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 constructive.
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 wish to see. These are my greatest 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 previous Fitbit app design, which I discovered boring and uninteresting.
The brand new design is far more colourful and animated, making info straightforward to see and perceive. Your focus metrics are simply accessible on the high of the As we speak 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 a lot better than the previous app’s three tabs, and I am glad Sleep and Well being have their very own devoted sections.
The app could be very AI-focused, and in case you’re subscribed to Google Well being Premium, the Well being Coach is in all places. 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 believe it is a step in the best 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 increase it to view Well being Coach messages.
That approach, customers aren’t bombarded with AI-generated textual content and might resolve when they need the extra insights. Give us extra management over the expertise.
Maintaining me on monitor
The Coach tab within the earlier Fitbit app was fairly bare-bones, with each day run suggestions being the one function I discovered remotely helpful. Google took that and ran with it, increasing AI to underscore your entire app expertise.
Through the onboarding course of, I advised the Coach my objectives, out there gear, and any illnesses which may hinder my efficiency. It even offered some welcome pushback once I advised how a lot I needed to work out every week, warning that I’d overexert myself. After deciding on a schedule, the coach has been fairly nice about conserving me on monitor week to week.
A part of that is because of the extra versatile weekly Cardio Load, which mainly measures how intense your actions are. This metric is out there on the As we speak tab and can also be simply seen within the Health tab for extra steering.
I advised the Coach that I need to acquire muscle mass, lose physique fats, and turn out to be extra constant at operating so I can run my first 5K later this 12 months. Since then, my weekly exercises have centered on these objectives, with a wide range of train sorts in every session and a weekly operating purpose that features various circuits at completely different goal distances and paces.
You possibly can both comply with the exercises to the T or edit them to your liking. I have a tendency to simply comply with what Fitbit tells me, making small changes right here and there relying on how I really feel.
You can even 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 comply with, the Pixel Watch nonetheless cannot routinely rely reps or units, one thing I like about Garmin and even Samsung smartwatches.
On the plus facet, exercises may even routinely progress to the following train after a set timer ends, however it could be good to see this applied with auto rep counting.
I additionally do not like that exercises at the moment are listed within the Health tab as “options,” which feels rather less committal. Within the preview, every day of the week had a set exercise or relaxation interval, which offered a pleasant construction.
Thankfully, Google has already famous that customers are demanding extra construction, and it’s “bringing again weekly structured schedules later this 12 months ultimately,” which I sit 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 may be on the Google Well being app, I really discover it to be fairly encouraging. Messages are normally 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 throughout the first few days of the week, greater than I normally do. Because of this, I used to be inspired to relaxation on Wednesday, which I did. Later that night, the app advised me the remainder was “precisely what your system wanted” whereas conserving 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 observed my resting coronary heart fee was rising.
The Coach normally supplies insightful messages like that, usually delivered as notifications on my cellphone all through the day, after a exercise, or once I get up. And if want be, it’ll change its tune if it notices issues are off, corresponding to if I did not get sufficient restful sleep.
You possibly can, in fact, 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 once I may get again to the fitness center that week or simply take away my exercise plan for that week completely. It is fairly versatile.
You can even ask for recommendation on how one can enhance particular metrics, and it’ll reply with options on what you are able to do, full with hyperlinks to the sources it attracts from.
That is the sort 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 may well totally exchange having an actual individual practice you.
Nearly a alternative for MyFitnessPal
Meals logging is a Google Well being function that I need to love, but it surely 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 may be one, providing an alternative choice to MyFitnessPal’s personal barcode-scanning function, which you want to subscribe with a purpose 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 remains 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 had been nonetheless off by 10, and that was just one of some inaccuracies I observed with meals logging.
Thankfully, Google Well being syncs with MyFitnessPal, so I can nonetheless log my meals in that app and the right vitamin values will seem. Nonetheless, I am hoping Google can step up its sport right here, as a result of it could deliver 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 purpose with the Well being app, particularly now that you’ll be able to hyperlink your medical data. I linked my earlier and present medical suppliers with the app, and now I can see my situations, drugs, 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 the whole lot in a single place but additionally deliver extra context to Coach on your general well being.
You can even log new lab leads to the app if they do not sync routinely, though the app appears to do a very good job syncing the data. I simply want the information was laid out higher; seeing the historic information of 788 lab outcomes, 95 drugs and 71 situations simply appears overwhelming, particularly since I presently solely take just a few drugs and have just a few situations.
You can even ask Coach about sure particulars of your medical historical past, and Coach even warned me {that a} current take a look at confirmed outcomes which are “outdoors regular limits” (don’t be concerned, I am positive). And whereas some might discover this entry helpful, others will undoubtedly discover it intrusive.
You possibly can 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 more information.
Extra to come back
Clearly, Google Well being isn’t good and there are fairly quite a lot of issues that both want fixing, tweaking, or which are simply plain lacking. Many customers have complained concerning the AI Heath Coach hallucinating, though I have not knowingly skilled this. Sleep profiles is one thing I miss from the previous Fitbit app, matching customers with cute animals based mostly on their sleep types.
Thankfully, Google is already laborious at work getting ready updates to the app, and has offered a listing of updates coming quickly or later this 12 months. Sleep profiles nonetheless is not amongst them, however I am holding out hope.
Nonetheless, it is an excellent signal that Google is listening to consumer suggestions to create a complete well being app for everybody, and I, for one, am all for it. Simply bear in mind to provide a thumbs up or down for any options or AI responses within the Google Well being app in case you actually like one thing or issues do not look proper.
