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 wish 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 previous Fitbit app design, which I discovered boring and uninteresting.
The brand new design is far more colourful and animated, making data simple to see and perceive. Your focus metrics are simply accessible on the prime of the In the present day tab, or you possibly can scroll to dive deeper into right now 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 may be very AI-focused, and in case you’re subscribed to Google Well being Premium, the Well being Coach is in every single place. I do not truly 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 data 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 this can be a step in the best course, however Google ought to go additional and easily conceal the Coach messages. Simply current the info on every tab visually, and add a small button to every card with the standard AI sparkle icon to develop it to view Well being Coach messages.
That method, customers aren’t bombarded with AI-generated textual content and may determine when they need the extra insights. Give us extra management over the expertise.
Holding me on observe
The Coach tab within the earlier Fitbit app was fairly bare-bones, with each day run suggestions being the one characteristic I discovered remotely helpful. Google took that and ran with it, increasing AI to underscore all the app expertise.
In the course of the onboarding course of, I instructed the Coach my objectives, out there tools, and any illnesses that may hinder my efficiency. It even offered some welcome pushback once I recommended 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 holding me on observe week to week.
A part of that is due to the extra versatile weekly Cardio Load, which principally measures how intense your actions are. This metric is accessible on the In the present day tab and can also be simply seen within the Health tab for added steerage.
I instructed the Coach that I wish to achieve muscle mass, lose physique fats, and change into extra constant at working so I can run my first 5K later this yr. Since then, my weekly exercises have targeted on these objectives, with a wide range of train varieties in every session and a weekly working objective that features diversified circuits at completely different goal distances and paces.
You possibly can 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 as well 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 seems 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 routinely rely reps or units, one thing I really like about Garmin and even Samsung smartwatches.
On the plus aspect, exercises may even routinely 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 offered 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 in a roundabout way,” which I stay up for. Till then, this format is not horrible, particularly for customers preferring the pliability.
Encouragement goes a great distance
Regardless of how overwhelming the AI might be on the Google Well being app, I truly discover it to be fairly encouraging. Messages are normally fairly insightful, taking your exercise, sleep, and metrics into consideration to correctly put together you for the day.
For instance, I labored out a ton in the course of the first few days of the week, greater than I normally do. In consequence, I used to be inspired to relaxation on Wednesday, which I did. Later that night, the app instructed me the remainder was “precisely what your system wanted” whereas holding issues “low-key” with a lightweight stroll.
It then began prepping me for my return to the gymnasium the following day, suggesting I set an alarm, pack my gear, and drink extra water because it observed my resting coronary heart price was rising.
The Coach normally offers insightful messages like that, typically delivered as notifications on my telephone all through the day, after a exercise, or once I get up. And if want be, it’s going to change its tune if it notices issues are off, comparable to if I did not get sufficient restful sleep.
You possibly can, after all, chat with the Well being Coach in order for you extra perception into your sleep, exercises, or different metrics. Just a few 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 be capable to get to the gymnasium. The Coach would then work with me to shift my objectives primarily based on once I may get again to the gymnasium that week or simply take away my exercise plan for that week fully. It is fairly versatile.
You may as well 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 assume it could absolutely exchange having an actual particular person prepare you.
Virtually a alternative for MyFitnessPal
Meals logging is a Google Well being characteristic that I wish to love, however it does not fairly hit the mark. When logging meals you possibly can both inform Coach what you ate or you possibly can 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 various is taking a photograph of the barcode, if there may be one, providing an alternative choice to MyFitnessPal’s personal barcode-scanning characteristic, which that you must subscribe so as to have entry to.
The draw back of both of those strategies is that whereas Google Well being is aware of what you might be consuming, the knowledge 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.
Luckily, Google Well being syncs with MyFitnessPal, so I can nonetheless log my meals in that app and the proper diet 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 objective with the Well being app, particularly now that you possibly can 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 function place.
I truly discover it to be a handy technique to not solely see the whole lot in a single place but in addition convey extra context to Coach in your general well being.
You may as well log new lab ends in the app if they do not sync routinely, though the app appears to do a great job syncing the knowledge. I simply want the info was laid out higher; seeing the historic information of 788 lab outcomes, 95 drugs and 71 situations simply appears to be like overwhelming, particularly since I at present solely take a couple of drugs and have a couple of situations.
You may as well ask Coach about sure particulars of your medical historical past, and Coach even warned me {that a} current check confirmed outcomes which can be “exterior regular limits” (don’t fret, I am effective). 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 data 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 return
Clearly, Google Well being is just not excellent and there are fairly a variety 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 not knowingly skilled this. Sleep profiles is one thing I miss from the previous Fitbit app, matching customers with cute animals primarily based on their sleep kinds.
Luckily, Google is already onerous at work getting ready updates to the app, and has offered a listing 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 incredible 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 bear in mind to present 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.
