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Google Fitbit Air: an owner’s wet-band odor warning after years of Fitbit trackers

After years with Fitbit trackers, I found Fitbit Air familiar—but its soaked band smelled so bad that I left it in the sun for a day.

A blue wearable fitness band labeled Google Fitbit Air resting on a white display stand.
Three fitness bands with fabric straps in black, grey, and red displayed on clear cylindrical acrylic risers in front of a wooden panel.
Exterior view of a Google Store with a circular Google logo sign mounted on the building facade, black lettering reading 'Google Store', and pedestrians walking on the sidewalk alongside a street with a FedEx truck.
A hand holding a product box for 'Google Fitbit Air' featuring an image of a woven fabric fitness band, outdoors in bright sunlight.
First-person view of a wrist wearing a dark gray woven sport loop watch strap while standing outdoors by a crosswalk.
Top-down view of a person wearing black shorts, a white shirt, and slide sandals standing on a stone tile floor while holding a lit cigarette.
A person adjusting their sunglasses against a blue cloudy sky, wearing a black Jawbone fitness tracker band on their wrist, with the word 'jawbone' overlaid in text.
A Fitbit Charge 3 fitness tracker worn on a wrist displaying 03:12 alongside metrics for steps, heart rate, calories, and distance, with 'charge 3' written above it.
Close-up of a person's wrist wearing a black Charge 6 fitness tracker with 'charge 6' highlighted in yellow above it.

Because I do not like wearing watches, I have kept buying fitness bands. Counting this one, it is my fourth band and my third Fitbit, following the Jawbone, Charge 3, Charge 6, and now the Fitbit Air.

2011: Jawbone. It was a first-generation band, not very accurate and with few functions, but it was light and simple. It was just a band, much like today’s screenless trackers.

2018: Fitbit Charge 3. Its functions were already sufficient, and the small screen was convenient. I used it for three or four years and even used its alarm every day; it vibrated me awake from my dreams.

2024: Fitbit Charge 6. It caused severe irritation on my wrist, so I left it unused after a few months. By this generation, Fitbit seemed to have little competitive strength: the functions had not improved much, the band’s appearance had not changed, and the price offered no advantage. I do not recommend buying it.

2026: Fitbit Air. Overall, it is neither especially good nor especially bad. I have not seen much added by Google or much progress, and its functions are roughly similar to those of my earlier bands. I hope Apple eventually makes a screenless fitness band. A screenless band still needs a workaround to update its data. The band material is a little more fashionable and less sporty, but after it became completely soaked with water, it smelled extremely bad. It smelled so bad that I left it in the sun for a whole day before wearing it again.

I will keep wearing it for now. Garmin has recently released a new product, and I have heard that Apple may also make a screenless band. I would probably buy Apple’s, since the Apple Watch is quite accurate, but its screen is too large. A band that can deliver Apple Watch functions is still something worth looking forward to.

Source: Akanono · Xiaohongshu · 2026-08-05 · fitbit air进水了真的很臭. Search this Chinese title in Xiaohongshu to find the original post.

Before You Buy

Models in your region

The owner calls the device Fitbit Air, while the US and UK Google Store pages identify the regional product as Google Fitbit Air. Both pages list the same headline battery, charging, weight and phone-compatibility specifications, although accessories, account access and warranty terms can vary by country.

Model in this review Related regional model What to know
Google Fitbit Air Google Fitbit Air (US) Google lists up to seven days of battery life, a 90-minute full charge and 12 g with the band for the US Fitbit Air.
Google Fitbit Air Google Fitbit Air (UK) The UK Fitbit Air shares the US headline weight and battery specifications. Confirm the included strap and seller support when purchasing across borders.
Model in this review
Google Fitbit Air
Related regional model
Google Fitbit Air (US)
What to know
Google lists up to seven days of battery life, a 90-minute full charge and 12 g with the band for the US Fitbit Air.
Model in this review
Google Fitbit Air
Related regional model
Google Fitbit Air (UK)
What to know
The UK Fitbit Air shares the US headline weight and battery specifications. Confirm the included strap and seller support when purchasing across borders.

What the owner’s experience adds

The owner has a long comparison point: Jawbone was light and simple, Charge 3 added a useful display and vibrating alarm, while Charge 6 was abandoned after a few months because of severe wrist irritation. Their Fitbit Air verdict is more restrained: its functions feel broadly similar to the earlier bands, without an obvious Google-era advance.

The odor report is a single owner experience after the band became completely soaked, not a general failure rate or a test of water resistance. The owner dried it in sunlight for a day before wearing it again, but the post does not identify the water type, drying temperature or whether the smell returned.

US and UK specifications

For the US and UK Fitbit Air, Google lists up to seven days of battery life, 90 minutes for a 0–100% charge and one day of battery from a five-minute top-up. This owner did not time charging or measure runtime in the account.

The listed weight is 5.2 g without the band and 12 g with it. Google requires a Google account and the Google Health app, with Android 11 or later or iOS 16.4 or later; syncing also needs Bluetooth Low Energy, internet access and location permission. Buyers should check their phone and permissions before treating the band as a simple offline tracker.

Wet-band care matters

Google rates the device for water resistance to 50 m but advises removing and completely drying a wet or sweaty band before wearing it again. That guidance is especially relevant beside the owner’s odor experience: water resistance does not establish that a soaked strap will remain odor-free, and the official page does not specify how quickly a particular band or accessory will dry.

Data updates and Health Coach availability

The owner says a workaround is still needed to update data, but does not identify the exact network or account setup. Official support requires Bluetooth Low Energy, internet access and location permission for syncing, so buyers should confirm local app and account access rather than assume the owner’s workaround applies to every region.

AI coaching has separate eligibility requirements from basic syncing: Google Health Coach needs Premium access and a supported country. Google's list includes the US, Canada, UK, Germany and France, while Hong Kong and mainland China are not listed.

Google Fitbit Air with Google Health Coach · US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy and other listed supported countries

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