Users shouldn’t notice any change in the way that Fitbit devices handle users’ personal data. Goolge stated today that “similar to our other products, with wearables, we will be transparent about the data we collect and why. We will never sell personal information to anyone. Fitbit health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads. And we will give Fitbit users the choice to review, move, or delete their data.” Fitbit has sold over 100 million devices and has millions of active users. In its own press release, Fitbit notes that its wearables will remain compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

When Google spent $40 million early last year to buy innovative intellectual property from watchmaker Fossil, it turned out that the transaction was really about poaching 20 engineers from Fossil. The purchase of Fitbit is much larger in scope which means that Google will be getting its hands on engineers, intellectual property, research and development, and fitness tracking capabilities that would be quite useful on a Pixel Watch. Whether such a product is on the way we might not know for some time; in fact, Google might simply sit back at first to survey how the purchase of Fitbit can be used to its advantage. And while it might not come even next year, make no mistake about it; Google’s purchase of Fitbit will eventually lead to the creation of the long-awaited Pixel Watch.