Google has explained why its new Fitbit Edge fitness tracker does not support NFC, and with it Google Wallet payments: almost nobody was using the feature on the previous model.
Tapping a wearable at a checkout terminal is hardly a new idea, but NFC support across smartwatches and fitness trackers has been inconsistent over the years. Google includes it as standard across its Pixel Watch lineup, and the previous-generation Fitbit Charge 6 offered it as well. The Fitbit Edge drops the capability, and Google Wallet goes with it.
The omission looks like a step backward, and Google addressed it in a statement to Android Authority. The company said the Edge "does not offer NFC for payments. It was not widely used by our Charge 6 users, in fact, less than 1% reported using the feature on Charge 6, so we prioritized other top features such as adding an altimeter and requested improvements."
In other words, Google says leaving out NFC freed the company to concentrate on other additions, including the Edge's new altimeter. Even so, the decision stands out for a device that 9to5Google has described as very much a "Pixel Watch Lite."
Some readers appear willing to accept the trade-off. One commenter on the original report said they wanted to see more of this kind of openness from Google, arguing that disappointments are easier to accept when the reasoning is explained. The same commenter suggested that, given such low usage, keeping the feature would have made little sense, and that removing it may have opened up internal space and reduced electronic interference, potentially enabling some of the other improvements in the device.
The Fitbit Edge is a $179 tracker that includes a display and GPS. It goes on sale on October 27, and pre-orders are open now.
The launch follows other recent Fitbit news. The Fitbit Air is set to receive a new Metal Mesh band along with improved automatic tracking.
