It's never been too complicated to check your blood oxygen saturation, sometimes also called SPO2 or just O2 saturation, on the best Fitbits, but now it's a lot easier thanks to a recently released watch face called “SpO2 Signature", available through the Fitbit app.
The brand is apparently behind Apple Watch Series 5 users by constantly tweaking and updating its range of smartwatches with new features, while keeping the price relatively low.
The new watch face will be available for all newly announced Fitbits, such as the Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 , but it was also made available to all other devices capable of measuring blood oxygen levels, including the Fitbit Ionic, Versa (still kicking), Versa Lite, and Versa 2.
They've really stepped up their game, possibly at least in part because of the recent (ongoing) Google acquisition: not only did they announce two new smartwatches and a new fitness tracker, but the California-based company also made progress in making the Fitbit Premium subscription more accessible by offering more features for both new and existing Fitbit users.
In addition, a recent study showed promising early results in detecting COVID-19 symptoms before you can feel them and made the Active Zone Minutes feature available to users of previous Fitbit Versa and Charge models.
What is blood saturation and how does it work on Fitbits?
The sensors found in compatible wearable devices use the red and infrared sensors on the back of the device to measure SpO2 levels. Blood oxygen saturation measures the percentage of your blood that is saturated with oxygen—pretty simple, right?
It's usually around 95-100%, meaning your blood is carrying as much oxygen as it can . If you have lung problems (or stop breathing), your saturation level may drop because less oxygen is entering your body. Generally, variations should be small, and if you notice large, frequent fluctuations, that could be a sign that you might be experiencing sleep-related breathing problems.
Through the Estimated Oxygen Variation graph, Fitbit attempts to make this otherwise complicated information more understandable to the general public. The graph that users can view in the Fitbit app approximates changes in blood oxygen saturation while you sleep.