Fitbit OS 5.0 is not coming to Versa 2 or earlier wearables

Fitbit OS 5.0 is exclusive to the recently announced Versa 3 and the Sense, Fitbit makes clear. There are no plans to bring the operating system to the Versa, Versa 2, or other wearables.

Fitbit OS 5.0 offers customizations to the user interface and display and speaker features that are exclusive to Fitbit Sense and Versa 3. Fitbit reports this in an explanation of the Fitbit OS SDK 5.0 for developers. Owners of a Fitbit Ionic, Versa, Versa Lite or Versa 2 will therefore not receive an upgrade. Developers also cannot build a single app that works on both Fitbit OS 4.0 and 5.0. When they send different build versions to the Gallery App Manager, Fitbit distributes the apps to the appropriate wearables.

Fitbit announced the Versa 3 and Sense last month. Those wearables will get OS 5.0 as standard. The operating system is optimized for the somewhat rounder shape of the Versa 3 and Sense’s screen and offers visual enhancements, faster navigation, and changes to promote ease of use.

Among other things, a swipe from left to right in an app will take the user one step back and a press of the button on the left side of the wearable opens the home screen with the clock face. Buttons, backgrounds, icons and other visual elements have received an update and Fitbit is also using a new font, Raiju, which should make texts easier to read.