Whoop has backtracked somewhat on its controversial plans to update its Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker.
When the company first announced Whoop 5.0 this week, it said that users who wanted the new device could either renew their subscription for 12 months or pay a one-time upgrade fee of $49 ($79 for the ECG sensor model).
This was inconsistent with Whoop’s overall value proposition, which includes higher subscription prices ($199 to $359 per year) while allowing customers to upgrade their equipment for free. In particular, this contradicted a statement on the company’s website that promised users free hardware upgrades if they were members of the program for at least six months.
After users began complaining, the company responded with a post on Reddit announcing a broader upgrade policy and clarifying its overall approach.
Now, anyone with more than 12 months left on their subscription is eligible for a free upgrade to Whoop 5.0 (or a refund if they’ve already paid for it). And customers with less than 12 months left can renew their subscription to get the upgrade at no additional cost.
While the company said it was making these changes because it “heard your feedback,” it also suggested that its apparent stinginess was due to the shift from a model focused on monthly or semi-annual subscription plans to one that only offers 12- and 24-month subscriptions.
“We also want to acknowledge that a previous blog post incorrectly stated that anyone who has been a user for only 6 months would receive a free upgrade,” the company said. “This was never our policy and should not have been published.”
Reactions to these changes on the Whoop subreddit were mixed, with one moderator describing them as a “victory for the community.” Other participants were more skeptical, with one writing: “You don’t publish a policy by accident and then take it down for years. Removing it after a negative reaction does not negate the fact that it exists.”
There were also a few complaints from users who claimed that they had 11 months left on their subscription, so they simply missed the free upgrade limit.
