The revamped Google Well being app (previously Fitbit) has landed alongside the brand new Fitbit Air, and whereas not everyone seems to be pleased with the modifications, my expertise has been fairly optimistic.
I have been utilizing the brand new UI for six months, staring with the Well being Coach preview launches towards the top of 2025, and whereas the improve to Google Well being has introduced in some helpful modifications and options, there are nonetheless some enhancements I want to see. These are my largest highlights after spending a while with the brand new Google Well being app.
A welcome redesign and AI overload
I ought to begin by saying that, not like some long-time Fitbit customers, I used to be not married to the outdated Fitbit app design, which I discovered uninteresting and uninteresting.
The brand new design is rather more colourful and animated, making info simple to see and perceive. Your focus metrics are simply accessible on the prime of the Immediately tab, or you’ll be able to scroll to dive deeper into immediately and yesterday’s actions.
The tabs are additionally clearer of their focus, now with 4 tabs within the navigation bar, together with Health, Sleep, and Well being. I discover this significantly better than the outdated app’s three tabs, and I am glad Sleep and Well being have their very own devoted sections.
The app may be very AI-focused, and for those who’re subscribed to Google Well being Premium, the Well being Coach is in every single place. I do not really thoughts the Well being Coach an excessive amount of (extra on this later), however it may be fairly overwhelming within the app. Each part is inundated with info and huge blocks of textual content that will help you higher perceive your metrics.
Google says it is working to make Well being Coach messages “extra concise with out sacrificing useful element” whereas enhancing messages with “extra visuals like charts, maps, and glanceable stats.”
I feel it is a step in the appropriate route, however Google ought to go additional and easily cover the Coach messages. Simply current the information on every tab visually, and add a small button to every card with the standard AI sparkle icon to broaden it to view Well being Coach messages.
That means, customers aren’t bombarded with AI-generated textual content and might determine when they need the extra insights. Give us extra management over the expertise.
Protecting me on observe
The Coach tab within the earlier Fitbit app was fairly bare-bones, with every day run suggestions being the one function I discovered remotely helpful. Google took that and ran with it, increasing AI to underscore the whole app expertise.
Through the onboarding course of, I instructed the Coach my objectives, accessible gear, and any illnesses which may hinder my efficiency. It even supplied some welcome pushback after I prompt how a lot I needed to work out every week, warning that I would overexert myself. After selecting a schedule, the coach has been fairly nice about maintaining me on observe week to week.
A part of that is because of the extra versatile weekly Cardio Load, which principally measures how intense your actions are. This metric is on the market on the Immediately tab and can also be simply seen within the Health tab for added steering.
I instructed the Coach that I wish to acquire muscle mass, lose physique fats, and change into extra constant at operating so I can run my first 5K later this yr. Since then, my weekly exercises have centered on these objectives, with quite a lot of train varieties in every session and a weekly operating aim that features various circuits at totally different goal distances and paces.
You may both observe the exercises to the T or edit them to your liking. I have a tendency to simply observe what Fitbit tells me, making small changes right here and there relying on how I really feel.
You may also begin a exercise in-app or ship customized runs to your Pixel Watch. Sadly, I am nonetheless unable to ship non-run exercises to the watch, which looks like both a bug or an oversight.
One other draw back is that whereas the exercise UI feels extra structured and simple to observe, the Pixel Watch nonetheless cannot robotically rely reps or units, one thing I really like about Garmin and even Samsung smartwatches.
On the plus facet, exercises may even robotically progress to the following train after a set timer ends, however it might be good to see this carried out with auto rep counting.
I additionally do not like that exercises are actually listed within the Health tab as “recommendations,” which feels rather less committal. Within the preview, every day of the week had a set exercise or relaxation interval, which supplied a pleasant construction.
Luckily, Google has already famous that customers are demanding extra construction, and it’s “bringing again weekly structured schedules later this yr indirectly,” which I stay up for. Till then, this format is not horrible, particularly for customers preferring the flexibleness.
Encouragement goes a good distance
Regardless of how overwhelming the AI will be on the Google Well being app, I really discover it to be fairly encouraging. Messages are often fairly insightful, taking your exercise, sleep, and metrics under consideration to correctly put together you for the day.
For instance, I labored out a ton through the first few days of the week, greater than I often do. Because of this, I used to be inspired to relaxation on Wednesday, which I did. Later that night, the app instructed me the remaining was “precisely what your system wanted” whereas maintaining issues “low-key” with a lightweight stroll.
It then began prepping me for my return to the fitness center the following day, suggesting I set an alarm, pack my gear, and drink extra water because it seen my resting coronary heart fee was rising.
The Coach often offers insightful messages like that, typically delivered as notifications on my telephone all through the day, after a exercise, or after I get up. And if want be, it’s going to change its tune if it notices issues are off, resembling if I did not get sufficient restful sleep.
You may, after all, chat with the Well being Coach if you’d like extra perception into your sleep, exercises, or different metrics. A couple of occasions, I’ve needed to inform it to regulate my exercise schedule and cardio load as a result of I used to be touring for work that week and knew I would not have the ability to get to the fitness center. The Coach would then work with me to shift my objectives based mostly on after I may get again to the fitness center that week or simply take away my exercise plan for that week totally. It is fairly versatile.
You may also ask for recommendation on learn how to enhance particular metrics, and it’ll reply with recommendations on what you are able to do, full with hyperlinks to the sources it attracts from.
That is the form of expertise I’d count on from a private coach, so it is nice that I can get it by a comparatively cheap app subscription. That mentioned, I nonetheless do not suppose it might probably absolutely change having an actual individual practice you.
Virtually a alternative for MyFitnessPal
Meals logging is a Google Well being function that I wish to love, however it does not fairly hit the mark. When logging meals you’ll be able to both inform Coach what you ate or you’ll be able to take a photograph of it. Surprisingly (or maybe, unsurprisingly), object recognition is fairly good, and the app can pretty precisely discern what your meal is simply by snapping a photograph.
One other different is taking a photograph of the barcode, if there’s one, providing a substitute for MyFitnessPal’s personal barcode-scanning function, which it is advisable subscribe in an effort to have entry to.
The draw back of both of those strategies is that whereas Google Well being is aware of what you’re consuming, the data it logs continues to be inaccurate. For instance, I took a photograph of a meal I made, which simply consists of 4 scrambled eggs and roughly 2oz of floor beef. The app is aware of its scrambled eggs and floor beef, however the dietary worth was fairly off, with the app underestimating the quantity of protein.
I attempted to make it simpler by scanning the barcode of a Barbell protein bar, which clearly lists the dietary worth on the wrapper. The app acknowledged the bar, however the energy have been nonetheless off by 10, and that was just one of some inaccuracies I seen with meals logging.
Luckily, Google Well being syncs with MyFitnessPal, so I can nonetheless log my meals in that app and the proper vitamin values will seem. Nonetheless, I am hoping Google can step up its recreation right here, as a result of it might convey the Google Well being app one main step nearer to being my one app to rule all of them.
My well being in a single place
Talking of 1 app to rule all of them, it is clear that that is Google’s aim with the Well being app, particularly now that you’ll be able to hyperlink your medical information. I linked my earlier and present medical suppliers with the app, and now I will see my circumstances, medicines, go to historical past, vaccines, and even lab outcomes, multi functional place.
I really discover it to be a handy technique to not solely see every thing in a single place but additionally convey extra context to Coach in your general well being.
You may also log new lab leads to the app if they do not sync robotically, though the app appears to do an excellent job syncing the data. I simply want the information was laid out higher; seeing the historic information of 788 lab outcomes, 95 medicines and 71 circumstances simply seems to be overwhelming, particularly since I at present solely take just a few medicines and have just a few circumstances.
You may also ask Coach about sure particulars of your medical historical past, and Coach even warned me {that a} current check confirmed outcomes which can be “outdoors regular limits” (don’t fret, I am tremendous). And whereas some might discover this entry helpful, others will undoubtedly discover it intrusive.
You may select what will get synced, and Google says the one time any of your info is shared is to confirm your id with CLEAR. In any other case, it assures that your synced medical historical past is “securely saved” within the app. however once more, it is as much as you if you wish to give the Google Well being that additional information.
Extra to return
Clearly, Google Well being just isn’t excellent and there are fairly quite a lot of issues that both want fixing, tweaking, or which can be simply plain lacking. Many customers have complained concerning the AI Heath Coach hallucinating, though I have never knowingly skilled this. Sleep profiles is one thing I miss from the outdated Fitbit app, matching customers with cute animals based mostly on their sleep kinds.
Luckily, Google is already arduous at work getting ready updates to the app, and has supplied an inventory of updates coming quickly or later this yr. Sleep profiles nonetheless is not amongst them, however I am holding out hope.
Nonetheless, it is an ideal signal that Google is listening to person suggestions to create a complete well being app for everybody, and I, for one, am all for it. Simply keep in mind to provide a thumbs up or down for any options or AI responses within the Google Well being app for those who actually like one thing or issues do not look proper.
