receive the firmware update immediately.
The Fitbit Air is getting its first firmware update since launch. Google has reportedly started rolling out a new software build that primarily delivers bug fixes, but it also hints at improvements to one of the tracker’s biggest weak spots: automatic workout detection.
The update is arriving as version 20001.253.2 on iOS and 67.20001.253.2 on Android (h/t: 9to5Google). The version numbers look slightly different depending on your phone, but both packages contain the same update. Just like other Fitbit devices, you’ll see a notification inside the Google Health app when the firmware is available for your tracker.
Google isn’t saying much beyond the usual “bug fixes and general improvements.” That said, the company had already hinted at this change last month, when it said it was working to expand the range of exercises the Fitbit Air can detect automatically. If that’s included here, this update could finally address one of the tracker’s biggest early complaints.
After all, a fitness tracker should know when you’re working out, and just as importantly, when you’re not. You don’t want it logging a workout while you’re asleep, but you also shouldn’t have to manually tell it every time you go for a walk, hop on a bike, or squeeze in a quick gym session. That’s exactly where reliable automatic workout detection makes a difference.
The update also comes at an interesting time. Google recently expanded its Health platform with new wellness features like nap tracking, additional health metrics, and more granular controls over health data. While those additions focus on the broader ecosystem, this firmware update is aimed squarely at making the Fitbit Air itself a more reliable everyday fitness tracker.
If Google has indeed improved workout detection alongside the usual bug fixes, this could be one of those updates that makes the biggest difference in day-to-day use — even if the changelog says nothing at all. For now, the update is still in the early stages of its rollout, so availability will likely expand over the next several days.
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