Google Replaces Fitbit With a New Health Platform Powered by AI

Google has shut down the Fitbit app and moved all Fitbit users to a new service called Google Health. The shift happened on May 19, 2026, and all existing Fitbit account holders need to switch to a Google account to keep using the service.

The biggest change is a new AI assistant, built using Google's Gemini technology, that acts as a personalized fitness coach. This coach suggests workouts and gives health tips to paying subscribers in regions where the service is available.

What the New App Looks Like

The Google Health app is organized into four main tabs: Today, Fitness, Sleep, and Health. The old Fitbit app had a different layout, so this is a redesign from the ground up.

The AI coach is the standout feature. Instead of just showing you pre-made workout plans, you can talk to the coach like you would a trainer. If you pay for Google Health Premium, you can ask the AI to build a custom weekly fitness plan based on your habits and goals. The app learns from your data over time and adjusts its suggestions.

A New Fitness Band Called Fitbit Air

Google also announced a new wearable device called the Fitbit Air. It's a bracelet-like band that has no screen—it just tracks your activity and vital signs continuously throughout the day. You can adjust the band to fit your wrist perfectly.

When you use the Fitbit Air with Google Health Premium, the data feeds directly to the AI coach, which uses it to give you better, more tailored advice. Google is offering store credit worth S$45 (about $33 USD) to people who pre-order one. This pricing suggests Google sees the hardware as a way to get people into the subscription service, not as a major profit center on its own.

Why You Need a Google Account Now

If you've been using Fitbit for years, you'll need to switch to a Google account to access the new platform. If you had a Fitbit Premium subscription, it automatically becomes Google Health Premium—so your subscription carries over, and you get access to the new AI features.

Google acquired Fitbit back in 2021, and this migration is the final step in merging Fitbit into Google's broader product ecosystem.

What This Means for the Bigger Picture

Google is positioning Google Health as an all-in-one wellness app, not just a tracker for Fitbit devices. You don't need a Fitbit device to use it. This puts Google in direct competition with Apple Health and Samsung Health, which offer similar all-in-one platforms.

This follows a familiar pattern in Google's history. When Google Photos launched, it absorbed features from older photo services and eventually became a standalone platform that worked across all devices and brands. Google is using the same strategy here: it acquired Fitbit, merged it into a broader platform, and now it's expanding beyond its original user base.

The AI coach is the key way Google is trying to stand out. Apple Health and Samsung Health mainly use algorithms—mathematical rules—to give recommendations. Google Health lets you have a natural conversation with an AI coach, which is a new way to interact with this kind of app. The question is whether that conversation feels genuinely helpful and worth the subscription price, especially when you're moving from the old Fitbit app.

How the Technology Works Behind the Scenes

The four-tab design reflects a redesigned data system underneath. The Today tab appears to be a dashboard that pulls in health data from many sources, while the other tabs focus on specific areas like fitness or sleep.

Powering the AI coach requires significant computing power. Every time the AI generates a suggestion, it's running calculations in Google's data centers. Google hasn't shared the technical details, but the system likely processes your health data in the cloud and sends back personalized responses.

The Fitbit Air's screenless design is also intentional. Instead of constantly buzzing or showing notifications (like older fitness trackers), it just collects data silently. This fits with how Google builds products around data gathering rather than constant user interaction.

How This Stacks Up Against Competitors

Apple Health is deeply integrated into iPhones and other Apple devices, which gives it a major advantage for iPhone users. Strava and MyFitnessPal have loyal users in specific areas—Strava for runners and cyclists, MyFitnessPal for people tracking nutrition.

Google Health's main advantage is the conversational AI coach. Competitors don't offer anything like it yet. If Google's AI actually helps people make better fitness decisions, that could be a real reason to switch platforms. But it's still early, and we'll have to see if users find the feature genuinely useful or if it's just a gimmick.

The broader context here is that Google has attempted to become a primary platform for personal data across many areas—search, email, photos, and now health. Some of those attempts (Gmail, Google Photos) became very successful. Others didn't gain the same traction. Health is also more heavily regulated than photos or email, which adds complexity.

The full success of Google Health will depend on whether the AI coach actually helps people, whether the app is easier to use than alternatives, and whether Google can convince people to trust it with sensitive health information. That's still an open question.