Google has added onto its list of countries where customers will no longer be able to purchase Fitbits.
The Google-owned wearable manufacturer said it would be leaving Mexico and all Latin American countries, leaving Fitbit active in only 23 countries.
Google confirmed to TechCentral that it also planned to pull Fitbit and Nest from South Africa.
“We communicated that we will stop selling Fitbit products in select countries in order to align our hardware portfolio to map closer to Pixel’s regional availability,” a Google spokesperson confirmed to Cord Cutters News via email.
While Pixel phones have never been offered in South Africa, Fitbit products have held a market there for about a decade, according to reports.
The move marks a phasing out of Fitbit products after the Big Tech company acquired wearable company in 2021. Last month, Fitbit said it would remove itself from Asian markets Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, along with European markets Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Slovakia.
“We remain committed to our customers and have not made any changes that impact the existing Fitbit devices they already own. Existing Fitbit customers will continue to have access to the same customer support, warranties will still be honored, and products will continue to receive software and security updates,” the Google spokesperson said.
It’s possible Google is removing Fitbit and Nest from the European markets because they don’t have a Google Store support. If that changes, Fitbit products and Nest Aware subscriptions could return. New products like the Pixel Watch could also arrive for the first time.
Last month, Google unveiled its new flagship smartphones – the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The tech giant also introduced the Pixel Watch 2, which included a slew of health and fitness features along with a revamped Fitbit app.
The news was spotted earlier by Android Authority.
Google wasn’t immediately available for further comment.
Image credit: Google