‘Google Health’ Is Back as Fitbit App Rebrands for New Tracker

Google is shaking up its health and fitness segment this week. In addition to launching the Whoop-like Fitbit Air tracker, the company is rebranding its Fitbit app as Google Health.

The new Google Health app encompasses all features of the Fitbit app, including its AI health coach, and is set to take over as the companion app for all Pixel and Fitbit fitness trackers going forward. If you already have the Fitbit app, you don’t need to install Google Health separately. “Your app will transition to the Google Health app on your next software update,” Google says.

The Google Health app will be available on Android and iOS, and though it gets a refreshed interface, much of the color palette remains similar to the Fitbit app. The homepage still shows basic activity, sleep, and health metrics. The app’s biggest upgrade is its Gemini-powered health coach, which is coming out of preview and being rebranded as Google Health Coach.

(Credit: Google)

The Fitbit Air was built for Google Health Coach, Google says. The feature analyzes your goals as well as workout, health, and sleep metrics to provide you with daily workout suggestions and proactive insights. If you have further questions about your health and fitness, you can tap the Ask Coach button, drop queries, and receive responses tailored to your health data.

Questions can be as precise or as detailed as you’d like. You could just ask “When was the last time I ran 5 miles?” or “I woke up feeling tired and I have a 9 a.m. meeting. Any suggestions?,” and your Coach, as Google calls it, will reply in natural language.

(Credit: Google)

Google Health also lets you add your medical history to the app, and that includes details about medications, lab results, and allergies. Once you add them, Coach will be able to tailor its responses to your body instead of offering generic recommendations.

Nutrition logging and menstrual cycle tracking are other major parts of the app. You can log your meals manually or upload a photo of your plate so the Health Coach can calculate the macros and make adjustments to your workouts. With cycle tracking, women can predict periods and fertile windows.

(Credit: Google)

As with the Fitbit app, features will be divided into free and subscription tiers on Google Health. The free tier lets you add basic health records and view core sleep, activity, and health metrics. The Google Health Premium tier, on the other hand, unlocks features like Ask Coach, Health Coach, adaptive fitness apps, detailed fitness plans, and photo, video, and voice logging.

The subscription rolls out on May 19 with an app update, and it costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will have Google Health Premium included in their plans, while those purchasing the new Fitbit Air device will get three months of Health Premium for free.

Google says it won’t use your health data to show targeted ads.“Google committed to not use Fitbit users’ health and wellness data for Google Ads,” the company said.

This is not the first time the company has tried a form of “Google Health.” In 2008, it debuted as a way to give people online access to their health records. By 2011, however, Google said it hadn’t “found a way to translate that limited usage into widespread adoption in the daily health routines of millions of people,” and Google Health shut down in 2012.

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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.

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