All of us knew this was coming ultimately. Within the 5 years since Google accomplished its acquisition of Fitbit, there have been sufficient adjustments — reminiscent of each Fitbit app person needing obligatory Google accounts, Fitbit group options getting axed, and smartwatches lowered in precedence in favor of Google’s personal Pixel Watch — to signpost that Fitbit customers would ultimately develop into Google customers.
Now, the Fitbit app is about to develop into Google Well being, in a compulsory replace that’s a part of a sweeping AI-powered app redesign, coinciding with the launch of the brand new Google Fitbit Air (sure, that’s the complete identify, and you’ll count on any future Fitbits to have the ‘Google’ prefix in there too).
What does this imply for present, longtime Fitbit customers? Do you must replace? What in case you already personal a Fitbit? What about Fitbit Premium? And are there any adjustments to the best way Google is dealing with your knowledge? We’re right here to reply all of your questions with this helpful information.
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1. The replace is occurring for all Fitbit customers — whether or not you prefer it or not
(Picture credit score: Google)
Should you’re a Fitbit person on both the free or premium tiers, you’re getting up to date to Google Well being. Google Well being is billed as a brand new model of the service, that’s additionally changing Google’s native, now-redundant Google Match and Google Well being Join apps.
It really works with Apple Well being, Peloton, steady glucose screens like Lingo, and a whole bunch of different apps and gadgets, so that you don’t should be on an Android telephone to make use of it regardless of being a Google app. It’s billed as “a cleaner view of your well being and wellness”, organising your knowledge throughout 4 tabs — In the present day, Health, Sleep and Well being.
As soon as your app updates, you’ll see a brand new emblem, a brand new format, however you’ll nonetheless be capable to entry all of your outdated knowledge and use all the perfect Fitbits (amongst different gadgets) to gather well being info.
2. It’s now a house for medical information too
Google Well being may also mean you can host your medical information on the app, permitting you to export and share knowledge, creating studies accessible through sharable ‘good well being’ QR codes to share with medical doctors and medical suppliers.
In a press briefing, Google reaffirmed the dedication it made on buying Fitbit, to maintain well being knowledge separate from Google Adverts. That dedication, made with the EU fee in 2020, is legally binding for no less than 10 years.
3. Fitbit Premium is now Google Well being Coach
(Picture credit score: Google)
Whereas Fitbit had a free and premium tier and Google Well being continues that custom, like so lots of the finest health apps these days, Google Well being’s premium possibility is now primarily based round an AI health coach. The Google Well being Coach has been ‘grounded in scientific and well-established teaching and health frameworks’ in response to Google, with a Shopper Well being Advisory Panel of consultants offering suggestions and steerage for the coach’s growth, to restrict any potential hurt brought on by AI coaching recommendation.
The Coach, constructed with Gemini, can entry your knowledge and reply questions on well being and wellness, creating coaching plans which change weekly relying in your efficiency, providing recipes and diet recommendation, solutions questions on accidents, and sleep evaluation. It’s described as ‘world-class experience that’s all the time accessible everytime you want it. It consistently adapts primarily based in your private well being and wellness metrics and is uniquely tailor-made to your targets and real-life circumstances’.
What to learn subsequent
With so many AI-powered coaching recommendation companies on the market, Google is working laborious to try to lead this class. It even accesses your medical information or menstrual cycle info do you have to give it permission to take action. That legally-binding dedication from Google not to make use of our well being info for promoting does make me really feel higher about permitting Google Well being Coach entry to this info.
4. The Google Well being Coach gives Vitamin Logging
Google Well being Coach has a function just like Garmin Join+’s Vitamin Monitoring function: Vitamin Logging, which lets you arrange an adjustable calorie goal and add photographs of your meals, which the Coach will use to estimate a calorie or macro depend.
You’ll additionally be capable to add the data manually, however intelligently analysing a fast photograph for a calorie or macronutrient depend is a great tool for these severe about shedding, sustaining or gaining weight.
5. The value isn’t altering a lot
(Picture credit score: Google)
Entry to Google Well being’s premium tier, together with Google Well being Coach, prices $9.99 / month (different areas TBC, however it’s about £7.50 / AU$14) or $99 / yr (round £75 / AU$140). Google Well being retains a free tier which lets you entry your uploaded knowledge with out the AI-powered insights. The brand new Google Fitbit Air now comes with simply three months of Premium, slightly than the six months you get with current-gen Fitbits.
That’s across the identical worth as Fitbit Premium, which additionally prices $99 / £7.99 / AU$14.99 a month. Premium subscribers nonetheless get entry to a library of recipes and exercise content material from the Fitbit Knowledgeable Trainers: nonetheless, it appears clear the unique Fitbit group challenges and different group options won’t be returning anytime quickly.
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