Google has added a stainless steel Metal Mesh band to the screenless Fitbit Air, and says an automatic workout detection upgrade arrives later this month. Google's post gives prices in dollars, colors and the update's device list, but names no country, and the Google Store's US page showed no Metal Mesh listing when we checked on October 12 (ET), so treat the prices and Target/Google Store availability as Google's, not confirmed for the US. The outlets disagree on when pre-orders open.

Metal Mesh band: price and options

  • Band alone: $69.99, in Champagne Gold or Polished Silver, Google says.
  • Bundle: Champagne Gold Metal Mesh band with an Obsidian Fitbit Air, $149.99, "exclusively at Target and on the Google Store," Google says.
  • Material: Google describes a flexible stainless steel weave.
  • Pre-orders and shipping: Google's post says "pre-order" but gives no date. 9to5Google says pre-orders are open on Google's site and at Target and that bands should ship later this month. Engadget says pre-orders open next week and the band arrives October 27.
  • Bundle context: 9to5Google notes the bundle costs $20 more than the Fitbit Air special editions, such as Steph Curry and Pokémon Sleep, but includes two bands. It names the Performance Loop as the second band; Google's post does not.

Our Fitbit Edge story covers Google's separate tracker with a screen.

Automatic activity tracking upgrade

Google says the improved detection is available "later this month" on Fitbit Air, Fitbit Edge and Pixel Watch 3, 4 and 5. These are Google's claims:

  • More activities: from 10 to more than 100, including strength training, swimming, and racket and team sports.
  • Accuracy: "nearly 2x more accurate detections" and missed workouts cut "by more than half."
  • Basis: Google's footnote says this is "based on offline evaluations comparing the updated activity detection model to the prior model across manually tracked workouts on device." It is not independent testing.
  • Context used: workout routines, historical data, manual edits and, with permission, location.
  • Logging: workouts that meet the minimum duration (15 minutes by default) with a sustained elevated heart rate are logged automatically. A summary goes to the mobile app, typically within 30 minutes.
  • Learning: confirming or editing an activity refines later predictions, Google says.

Health Guardian monthly report

Google says Health Guardian reaches Fitbit Air and Fitbit Edge later this month for Google Health Premium subscribers. If you set up blood pressure and insulin resistance trends in the Google Health app and meet the monthly wear requirement, you get a report at the start of each month.

Google's footnote says the product is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, is not a diabetes prescreener, and should not be used for diabetes management.

Why it matters

  • 9to5Google calls it another band option that is neither fabric nor polyurethane, but it costs $69.99 alone. For a new buyer who wants gold, the $149.99 bundle includes the tracker; we found no Fitbit Air price in Google's post to compare, so check the tracker's own price first.
  • The detection upgrade is a software update on devices you may already own, per Google's device list. The trade-off is that location use is optional, and Google ties its best accuracy claim to its own offline test, so real-world results may differ.
  • Health Guardian needs a paid Premium plan. Google's post does not give the Premium price, so check it before counting on the monthly report.

What we could not confirm

  • Pre-order start and ship date: Google gives none; two outlets differ (above).
  • Metal Mesh pre-order link: we could not load a Google Store listing, so the live listing and Target page are unchecked.
  • Real-world accuracy: we have not tested the update or the band.