On Thursday, Google revealed the new Fitbit Air, a fitness band similar to Whoop, and announced the rebranding of its Fitbit app to Google Health, along with the introduction of an AI-driven health coach as part of a subscription service.
The Health app will play a central role in Google’s fitness strategy, strengthening its focus on fitness wearables following the acquisition of Fitbit in 2021. This move complements its broader Android smartwatch offerings.
Powered by Google’s Gemini AI, the new Google Health Coach delivers personalized insights as a fitness coach, sleep expert, and health advisor. Having been in public preview, the service has been enhanced through user feedback.
Google states the Health app will launch worldwide on May 19, coinciding with the release of the Fitbit Air. The AI coaching service is included with Google Health Premium (formerly Fitbit Premium), at $9.99 monthly or $99 annually. Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers gain access to Google Health Premium without additional costs.
The health coach service is tailored during onboarding, where users identify goals, routines, available exercise equipment, injuries, and lifestyle factors. This enables the coach to provide customized guidance and insights.
Users interact with the coach using natural language for updates on personal details or goals anytime. Workouts, meals, and health records can be logged via voice input, photos, or files.
The coach is accessible from the Today tab in the Google Health app, with insights integrating multiple data sources like fitness and sleep metrics, nutrition, and U.S. medical records. Features for cycle tracking, nutrition, and mental well-being have been redesigned for the health coach.
The AI coach is also included in other app areas, providing workout suggestions, sleep tracking, and health summaries.
Initially, the health coach is available to select Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, with broader device support forthcoming. Anyone can download the Google Health app, and Google will inform those without a Fitbit or Pixel Watch when the coach is ready for them. No specific timeline was given.