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Google Brings Fitbit AI Health Coach to iPhone as Apple Pulls Back on iOS 27 Health Plans

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Amid rumors that Apple is scaling back its AI health plans, Google today expanded its subscription-based Fitbit AI personal health coach service to more users worldwide, including those who are on iOS. Prior to now, the Fitbit service was limited to Android users.

fitbit-health-coach.jpg

The Gemini-powered Fitbit personal health coach is described as a 24/7 digital advisor that’s meant to work as a virtual fitness trainer, sleep coach, and health and wellness advisor. Users start with a 5 to 10 minute conversation with the coach to outline their motivations and goals, with the Fitbit app then providing health insights in the morning after the user wakes up, after workouts, and before bed.

The app is able to generate a personalized workout plan that tracks core fitness metrics, and it offers up sleep analysis and suggestions for improving sleep. It tracks vitals such as heart rate, temperature, and blood oxygen, plus there is a built-in chatbot for asking all kinds of health-related questions.

Apple was supposedly working on a similar AI health coach feature, which was going to be part of a Health+ service planned for launch in iOS 27. Earlier this month, Bloomberg said that Apple is scaling back its AI health plans.

Apple is no longer planning to launch an Apple Health+ service that will give users AI health recommendations based on personal health data, but some of the components that Apple developed for the health coach could be repurposed and rolled out as other features as soon as this year.

Google’s Fitbit AI health coach is now available to Fitbit Premium subscribers in the United States, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Both iOS and Android users can take advantage of the feature.

Google sells several Fitbit health devices, including the Charge 6, Inspire 3, Versa 4, and Sense 2. Google’s Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4 also work with Fitbit Premium and the AI health coach feature. Fitbit Premium is priced starting at $9.99 per month.

Article Link: Google Brings Fitbit AI Health Coach to iPhone as Apple Pulls Back on iOS 27 Health Plans
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/10/google-fitbit-ai-health-coach-ios/
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MacRumors said:
The app is able to generate a personalized workout plan that tracks core fitness metrics, and it offers up sleep analysis and suggestions for improving sleep. It tracks vitals such as heart rate, temperature, and blood oxygen, plus there is a built-in chatbot for asking all kinds of health-related questions.
Click to expand...
I suppose fitness, sleep and tracking of those vitals is not really anything new, only time will tell whether or n to if offers better "suggestions"than other tools.
now as for "health-related questions", sure, ask any question you want but what will matter is the answer. so "am I overweight" is a health related question and easy to answer, "I have a strange sensation in my chest" - the answer gotta be "go to the emergency room or dial 911" ... also, how does that compete against the various flavors of "Tel a doc" which are for most people covered by their health insurance?

As for Apple "Health +", who knows, Gurman created that rumor and then abandons it, Apple might have looked into that but sure they do not belong in that space. Where they would add (even) more data is to improve their existing sensors and release new ones (Apple Watch), that's where they can make a real difference, "AIK health advise" - not so much.
 
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On a serious note, it does suck that the iPhone doesn’t do basic sleep tracking without a watch. Simply having a phone inactive while sleep focus is on should be enough. Logging manually is a chore. Who wears a watch while sleeping? Lol.
 
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Zenman12 said:
On a serious note, it does suck that the iPhone doesn’t do basic sleep tracking without a watch. Simply having a phone inactive while sleep focus is on should be enough. Logging manually is a chore. Who wears a watch while sleeping? Lol.
Click to expand...
and how would the iPhone determine whether you're sleeping or not, and what sleep stage you're in and for how long?
do you take your phone into bed with you?
Are there any smartphones that can do sleep tracking? which ones?
 
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jz0309 said:
and how would the iPhone determine whether you're sleeping or not, and what sleep stage you're in and for how long?
do you take your phone into bed with you?
Are there any smartphones that can do sleep tracking? which ones?
Click to expand...
Again, with the sleep focus on and inactivity. Again, not exact with assumptions but could give a rough idea. And you don’t have to use it…
 
After I saw the wwdc video on swift working with Java…Tim just wants future iOS releases to be Android skins.

Then he’ll let go half of the software team to keep those margins high.
 
jz0309 said:
and how would the iPhone determine whether you're sleeping or not, and what sleep stage you're in and for how long?
do you take your phone into bed with you?
Are there any smartphones that can do sleep tracking? which ones?
Click to expand...
Isn't that what you used to have to do before the Apple Watch? You would place your phone in bed with you and a sleep tracking app would detect movement and listen for snoring. But it struggled with memory foam mattresses, more than 1 person in bed, and all these other issues where I think most of us gave up on it.
 
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jz0309 said:
and how would the iPhone determine whether you're sleeping or not, and what sleep stage you're in and for how long?
do you take your phone into bed with you?
Are there any smartphones that can do sleep tracking? which ones?
Click to expand...
I use a sleep monitor that came with the mattress. Works well as long as you don’t trade sides, has an app and you don’t need to wear anything.
 
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Zenman12 said:
On a serious note, it does suck that the iPhone doesn’t do basic sleep tracking without a watch. Simply having a phone inactive while sleep focus is on should be enough. Logging manually is a chore. Who wears a watch while sleeping? Lol.
Click to expand...
I wear my watch while sleep. The subtle vibration wakes me up every morning — better than an audible alarm imo. Now if I didn’t have the Ultra that would be a different story.
 
Zenman12 said:
On a serious note, it does suck that the iPhone doesn’t do basic sleep tracking without a watch. Simply having a phone inactive while sleep focus is on should be enough. Logging manually is a chore. Who wears a watch while sleeping? Lol.
Click to expand...
It does. If it’s on sleep focus, and on your bed it should log the basics of your sleep. It doesn’t give heart rate/or rem, but it’s still pretty cool
 
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