Air is not intended to act as a data collector within Google’s expanding health software ecosystem. (The company has since renamed the Fitbit app “Google Health.”) Built on Gemini, Health Coach is the brains of the system, promising personalized guidance based on your habits, goals, and biometric data. Instead of just displaying statistics, Google Health Coach converts them into actionable recommendations. It can generate workout plans, suggest recovery windows based on stress and preparation, and analyze sleep disruptions. The aim is to provide ongoing coaching that evolves alongside your daily routine.
Despite its different exterior, the Air retains the same tracking capabilities as the Charge 6. It includes baseline metrics like steps, distance, and calories burned, along with more advanced features like weekly cardio load and daily readiness scoring. It also continues to offer 24/7 heart rate tracking, including irregular heart rhythm notifications that can flag potential signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), alerts for high or low heart rate readings, and heart rate variability (HRV) insights.
Sleep tracking gets a minor upgrade. The Air still offers Fitbit’s personalized sleep score, but Google says the system — now powered by Google’s Gemini — is 15 percent more accurate than the previous model in capturing pauses, naps, and transitions between sleep stages. It also includes a Smart Wake Alarm, which aims to wake users at the optimal point of their sleep cycle for an easy start to the day.
What’s worth noting here is that while Health Coach is at the center of Google’s health software ecosystem, it’s also just a feature for customers. Anyone can use the Google Health app for free, and if you have a Fitbit device or Pixel Watch, you can continue to see your activity, sleep, and health-tracking data. (Google also intends to provide support for a wider range of devices later in the year.) If you want access to features like health coaches or adaptive fitness plans, Google Health Premium will cost $10 per month ($100 per year). You get three months free with the purchase of Air, and it’s also included for anyone subscribing to Google One’s AI Pro and AI Ultra subscription plans.
If you’re already in the Google Wearables ecosystem, the Air is designed to integrate into your daily routine without any friction. Both the Air and Pixel Watch pair with the Google Health app, meaning you can wear them together or switch between them. Health data syncs automatically, and the app lets you filter metrics based on device. It’s a small but neat detail that reflects Google’s broader effort to unify its lineup and create interchangeable inputs for a single health platform.
The new Google Health app will launch on May 19 for Android and iOS. The Fitbit Air is available for preorder today and will launch on May 26.
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