Singaporeans are getting free Fitbits, but there is a catch
People living in Singapore will soon be eligible to bag free Fitbit-made smart bands. The government of the country has partnered with the fitness-tracking company to provide free smart trackers to hundreds of thousands of its citizens. The move, as Digital Trends reports, is aimed at encouraging a healthier lifestyle. But there's also a notable catch. Here's all you need to know about it.
Singapore's government and Fitbit are working to launch a scheme under the country's 'Live Healthy SG' health program. As part of this, citizens of the country would be invited to enroll for a free Fitbit Inspire HR, a smart band that comes with a range of fitness tracking features and costs about $100 in Singapore (Rs. 8,000 in India).
The offer to bag a $100 fitness tracker sounds interesting, but that's just one side of the trade. Singapore's government will give the fitness tracker for free, but in exchange, it will require the participants to join Fitbit's premium coaching service, which costs $10/month, for a year. Plus, you'd also have to agree to share the health data the device collects with the government.
Though the annual cost of the subscription goes way beyond the $100 price of Fitbit Inspire HR, the benefits of the program are pretty clear. The citizens will get the high-tech tracker as well as a Fitbit-designed coaching service for just $120, while the Singapore government's health board will get valuable data to shape its future health programs and promos.
Notably, Fitbit claims that the policies for data collection and sharing will be detailed clearly to the people signing up for the optional program. They will know exactly what information will be going to the government.
Meanwhile, Fitbit hasn't revealed the exact details of the deal with the Singapore government or how much money it expects to make out of it. However, the CEO of the company, James Park, did indicate that they expect up to a million people to sign up for this program and contribute to their larger effort to shift towards a subscription-based business model.
