Fitbit Badges vs Edge Rewards: What Changed in 2026

Fitbit badges no longer exist in 2026: when the Fitbit app became the Google Health app in May 2026, Google stopped making new badges and said existing badges would be deleted. Edge Rewards, launching in November 2026, takes a different approach, turning any logged workout into points you can spend on real products from partner brands.

So this is not quite a head-to-head. One side is a much-loved feature that has been retired, and the other is a programme that has not launched yet. Edge Rewards is our own, so everything below about it describes how it will work at launch. We have kept the Fitbit and Google Health side factual and fair, based on how Google describes the changes at the time of writing. Edge is not affiliated with Fitbit or Google.

What happened to Fitbit badges?

In May 2026 the Fitbit app was replaced by a redesigned app called Google Health. Google began the switch on 19 May 2026 and said most people would see the update between 19 and 26 May. Fitbit trackers and watches still work, but the app you use with them now has a new name and a new layout.

Badges did not make the move. Google's help page for the new app says badges will no longer be supported, new badges will not be generated, and historical badges will be deleted. Google also said that data linked to removed features could be downloaded or deleted until 15 July 2026, after which it would begin deleting that data from its systems. If you did not save your badge history before then, it may no longer be available.

Other social features changed too. Groups, the Community Feed and direct messages have been removed.

What were Fitbit badges?

For years, badges were one of the most loved parts of owning a Fitbit. They were digital awards that popped up when you hit a milestone, with names and pictures that made them fun to collect. The main families were:

• Daily steps: shoe-themed badges for big step days, with 10,000 steps as the classic one.
• Daily climb: badges for the number of floors you climbed in a single day.
• Lifetime distance: badges named after places and journeys, building up as your total distance grew over months and years.
• Lifetime climb: the same idea for the total number of floors you had climbed.

Fitbit used to have group challenges and Adventures too, which let you race friends or walk virtual routes. Those were removed back in March 2023, along with open groups, so by the time of the Google Health switch, badges and the friends leaderboard were the main game-like features left.

What does Google Health offer instead?

Google Health is free to use, and it puts more weight on health and fitness insights than on collecting. For motivation, the main features at the time of writing are:

• A weekly leaderboard: you can compete with friends on a weekly leaderboard, which now supports steps and Cardio Load.
• A weekly cardio target: Google says the app now uses a personalised weekly cardio target instead of a daily goal.
• Google Health Coach: an AI coach that comes with Google Health Premium, the new name for Fitbit Premium. Google says the coach will help to celebrate your progress and achievements, which is its answer to the loss of badges.

Google's UK store lists Google Health Premium from £7.99 a month at the time of writing.

What were Fitbit badges good at?

It is worth being fair here, because badges did a lot right, and plenty of long-time Fitbit owners were sorry to see them go.

• No extra effort: wear your tracker, live your day, and badges arrived on their own.
• Walking counted: step and floor badges rewarded everyday movement, which suits people who are not into structured training.
• A record over years: lifetime badges turned slow, steady progress into something you could see.
• Pure fun: a surprise badge on a busy day was a small, cheerful nudge to keep going.

What badges never did was add up to anything outside the app. They were digital awards. For lots of people that was plenty. If you would also like your training to add up to something you can use in real life, that is the gap Edge Rewards is built to fill.

What is Edge Rewards?

Edge Rewards is a free rewards programme inside the Edge app, built around one simple idea: get rewarded for moving. It is our own programme, and it is not live yet. Founding members on the waitlist get early access from Sunday 1 November 2026, and the public launch is on Saturday 7 November 2026.

Instead of badges, you will collect points. You spend them in an in-app marketplace on real products from partner brands, a mix of free items and discounts, in categories such as coffee and drinks, gels, snacks and bars, protein and supplements, and apparel and gear. The rewards are gifted by partner brands, and everyone can earn and redeem, on the free app or on Edge Pro. As a rough guide, about a week of training earns a free coffee. For the full picture, read Edge Rewards explained.

How will you earn Edge points?

• Workouts: 1 point per minute of any logged workout, up to 50 points a day.
• Steps: 2.5 points per 1,000 steps, up to 25 points a day.
• Daily cap: the two add together, up to 50 points a day for free members. Anything over the cap does not roll over.
• Monthly reset: points reset to zero at the end of each calendar month, so spend them before the month ends.

Any logged workout counts, whether it is a run, a strength session, a HIIT class or a mobility session. Points are counted by the minute, not by pace, so a gentle 30-minute jog earns the same as a fast one. Edge Pro members, from £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial, earn faster with Double XP, have no daily cap and get exclusive prizes and secret offers.

How do Fitbit badges, Google Health and Edge Rewards compare?

Prices and features change, so check each app for current details. Accurate at the time of writing.

Can you use a Fitbit with Edge Rewards?

Here is the honest answer. Edge syncs with Strava, Garmin, Apple Health and Coros, and Fitbit and Google Health are not on that list at the time of writing. So we are not going to promise that your Fitbit workouts will flow into Edge on their own.

You can still take part. Manual entries count at the same 1 point per minute as imported workouts, so if you finish a 35-minute session with your Fitbit on, you can log it in Edge afterwards and it will earn 35 points once Edge Rewards is live. And if your workouts already end up in one of the services Edge syncs with, workouts imported from there count too. Check your own settings to see what connects. Our guide on whether Edge Rewards work with Apple Watch, Garmin and Strava walks through every route in detail.

Nothing stops you keeping Google Health for its sleep and health insights and its weekly leaderboard, and using Edge for your training plan and rewards. If you want to see how a badge system that is still running sits alongside Edge, read our Garmin badges vs Edge Rewards comparison.

Which one suits you?

• Google Health on its own suits you if you mainly want health and sleep insights from your Fitbit, and a weekly leaderboard with friends is all the competition you need.
• Google Health Premium may appeal if you want an AI coach, fitness plans and deeper insights, and you are happy to pay for them.
• Edge Rewards suits you if you miss having something to work towards, want your training to add up to real products, or mix runs with strength and HIIT.
• Both together make sense if you love your Fitbit for everyday tracking and do not mind logging your sessions in Edge.

How do you get early access to Edge Rewards?

Joining the waitlist is free and gets you founding-member early access from Sunday 1 November 2026, six days before the public launch on Saturday 7 November. If you lost a badge collection you were proud of this year, Edge Rewards gives you something fresh to work towards.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.