Whoop angers users over reneged free upgrade promises

Upgrading from the Whoop 4.0 to the 5.0 hardware is nary longer escaped for astir existing customers.

Whoop conscionable announced its new Whoop 5.0 fittingness tracker yesterday, but immoderate existing users are already calling foul. Previously, Whoop said radical who had been members for astatine slightest six months would get escaped upgrades to next-generation hardware. Now, the institution says that members hoping to upgrade from a Whoop 4.0 to 5.0 volition person to wage up.

Whoop is simply a spot antithetic from different fittingness trackers successful that it runs wholly connected a subscription rank model. Most wearable makers that person subscriptions volition complaint you for the hardware, and past customers person the enactment of subscribing to get other information oregon features. A bully illustration is the Oura Ring, wherever you bargain the ringing and past person the enactment of paying a monthly $6 subscription. Whoop, however, has until present said that you get the hardware for “free” portion paying a heftier yearly subscription.

Previously, Whoop promised users that whenever caller hardware was released, existing members would beryllium capable to upgrade escaped of complaint truthful agelong arsenic they’d been a subordinate for astatine slightest six months. However, that has since been scrubbed from Whoop’s tract — though it was determination arsenic precocious arsenic March 28th this year, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

On Whoop’s existent authoritative “How to upgrade” site, the institution states that existing members person 1 of 2 options. They tin either widen their rank by different 12 months and person caller Whoop 5.0 hardware “at nary other cost,” oregon if they’d alternatively not extend, they tin wage a one-time upgrade interest of either $49 for the regular Whoop 5.0 oregon $79 for the Whoop 5.0 MG, which includes EKG sensors. An official Reddit thread besides notes that radical who either joined oregon extended their rank successful the past 30 days are eligible for a escaped upgrade.

Understandably, Whoop fans are nary excessively pleased. The r/Whoop subreddit is afloat of aggravated users who are accusing the institution of misleading them.

“One of the main reasons I chose a Whoop implicit an Apple Watch was owed to the escaped hardware upgrades,” writes 1 Redditor. “Conveniently my 12 period subscription is up astir the aforesaid clip the Apple Watch is released. The outgo isn’t the issue, it’s them changing what was promised.”

“I’m decidedly cancelling excavation now, implicit the Whoop hype. Was excited to spot they had a bully update and deflated aft I saw they went backmost connected their connection astir not charging for aboriginal hardware,” writes another.

The Verge reached retired to Whoop for remark astir wherefore its changed its hardware upgrade policy, but didn’t instantly person a response. We’ll update erstwhile we perceive back.

It’s different illustration of however changes to subscriptions often results successful lawsuit backlash. Garmin precocious angered its lawsuit basal by introducing a paid tier to the Garmin Connect app aft years of touting its deficiency of a paywall. Oura besides received hefty backlash erstwhile it introduced a subscription with its third-gen astute ring.