Fitness wearable company Whoop has partially walked back its contentious upgrade requirements for the new Whoop 5.0 device following swift criticism from its subscriber base.
Initially, the company announced that members would need to either extend their subscriptions by 12 months or pay a one-time fee—49forthestandardmodelor79 for the EKG-enabled version—to upgrade to the latest tracker. This policy sparked immediate pushback, as it appeared to conflict with Whoop’s long-standing promise of free hardware upgrades for users with at least six months remaining on their memberships.
Facing mounting complaints, the company issued a clarification on Reddit, revising its upgrade terms. Under the new policy:
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Subscribers with more than 12 months left on their memberships now qualify for a free upgrade (or a refund if they’ve already paid the fee).
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Those with less than 12 months remaining can still get the Whoop 5.0 at no extra cost—if they agree to extend their subscription.
Whoop attributed the confusion to an outdated blog post that inaccurately stated a six-month membership would suffice for free upgrades. “This was never our policy and should never have been posted,” the company admitted, framing the earlier miscommunication as an error rather than a deliberate shift.
Reaction among users has been divided. While some praised the reversal as a “win for the community,” others remained skeptical. Critics pointed out that the six-month policy had been publicly visible for years, suggesting its removal post-backlash was damage control. Frustration also simmered among members who narrowly missed the cutoff—like those with 11 months left—who now face paying extra for the upgrade.
The incident highlights the challenges of balancing customer expectations with business strategy, particularly as Whoop transitions from flexible month-to-month plans to longer 12- and 24-month commitments. Whether the compromise will fully placate users—or dent trust in the brand—remains to be seen.
