admin The update, rolling out from 19 May to 26 May, turns the existing Fitbit app into Google Health rather than requiring users to install a separate application. It brings a redesigned interface, a Gemini-powered Health Coach, a new Android home-screen widget and a series of feature retirements that will reshape how millions of Fitbit and Pixel Watch users track exercise, sleep and wellbeing.
Google Health 5.0 reorganises the app around four main tabs: Today, Fitness, Sleep and Health. The new layout is intended to make daily metrics easier to scan, while separating workout planning, rest analysis and longer-term health data into clearer sections. Users without a connected Fitbit device or Pixel Watch will see a narrower experience focused mainly on Today and Health.
The change also completes a wider branding shift. Fitbit Premium is being renamed Google Health Premium, while Fitbit branding is being retained primarily for hardware. The move places Google’s health software under a single identity, with Fitbit devices, Pixel Watch, Android Health Connect, Apple Health and third-party services feeding data into one platform.
The most prominent addition is Google Health Coach, built with Gemini. The AI tool is designed to offer adaptive fitness plans, sleep guidance and personalised insights based on user goals, activity history and health signals. Premium subscribers in supported countries can chat with the coach to create weekly workout plans, adjust targets, change repetitions or duration, and receive guidance when routines are disrupted by fatigue, injury or schedule changes.
Google has positioned the coach as a wellness and fitness assistant rather than a diagnostic tool. That distinction is important as technology companies increase their use of generative AI in health-related products. Large language models can produce inaccurate or overly confident responses, and consumer health applications face additional scrutiny because advice may influence exercise, sleep or medication-related decisions. Google says the coach is designed with safety limits and is not meant to replace medical care.
The Android version of Google Health 5.0 adds a Quick Access Widget that replaces the old circular steps widget. The new widget can surface several metrics from the top of the Today tab, including activity and health statistics selected by the user. It can expand up to a 5×3 layout, display as many as six metrics, shrink to a single statistic, refresh from the home screen and provide a shortcut to the Health Coach.
The app update also introduces a new Google Health icon and removes Fitbit branding from the app interface. Version 5.0 is required to set up Fitbit Air, Google’s screenless tracker scheduled to launch after the app rollout. The device is designed to work closely with Google Health and the AI coach, reinforcing the company’s effort to link wearable hardware with subscription-based software.
Some Fitbit features are being removed or changed. Sleep Profile will no longer be available, meaning users will stop receiving monthly sleep animals. Estimated Oxygen Variation is also being retired. Badges will no longer be supported, new badges will not be generated and historical badges will be deleted. These removals may frustrate long-time Fitbit users who valued the app’s gamified elements and community identity.
Social functions are also changing. Users will no longer be able to send or receive direct messages and notifications within the app. Groups and the Community Feed are being removed. Social profiles will be tied more closely to Google Account information, including name, email address and profile picture, with users prompted before sharing those details. Leaderboards will remain, with support for steps and cardio load, but the older Fitbit social experience is being narrowed.
Several feature names have been revised. Health metrics are now grouped under Vitals, menstrual health has been renamed Cycle health, and Resilience replaces Stress score in the Mental Wellbeing section. Instead of showing a numerical stress score, the app will describe resilience as Optimal, Balanced or Low.
The redesigned platform also expands Google’s ambition to make Health a broader data hub. Users can connect third-party apps and devices through Health Connect, Apple Health and Google Health APIs. The app can bring together activity logs, nutrition data, sleep records, vitals and, in the US, medical records such as lab results, medications and clinical measurements.
