Discontinues Fitbit support for transferring music files from a computer

If you own a Fitbit Versa, Versa 2, or Ionic, soon you won’t be able to transfer music from your computer to your Fitbit device. In a support page spotted by 9to5Google, Fitbit says it’s discontinuing its Fitbit Connect app, leaving you with only two ways to download music to your device: a paid subscription to either Pandora or Deezer.

Fitbit Connect is a companion app for Mac and Windows computers that lets you sync fitness data between devices and transfer music to legacy Fitbit devices. Fitbit is slowly phasing out the software in favor of its mobile app as it no longer recommends users download it from the setup page.

But without access to Connect, there’s no way to download music to your Fitbit without a paid subscription to Pandora or Deezer. On its support page, Fitbit says you “may be eligible for a 90-day trial” of each service, which will cost you $9.99/month for Deezer Premium or $4.99/month for Pandora Plus, after the trial period is over.

However, this change doesn’t affect newer Fitbit models, as they don’t come with an option to transfer files between your computer and a Fitbit device (devices like the Versa 3 and Sense already only let you download music through Deezer or Pandora). If you own an older Fitbit that has the ability to store music, you’ll still get access to the music files you currently have on your Fitbit device — you just won’t be able to download additional songs without Pandora or Deezer past the October deadline.

Many users use their Fitbit devices to control the music they play on their smartphone, whether they’re streaming music through Spotify or listening to songs already downloaded to their phone. But still, access to local music files can be useful if you listen to music offline or want to use your Fitbit without your smartphone.

While Fitbit hasn’t explained why it’s getting rid of Fitbit Connect, it’s possible there simply isn’t enough demand to keep the service running. Google (Fitbit’s parent company) did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.