Whoop backpedals on its paid upgrade whoops

A changeable of the Whoop 4.0 from our 2022 review.

Whoop is successful harm power mode. After debuting its Whoop 5.0 fittingness tracker, users were angered to find it had reneged connected a committedness of escaped hardware upgrades. In a new Reddit post, the institution present says users who person been members for implicit 12 months tin get the Whoop 5.0 for free.

Part of the outrage was prompted by Whoop’s confusing messaging. Early yesterday morning, my workfellow Victoria Song reported that to get a Whoop 5.0 band, users would request to widen their existing rank by an further 12 months oregon wage a one-time upgrade fee. However, until astatine slightest March 28th of this year, Whoop’s website had a blog post that said users would lone request to person been a subordinate for astatine slightest six months to get a escaped upgrade to next-gen hardware.

After the backlash, Whoop is present changing its tune — somewhat. Those with “more than 12 months remaining” are “eligible for a escaped upgrade to WHOOP 5.0 connected Peak,” 1 of its caller subscription offerings. Those with little than 12 months left, inactive person to either widen their rank different 12 months oregon wage a one-time upgrade fee, the institution says. The aforesaid accusation is reflected successful an update connected its rank pricing page.

The institution addresses the earlier blog post, penning that “a erstwhile blog nonfiction incorrectly stated that anyone who had been a subordinate for conscionable 6 months would person a escaped upgrade. This was ne'er our argumentation and should ne'er person been posted.” Whoop goes on:

As noted above, our argumentation for upgrades from WHOOP 3.0 to WHOOP 4.0 was that members with 6 months oregon much remaining connected their rank were eligible for a escaped upgrade to WHOOP 4.0. We removed that blog nonfiction erstwhile it came to our attraction and updated WHOOP Coach with the due information. We’re atrocious for immoderate disorder this whitethorn person caused. 

That seems to enactment up with a Forbes interview that a Reddit idiosyncratic found, successful which Whoop CEO Will Ahmed told the outlet that members with a Whoop 3.0 set could upgrade to the 4.0 model, truthful agelong arsenic they had “at slightest 6 months of rank near connected their account.” The institution utilized akin connection successful a 2021 blog post astir the Whoop 4.0 band.

Still, Redditors aren’t responding good to the company’s response, with immoderate complaining astir the request to widen their subscription even if they person 11 months left, oregon threatening to cancel their subscription.

Even immoderate who are much accepting of the alteration person criticisms. One idiosyncratic writes that portion they’re “pleased with the change,” they don’t bargain that the blog station was made successful error. “They should conscionable ain that they changed their mind/policy alternatively than assertion it was a mendacious posting to statesman with.”