Fitbit finds itself in a funny old position these days – owned by Google, no new products released since 2023, but still racking up several software updates as we enter the home stretch of 2025.

The Fitbit Charge 6 was the last Fitbit branded device to be released back in 2023, and last month it got a solid software update that brought bug fixes and three new clock faces.

Now, as spotted by 9to5Google, Fitbit has quietly updated another important feature that appears to apply to all of its trackers. When worn at night, all Fitbits can record your sleep, and the firm claims it has updated the Fitbit app to more accurately reflect the quality of your slumber.

“If you’ve noticed that your sleep stages, sleep time and awake time have changed recently, you’re seeing our latest improvement in action,” Fitbit forum moderator Stefanie said. “This is the first step in a series of upcoming improvements to improving our sleep tracking — so stay tuned to hear about these changes as soon as they happen.”

Sleep stages are shown in the Fitbit app in graph form, reflecting your movements between deep, light and REM sleep, as well as the times you’re awake, even if you don’t remember it.

Fitbit says that “you may see your awake time increase slightly as we now capture brief awakenings the old system missed,” which is just as vague as its claim that this is all because “[w]e’ve updated our tracking technology.”

I’ve used Fitbits extensively over the years, and have always been surprised about how often they claim I have been awake. Supposedly, we wake several times in the night but don’t remember it come morning. This latest update seems to be designed to reflect that.

Fitbits record sleep data using a combination of heart rate, skin temperature and movement data to determine the quality of your rest. If you pay for a Fitbit Premium subscription, the app will also assign you a sleep animal that reflects your sleep style. Apparently I am a giraffe, which Fitbit claims is because I don’t quite get enough sleep. Not because I sleep standing up.

“The sleep data you see now is a more accurate reflection of your night’s rest,” Fitbit’s Stefanie concludes. “This more detailed data will help you better understand how your body is recovering each night.”

Fitbit was acquired by Google in 2021 and is now the app you also need to use if you own a Google Pixel Watch smartwatch. The app experience is exactly the same as if you had a Fitbit tracker, and remains available for free on iPhone and Android.