Early Google Fitbit Air deliveries hit a snag with missing Android app update

The Google Fitbit Air was originally expected to reach early buyers around May 26, but in a pleasant surprise, some customers have already started receiving the new screenless fitness tracker ahead of schedule. While the expedited shipping is great news, it looks like some Android users who have received the wearable can’t actually use it.

Over the weekend, a Reddit user reported that they had already received their Google Fitbit Air, but weren’t able to pair it with their phone due to a missing app update.

“Got mine today as well, but I’m stuck on — app update required — and can’t actually pair it,” the user noted.

A member of Google’s product team quickly responded, confirming that the device requires an updated version of the app that hasn’t fully rolled out to all Android users yet.

“Hey, Andy from Google product team here – looks like your order arrived early! Sorry for the experience, as others have said here, confirming you do need the updated app. We are doing our best today to accelerate the rollout of the updated app on Android via Play to accommodate early deliveries and it should be available shortly. Anyone on iOS should be able to update via the App Store already. Look for an update soon, as yes, you do need the new Google Health (version 5.0) to pair and use the product,” the Google product team member noted.

Google began rolling out version 5.0 of the new Google Health app a few days ago. We’ve already received the update on our Pixel phones, though it appears the rollout hasn’t reached everyone yet. As the Google team member explained, the update required to pair the new Google Fitbit Air should be available very soon, and may already be rolling out more widely now.

Interestingly, another user asked whether Google Health can write data to Apple Health and Apple Fitness. In response, the Google product team member said support for writing to Apple Health is “coming soon,” which could allow fitness and health data tracked through Google Health and the Fitbit Air to sync directly into Apple’s ecosystem.