Now it seems there is a smidgen of good news for Fitbit Premium subscribers. Though Fitbits are free to use after purchase and can be used to track basic health metrics that can be viewed in the app, the £7.99 per month Premium subscription unlocks full functionality. This includes guided workout videos in the Coach tab presented by several Fitbit instructors.
At the end of last year, Fitbit decided to mysteriously remove the Cast button from the Coach tab on the Fitbit app, a button that allowed users to wirelessly cast the workout videos from their phone to a TV via device such as a Google Chromecast or straight to a compatible TV set.
This is preferable for those working out at home as the video is much easier to view and follow on the TV than on a tiny phone screen – on a phone you can’t hold when working out.
Fitbit user Laszlo1981 posted on the official Fitbit forum website on December 16, 2024, saying they’d noticed the Cast button had disappeared from the Fitbit app.
“I have found out this morning, the screen share/cast option is not available from the exercise videos anymore,” they said. “I still can cast using the phone in-built feature, but in much lower quality and not as convenient.”
When you tapped into a video, the familiar Cast button would appear in the top right of the playback if compatible devices were in range, letting users beam the video to their telly.
It looks as though the feature was removed with no notice, but 9to5Google spotted that the Cast button has reappeared in the latest version of the Fitbit app for Android.
“Thank you for your ongoing feedback and the effort you’ve put into this matter,” Fitbit Moderator LizzyFitbit wrote on the same forum thread. “I’m happy to hear that some of you have successfully regained the cast button on the Coach tab.
“For those who are still experiencing this issue, please know that the update containing the fix should now be available to all members. Check the Play Store and ensure that you have installed version 4.35.”
We headed over to the Fitbit app on my Samsung phone and voila, it had updated to version 4.35 and the Cast button was present and correct.
While it’s good that this has been fixed, it’s not clear if this was a long-standing bug or if Fitbit has changed its mind after removing a feature. On the Fitbit app for the iPhone, the videos let you cast using AirPlay, Apple’s version of Google Cast.
Express.co.uk recently reported that owners of the Fitbit Charge 5 and Charge 6 trackers have not been able to automatically record the daily distance wearers are walking, a bug that was reported at least six months ago. Fitbit did not respond to repeated requests for comment.