Fitbit has gained clearance for its irregular heart rate notification feature in Europe, after receiving CE Mark approval.
The feature, which is now live, works as a continuous ECG monitor, and uses the PPG sensor to scan for heart rhythm abnormalities.
Irregular heart rate notifications are set to land on the Sense 2, Versa 4 and Inspire 3 from launch. And will also arrive on Fitbit Charge 5, Charge 4, Luxe, Sense, Versa 2, and Inspire 2 as an over-the-air update.
It means the functionality will be available in the US, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
“Passive monitoring will pick up the things that you wouldn't have been aware of yourself," Dr Conor Heneghan, Director of Research Algorithms at Fitbit told Wareable back in 2020.
“It can let you know if Afib events happen during sleep, when you’re least aware of it,” he continued.
And Fitbit research scientist Tony Faranesh explained to Wareable earlier this year why passively looking for Afib is so important.
“The prevalence of AFib has been growing steadily over the past few decades. This is becoming problem,” he said.
“For many people Afib is paroxysmal or episodic – meaning it comes and goes. And they can also be asymptomatic. Having longer term monitoring is an important feature to detect it early.”
Fitbit isn’t alone in tracking Afib continuously – and Apple has also announced it will also passively monitor for Afib in watchOS 9. However, Apple is targeting the feature at those already diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.