At I/O 2026 Google confirmed the most-talked-about consumer hardware move of the conference: the Fitbit app changes name and becomes Google Health, and the Fitbit brand survives only on devices. Rollout started May 19 and, per the official notes, will complete the automatic transition for most accounts by May 26.
What actually changes
The core of the new app is Google Health Coach, a Gemini-powered generative assistant that has been in preview since October 2025 and is now opening to all eligible users. The coach combines sleep, nutrition and activity data to surface long-term trends, builds personalized weekly plans, and answers natural-language questions about your own metrics.
It is not free. The subscription is called Google Health Premium (the former Fitbit Premium) and costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year. Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers get it bundled in, which deepens the link between Google's general-purpose AI stack and its health vertical.
Fitbit Air and the slow end of Pixel Watch as the only channel
The app launches alongside a new device: Fitbit Air, a screenless tracker priced at $99.99, designed to stay on the wrist around the clock and talk to the coach through voice and haptics. Compatibility is broad: every Pixel Watch from the original onward gains coach support, while AFib detection and advanced cardiac analytics stay locked to Pixel Watch 3 and 4 because of optical-sensor hardware limits.
The strategic point, flagged by TechCrunch and CNN Business earlier in May, is interoperability: Google Health plugs into Apple HealthKit and Android's Health Connect, so even an Apple Watch user can benefit from the coach. It is a clear pivot from Fitbit's old, more closed posture.
What is still unclear
The promise of a coach that truly grasps personal medical context requires clinical data, not just wearable metrics. For now the system delivers summaries and recommendations, not diagnoses, and Google itself talks about insights, not prescriptions. The $9.99 monthly fee mirrors competitors like WHOOP and Oura, but with the advantage of running on top of Fitbit and Pixel Watch's already installed base.
Sources
- Google's $9.99-per-month AI health coach launches May 19 — TechCrunch
- Google's plan to win the AI health race? Play nice with Apple and other rivals — CNN Business
- Google Rebrands Fitbit App as 'Google Health' in Major AI Wellness Push — TechRepublic
- What is new with the redesigned Google Health app — Google Support