Google is officially shutting down the Fitbit app and rolling out a new platform called Google Health. Along with this change, they’ve introduced a screenless wearable named the Fitbit Air and an AI-driven coaching feature called Coach. These updates mark a major shift in Google’s health strategy since acquiring Fitbit for $2.1 billion in 2021.
The Fitbit App Is Gone — Here’s What Replaces It
If you’ve been using the Fitbit app to monitor your steps, sleep, and workouts, you’ll need to switch to Google Health. This new app is more than just a rebranding. It aims to be a central hub that integrates data from various devices and services.
The app also features a tiered subscription model. The current Fitbit Premium plan now includes a new AI Pro tier, which offers access to the AI-powered Coach feature. Coach utilizes Google’s Gemini AI, a large language model, to provide personalized health advice based on your activity, sleep patterns, and other metrics.
After months in Public Preview, the full rollout has begun, according to 9to5Google.
What Is the Fitbit Air?
The Fitbit Air is Google’s latest screenless fitness tracker. It lacks a display and notifications—just sensors. It passively tracks health data throughout the day and syncs it with the Google Health app. This device resembles a ring or patch more than a traditional smartwatch. You wear it and forget about it, instead of constantly checking it.
Gemini AI powers the Fitbit Air, meaning it doesn’t just collect numbers. The device aims to highlight insights and trends over time. We’ll have to see if it outperforms traditional trackers with screens, but it targets users who find smartwatches too bulky or distracting.
Could Google Health Come to Apple Watch?
One surprising hint in Google’s announcements suggests that the Google Health app might reach the Apple Watch. Android Authority noticed wording in Google’s materials indicating the app may not remain exclusive to Android and Fitbit devices. If this happens, iPhone users with an Apple Watch could use Google Health to monitor their data—an unusual cross-platform move for a Google product.
No specific date has been confirmed, but this possibility is intriguing. Google typically keeps its health tools within its own ecosystem.
| By The Numbers: Alphabet / Google | |
|---|---|
| Company | Alphabet (GOOGL) |
| Stock Price | $396.35 (-0.37%) |
| CEO | Sundar Pichai |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, CA |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Fitbit Acquisition Cost | $2.1 billion (2021) |
| Fitbit App Status | Retired — replaced by Google Health |
| New Subscription Tiers | Premium + AI Pro (with Coach/Gemini) |
What This Means for Everyday Users
- Free users: You’ll keep core tracking, but the AI Coach feature requires an AI Pro subscription.
- Fitbit Premium subscribers: Your plan continues, but the pricing structure now includes AI Pro — expect Google to encourage upgrades.
- Fitbit device owners: Your devices will still work. The Fitbit brand on hardware won’t disappear immediately, even though the app will.
- Apple Watch users: Nothing’s confirmed yet, but Google Health may eventually make its way to your wrist.
The big picture? Google is consolidating its health strategy. Instead of keeping Fitbit as a separate brand with its own app, everything’s merging into Google Health—similar to how Google Pay became part of Google Wallet. The Fitbit brand took years to build trust among health-conscious consumers. Swapping it for a Google product raises valid concerns about data privacy and sustainability.
Community Reaction
“Fitbit had such a loyal user base and Google is just… erasing it. I get the business logic but it feels like another Google product graveyard waiting to happen.”
“Actually kind of excited for the screenless tracker. I hate looking at my watch every five minutes. If the AI stuff is actually useful and not just a gimmick, this could be interesting.”
Further Reading
- CNET: Google’s Biggest Health Announcements
- Android Authority: Google Health May Come to Apple Watch
- 9to5Google: Google Health Replaces Fitbit App, New Premium Plan Joins AI Pro
What To Watch
- Google Health rollout timeline: The app replacement is happening now. Keep an eye out for migration notices for Fitbit app users in the coming weeks.
- Fitbit Air availability and pricing: No firm release date or price is confirmed yet. Google I/O 2026, typically in May, seems like the best bet for a full hardware launch.
- Apple Watch compatibility: If Google confirms Google Health for Apple Watch, it would be a significant cross-platform moment. Stay tuned for any updates from the Google Health team.
- AI Pro subscription pricing: Google hasn’t shared clear pricing for the new AI Pro tier yet. That cost will impact whether the Coach feature gains traction or remains unused.
Daniel Park
Daniel Park covers AI, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software for Explosion.com. A former software engineer who transitioned to technology journalism 5 years ago, Daniel brings technical depth to his reporting on artificial intelligence, startup funding rounds, and the companies building the future of computing. He breaks down complex AI developments and business strategies into clear, actionable insights for readers who want to understand how technology is reshaping industries.
