Whoop Has Changed Its Update Policy

The new Whoop 5.0 hardware was released this week along with a premium version of the device they call MG. Coinciding with the launch was a new update policy requiring users to pay for what many thought was a free update. The company has reversed some of the new policy, but most users will still have to pay for a new device. Here’s what you need to know.

Official Current Whoop Update Policy

The equipment comes bundled with Whoop subscriptions, which are typically sold as 12- or 24-month memberships. After the launch of 5.0 and MG, Whoop said that the new equipment can be obtained in two ways:

• You can pay to add another 12 months to your subscription (“renewal membership”) and get a new device.

• You can pay $49 and get a new device without changing your membership period.

(There was also mention of a $79 fee to upgrade to MG hardware, but that hardware requires a more expensive subscription, so people who plan to upgrade to MG are expected to pay more for their subscription anyway.)

After some backlash, Whoop published an article “clarifying and updating our update policy” in which they announced a policy of sending updated hardware to some customers at no additional cost:

• Members who have more than 12 months of membership remaining (for example, someone who purchased a 24-month membership and still has 13 months left) can receive new equipment for free.

• Members who purchased a 12-month (or more) membership or renewal 30 days before the 5.0 announcement on May 8th can also receive the new hardware for free.

Why do people get angry

This new update policy is different from how Whoop handled updates in 2021 when the previous device, 4.0, came out. And before version 5.0 launched earlier this month, at least two pages on Whoop’s website said members would be able to upgrade to the next generation of hardware for free. Whoop called one of them a bug – a blog post that mentions a six-month commitment – but didn’t directly comment on the other – an FAQ that seems to say everyone gets free updates. I’ll start with the FAQ.

Until recently, this FAQ stated: “WHOOP is a membership, which means you get the latest and greatest technology as soon as it becomes available, as long as you are an active member. There is no need to buy a new device every time it comes out; you can update it for free.” Here is an archive of this page that I created on May 2, 2025 , and it still displays this language less than a week before version 5.0 launched. The date on the page indicates that it was published in April 2020.

This page still exists on the Whoop website , but now says something completely different: “WHOOP maintains a membership model in which hardware is always included. When new devices are released, you will have the opportunity to upgrade your membership by renewing and you will receive a new device at no additional cost. If you are not ready to renew at that time, you can get the latest hardware by paying a one-time upgrade fee.” There is no indication on this page that it has been changed and it still shows the date April 2020. ( Here’s an archive of what it looks like today for future reference.)

I wrote to Whoop asking if they had any comments on this change and also asked a few other questions. They responded by sending me a new update policy (also found here ), referring to another blog post that had changed (more on that below), and then sending me the following statement:

“ We have always tried to make access to WHOOP as easy and accessible as possible for our members. Starting in 2021, we required members to have a certain number of months of membership remaining in order to receive a free upgrade. This remains true today. You can get a free upgrade to WHOOP 5.0 if you have 12 months of membership left. Additionally, you can also pay a one-time renewal fee if you prefer not to renew your subscription. You can also renew your subscription when it expires, at which point you will be able to upgrade to WHOOP 5.0 for free. With this launch we introduced two new devices – the 5.0 and MG, both of which offer over 14 days of battery life, a 7% smaller size and a Wireless PowerPack. Since MG is our most premium offering with various medical grade capabilities, we made sure that members can still get the free upgrade to WHOOP 5.0, but they have another option if they want different features and functionality. functionality”.

Whoop has also come under fire for a blog post found here by Whoop users on Reddit that shows yet another discrepancy with its stated policy. This blog post, dated September 30, 2024, stated that the policy was to provide updated equipment to anyone who had been a member for at least six months. The blog post was still live as of March 28 of this year, as shown in this Wayback Machine archive . Whoop says this “was never our policy and should never have been published”, saying instead that they were offering free upgrades to anyone with six or more months of subscription remaining at the time of 4.0’s launch.

This seems to be true: emails sent in 2021 mentioned that Whoop users with “more than 6 months of membership remaining” were eligible for a free upgrade. Whoop showed me screenshots of these emails and I dug through my inbox (never delete anything guys) and found the same thing. The screenshot below is from an email I received in 2021.

So the historical fact about the six-month membership stands, but I understand why many Whoop users say they feel misled. Meanwhile, the FAQ’s statement about free upgrades for all active members certainly influenced my long-term review of version 4.0 , published just last month , in which I reported (based on this FAQ on Whoop’s own website) that “you don’t have to pay for new hardware to get new hardware.”

Angry Whoop users are discussing on Reddit and other forums whether the company’s actions may run afoul of truth-in-advertising laws in Australia, the UK, the EU and/or the US. Some suggest US customers consider filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission ( here’s the form ) or your state’s attorney general.

Is it even worth switching from 4.0 to 5.0?

After all this, it’s not even clear whether it’s even worth paying to upgrade from 4.0 to 5.0. If you’re happy with your current membership (now known as Peak), all you’ll get from version 5.0 is longer battery life.

But you will lose the ability to use any bands or accessories you purchased for your 4.0 version. According to Whoop, the new device is 7% smaller, which is like “we wanted you to buy all the new accessories.” It seems like they could easily fit these seven percent smaller internal components into the same size case as the 4.0 and still have everything compatible. Heck, fill the extra space with an even bigger battery!

I would only pay for the upgrade if you think longer battery life is more important than backwards compatibility with your old bands and accessories. (And if you have a lot of Whoop Body clothes, you might want to wait for more 5.0 users to weigh in before throwing it all away—I saw at least one comment on Reddit saying that old boxers are great for the new device.)

Is it worth “reworking” your old version 4.0?

There’s another strange thing going on with the Whoop update plans. If you upgrade from 4.0 to 5.0, you’ll be sent a gift box with a disinfecting wipe and a new band so you can give your old 4.0 to a friend. They call it “upcycling” and all the details are here .

But why does your friend need your old version 4.0? They will still have to sign up for a Whoop membership, and any new membership comes with a free 5.0 (or MG) version.

Whoop tries to make the deal easier by giving you (the donor) a $50 credit that can be used toward purchasing accessories for yourself, but not toward a membership. You will only receive this after your giftee signs up for a paid membership. As for the person you’re gifting your old device to, there are a few ways for them to get a discount on a used 4.0 membership:

• You (the donor) can prepay for a 12-month Peak membership for them for $190 instead of the regular $239.

• They can join for $199 for a 12-month Peak membership.

• They can use version 4.0 for a two-month free trial, which automatically rolls into a full-priced 12-month Peak membership for $239.

Once you’ve paid for your membership and have 12 months left, you can upgrade to 5.0 or MG – so gifted 4.0’s lifespan may indeed be short.

To me it doesn’t feel like recycling at all, just a way to pretend you’re doing something useful with a soon-to-be-thrown device. For devices you do buy , like a Garmin or Apple Watch, going with an older model can often save you some money. Since the cost of Whoop is included with any new subscription, it seems odd to recommend that some users forgo brand new hardware that would otherwise be included.

If you have a friend who is getting rid of the old 4.0 version, you can also use the upgrade program to get a small discount on the 5.0 version membership you were planning to buy anyway (using one of the two options above). Or, if you already have version 4.0, you can ask a friend to get a gift bundle just for a free replacement band—those items are still $49 .

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