If you're a Fitbit user, you'll be sad to know that you'll no longer be able to access Challenges and open groups starting today. The company has been informing its users about the change since February, when it sent out emails letting users know that the features would be removed on March 27, 2023.

If you're a Fitbit user, this change could be considered a huge blow, as it's one of the biggest reasons so many users are dedicated to the Fitbit platform. While it might not be that big of a deal to some, this change could be impactful, and might even push users to move on to some other fitness wearables.

The change will affect both iOS and Android users, removing the ability to create and access open groups. In addition, the company is also removing Adventure and Challenges, along with its trophies. If you enjoyed challenging people in virtual running competitions, that's no longer going to be available as well. However, there is a small silver lining, which is that you can still create closed groups that can keep family and friends connected.

If you're a Fitbit user and wondering why all of these changes are being made, you can put part of the blame on its parent company Google. Google announced in its original email that these changes where being made to introduce "new features, deliver faster load times, and improve your experience." So far, we have yet to see new features, but the company has shared its plans that will have its users transition to Google accounts in order to access Fitbit apps and services in 2025.

This might all seem like a lot when it comes to change, but since Google's purchase of Fitbit in 2019 for a little over two billion dollars, it has, for the most part, kept its hands off the firm until only recently. Since 2022, the company has slowly integrated Google branding into Fitbit products, and, as mentioned earlier, revealed plans that would eventually require users to have a Google account to use its apps and services.

Currently, users can continue to use Google sign-in support for Fitbit, but eventually, this will be discontinued and users will be required to create or use a Google account. While some of this news will be devastating to some, there is hope that the company will introduce some new features in the future that will be able to replace the things that will be lost today.