Google's Fitbit purchase to get the green light from the EU

TL;DR

• Google’s purchase of Fitbit is reportedly set to gain approval from the EU.
• Reports suggest the company’s new concessions may appease the European Commission.
• The deal was initially announced in November 2019.

Google’s deal to purchase Fitbit is set to gain approval from the EU, a Reuters report revealed on Tuesday.

The deal has been under scrutiny since November 1, 2019, when Google’s intention to purchase the fitness hardware and service company was made official. The company has faced antitrust concerns largely relating to its inheritance of Fitbit users’ data, but the report suggests the company has taken steps to appease the European Commission’s worries.

For starters, Google has reportedly offered to restrict the use of data garnered from Fitbit’s services. The report also suggests that Google has offered to make its Android API more easily accessible to companies who want to build wearable hardware for the platform.

The European Commission is now required to either accept the steps, or demand more concessions from the tech giant in order to gain deal approval. The commission is set to decide on the deal by December 23.

Fitbit is a marquee purchase for Google, a company that has lagged behind the likes of Apple, Xiaomi, and Samsung in the wearables and fitness technology race. While its reported promise of relinquishing Fitbit’s trove of user data probably won’t aid its advertising revenue efforts, the company would gain a major player in the wearable hardware space.

Next: Best Fitbit trackers and smartwatches

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