Improved sleep stage accuracy boosts health insights for all users
Fitbit users can now gain deeper insights into their nightly rest with a free app update that refines sleep stage tracking, making the popular fitness tracker even more valuable for health-conscious wearers.
Fitbit, now under Google’s umbrella, continues to evolve despite no new hardware releases since 2023. A recent software update has refined one of its standout features—sleep tracking—offering users a more precise view of their sleep patterns, a move that underscores the brand’s commitment to enhancing user experience through software advancements.
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Enhanced Sleep Tracking
More Accurate Sleep Stages
A recent update to the Fitbit app, as reported by 9to5Google, improves the accuracy of sleep stage tracking for all Fitbit devices worn during sleep. The update enhances how the app measures light, deep, REM sleep, and awake periods, presenting the data in a detailed graph within the app.
Fitbit forum moderator Stefanie explained, “If your sleep stages or awake times look different, you’re seeing our improved tracking technology at work.”
This marks the first phase of ongoing enhancements to sleep monitoring, with more updates expected.
Capturing Brief Awakenings
The upgraded system now detects brief awakenings that users may not recall, potentially increasing reported awake time. “You might notice slightly more awake periods as we now capture subtle movements the previous system overlooked,” Stefanie noted.
This refinement aims to provide a clearer picture of sleep quality, helping users better understand their rest and recovery patterns.
How It Works
Sensor-Based Insights
Fitbit devices rely on a combination of heart rate, skin temperature, and movement sensors to analyze sleep quality. The updated algorithm leverages these metrics to deliver more precise data, particularly for users wearing their trackers overnight.
For Fitbit Premium subscribers, the app assigns a “sleep animal” based on sleep patterns—such as a giraffe for those who sleep less than optimal—offering a playful yet insightful way to interpret rest habits.
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User Experience
The author, a long-time Fitbit user, expressed surprise at frequent awake periods reported by the device, despite not recalling them. “It’s eye-opening to see how often we wake briefly at night,” they shared. The update aims to make such insights more accurate, aligning with user expectations and scientific understanding of sleep cycles.
Fitbit’s Evolution
Google’s Influence
Since Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, the brand has shifted focus from new hardware to software improvements. The Fitbit Charge 6, the last device launched in 2023, recently received bug fixes and new clock faces, as noted by Express.co.uk.
This sleep tracking update applies to all Fitbit trackers and the Google Pixel Watch, which uses the same app, ensuring a consistent experience across devices.
Free Access for All
The Fitbit app remains free on iOS and Android, with this sleep tracking enhancement available to all users, not just Premium subscribers. This democratization of advanced features contrasts with earlier moves to place some metrics behind a paywall, reflecting Google’s strategy to maintain Fitbit’s appeal amid competition from Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy smartwatches.
This article is based on a report by Henry Burrell, Deputy Technology Editor, published by Express.co.uk on August 11, 2025, updated at 09:54. Additional context was drawn from posts on X discussing Fitbit’s software updates and health tracking trends.
