American multinational technology company, Google that specializes in Internet-related services and products has finally announced that it has finalized a deal, 14 months after the search giant announced that it would acquire Fitbit for $2.1 billion.
According to Mashable, Google's senior vice president Rick Osterloh announced, "Google has completed its acquisition of Fitbit and I want to personally welcome this talented team to Google."
He further said, "A clear pioneer in the industry, Fitbit built a vibrant community of more than 29 million active users by creating amazing wearable devices and immersive wellness experiences."
In another separate letter, Fitbit's CEO James Park added that this acquisition by Google will help his company "innovate faster, provide more choices, and make even better products to support your health and wellness needs." But the core values of Fitbit, and its compatibility on the competing Apple iOS platform, will remain unchanged.
He said, "Google is an ideal partner for Fitbit who will continue to put our users first and help further our mission to make everyone in the world healthier."
As per Mashable, Google reiterated that the acquisition is focused solely on Fitbit devices, and not its data. Part of its commitment to the European Union included storing Fitbit user data in a "data silo" of sorts, isolated from any data Google can use for advertising.
Additionally, Fitbit data can only be used by other Google services with the user's explicit consent. Fitbit users will also still be able to connect to third-party services they may be used to. The company will also have to continue to allow third-party wearables to have access for all of the same Android APIs as for its own devices. This includes not only APIs already implemented, but any additions made for the next ten years.
Google has faced its fair share of regulatory hurdles in getting here. The last, and potentially one of the largest, was approval from the European Commission in the European Union. The Union announced about a month ago that it had determined that the deal was not a threat to competition, owing to a series of commitments made by Google.
( With inputs from ANI )
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