Fitbit activates female health tracking on the Versa and Ionic
It's apparently one of the company's "most requested" features.
Two months ago, when Fitbit unveiled its Versa smartwatch, the company also announced an upcoming feature called "Female health tracking" that would launch in May. Now that we're a week into the month, Fitbit is ready to roll it out. The new tool is available on the iOS and Windows apps, and is expected to arrive on Android later this month. It'll let you keep tabs on your period from the face of your Fitbit Versa or Ionic, too.
From the phone and Windows apps, you can log your menstrual cycle start and end dates, as well as symptoms like headaches, acne and cramps. Fitbit will predict your upcoming cycles using its "proprietary cycle algorithm that gets smarter and more accurate as they log their period." Most women who've used any number of dedicated period or fertility apps will know that this is pretty standard fare for such a feature. What's different here is being able to see that in relation to other metrics that Fitbit already tracks, like sleep, weight and activity trends.
The app will also push general information about menstrual cycles, ovulation, fertility and common misconceptions from the company's blog. In the Community tab, Fitbit also added a section of groups for women to discuss topics like birth control, pregnancy and menopause.
On the watch, you'll find this information in the Fitbit Today dashboard by swiping up from the home screen. There, you can see where you are in your cycle, when your next period is expected and check your estimated fertile windows.
I wasn't able to test the new feature on my Versa (linked to an Android phone), nor get the update for my Windows app, so I can't tell you how it looks. From the video and images Fitbit provided though, the interface appears relatively simple and friendly. I'd have to spend at least two months with the new tool to know if it is indeed accurate and helpful.
All users who identified themselves as female in the Fitbit app will get an alert that female health tracking is available and be asked to opt-in or ignore. If you don't identify as female, you can still get this feature by going to the dashboard in your phone app, tapping Edit and adding the "female health tracking" tile.
