Your Fitbit app is becoming Google Health – all you need to know

Fitbit is one of the biggest names in wearables, and while the brand has been around for nearly two decades at this point, it’s been undergoing some significant changes since it was acquired by Google in 2021. Lately, we’ve been expecting not only an innovative new screenless fitness tracker, but also a major overhaul to the Fitbit app, after discovering a new one named “Google Health Premium” last month. Today, we’re finally getting the full story on this change, as the Fitbit app we know has evolved into Google Health.

That’s right: the Fitbit app is becoming Google Health. This is a mandatory change with no option to stay on the old Fitbit app. As Google did when it moved Nest functionality to Home, the idea is to get everyone on the same Google-branded solution going forward.

Fitbit users will start seeing their first official warnings about the upcoming change today, with notifications alerting them to the pending change. Then, in a little less than two weeks, on May 19, the new Google Health app that replaced the Fitbit app officially launched.

All of this will be up and running before the arrival of the new Fitbit Air, which will begin retail availability on May 26.

Your existing Fitbit data should easily transfer to Google Health without any worries. And later this year, Google plans to let you import Google Fit data in a similar way.

Google is clear that Health is meant to be a one-stop shop for everyone to track your health — and that means it’s not limited to Fitbit hardware users. You can enter your meals, log hydration, and track plenty more data points across four main tabs: Today, Fitness, Sleep, and Health. Sound familiar?

Google Health is designed to connect with all your other favorite health apps and help store your medical records. And because we know how different apps can produce data of different quality, if you have one source you trust more than others, you can tell Health to prioritize it.

You can pull data from Health Connect, Google Health, and Apple Health APIs – in particular, this is a big upgrade in terms of cross-platform compatibility, as users previously had to rely on third-party tools to sync their data.

We started this journey with that “health premium” name – so what does it really mean? Google Health Premium is basically the next step up to Fitbit Premium — and if you’ve been testing the Gemini-powered Fitbit Personal Health Coach, available in preview since last fall, you may have already seen what to expect.

Google Health itself is available for free to users in more than 200 countries. You can track your activities, sleep and health metrics, store your medical records and access basic weight and food logging.

Google Health Premium upgrades with exactly the same kind of personalized coaching that Fitbit has been in public preview for the past few months. Google Health Coach, available to Premium users, aims to provide streamlined, actionable recommendations, rather than one-size-fits-all health advice. You can also fill it in with any specific restrictions you have and use it to create fitness goals. Reaching more than 30 countries.

As your goals change, Health Coach is designed to adapt, keeping your fitness regime fresh with updated goals. To really make the experience feel right, Google tapped NBA champion Stephen Curry for his insight and guidance.

Once your coach has created a plan for you, the app’s Today screen will become your home for keeping on top of your progress – showing recent performance, immediate goals, and giving you the advice you need to stay motivated. Access to Health Coach and related tools will initially require a compatible Fitbit model or Pixel watch.

How much will this premium fitness cost you?

As you’d expect, premium means “paid,” and like Fitbit Premium before it, Google Health Premium requires an ongoing subscription. To access personalized training and the expanded feature set, users will have to pay $9.99 per month, or $99 annually. That’s more than the $79.99 Fitbit Premium charges, so a lot of eyes will be on Google to see if all this new functionality is worth the price. On the plus side, Google Health Premium will be a free benefit for users on Google AI Pro and Ultra plans.

It all starts in a little over a week on May 19th. New Fitbit The Google Health experience should reach all eligible users by May 26.