Today is a very big day in the world of Google, its wearables, and its goals for fitness and health going forward. Not only did Google announce the Fitbit Air, they also introduced Google Health for the first time, with a Google Health Premium plan and Coach along for the ride.
If you are a long-time Fitbit user, there are some things you need to know, as big changes are on the way. If you are new to the world of Fitbit, well, just familiarize yourself with Google Health instead.
Fitbit becomes Google Health
The first thing you need to know from today is that Google Health is here as the replacement for Fitbit. That’s right, the Fitbit app is going away and an update will turn it into Google Health. All of your data will come over with it and there won’t be any break in your tracking or anything.
The Google Health app is introducing a big redesign, which is the same design you may have been testing through the Fitbit app’s public preview. You get a redesigned home screen, 4 tabs full of useful information about your wellness, and on overall more colorful, intuitive layout in most places.
Google says it is now providing deeper dives into more metrics, you can view more data and trends, and there’s now ways to connect more apps and devices.
The new Google Health app can connect to Health Connect, Apple Health, and Google Health APIs, so you can really see more than the limited 3rd-party data that Fitbit used to have.
Again, Fitbit users will get an update to the new Google Health app through app stores – you won’t have to download a new app.
If you happen to use Google Fit still, Google is planning to migrate you over to Google Health “later this year.”
The Google Health app begins rolling out to everyone on May 19.
FITBIT APP UPDATES: Google Play | Apple App Store
Google Health Coach is here
As a part of this re-brand or launch of Google Health, we’re also getting the Google Health Coach, which will replace Fitbit’s personal health coach that has been in preview for several months.
The Google Health Coach offers 24/7 guidance that adapts based on your personal life. You can set goals, adjust those goals, and let the coach know of life happenings to continue to personalize the experience. It’s there to answer questions, give feedback, offer support and suggestions, etc.
Since the Google Health Coach knows what you are up to, what your sleep is like, how ready you are for the day, and what kinds of active goals you have, it can help you stay on top of milestones and inform you of trends.
I’ve tested this on Fitbit and I definitely felt like I got the most out of it when I checked in regularly. While you can sit back and be more passive with the coach, it really thrives by you telling it more about yourself and checking-in often.
The Google Health Coach is a part of Google Health Premium, so it is a paid feature.
Google Health Premium
OK, so you just read that in order to get the Google Health Coach in Google Health that you need to pay for a Google Health Premium subscription? Yeah, you really do. Google Health Premium costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
However, Google Health Premium is a part of your Google AI Pro and Ultra subscription, so if you subscribe to Google’s higher tier Google One plans with AI, it’s included.
What do you get with Google Health Premium? The comparison list of Premium to Base plans can be seen below, but the big thing is the coach. You also get adaptive fitness plans, more details in sleep insights, proactive insights aboiut fitness and health metrics, medical record summaries, a library of workouts, and mindfulness sessions.
New Google Health logo
Google is introducing a new Google Health logo with this launch and you are likely to see it everywhere.
