Fitbit’s overhauled app and AI health coach arrive tomorrow

Fitbit’s new Gemini-powered health coach is debuting in preview tomorrow, as part of an entirely new app experience that was announced back in August. Premium subscribers in the US on Android will have access to it first as it starts rolling out, with plans to expand to iOS “later this year,” according to Taylor Helgren, Fitbit product manager.

The new health coach is the foundation for an entirely rethought Fitbit app. Rather than bolting AI features onto the existing app, the health coach is offered as an opt-in experience wrapped up in a redesigned Fitbit app. It’s not feature complete yet — things like nutrition and cycle tracking are on the roadmap to add later — and people who opt in will be able to switch back and forth between the new and regular app whenever they want.

Onboarding begins with a five to 10 minute chat with the AI coach (text or spoken), which will help establish your goals and what kind of recommendations the system will make for you. It’s all based on your input and Fitbit data — past and present — and the health coach will be able form a weekly workout plan for you based on a library of exercises available in the app. It’ll take into account any equipment you have and what kind of training you want to do — whether you want guidance ramping up to a 5K or building a strength training routine.

Once you’re set up, the idea is that you’ll use natural language to make adjustments and ask questions related to your health and fitness; conversations are tracked in a section called “coach’s notes.” If you’re dealing with an injury or an unusually busy schedule, you can let the coach know and it will make tweaks for you. It’s an unusually thorough integration of AI recommendations, which can often feel bolted on and spit out “Captain Obvious-level summaries” as my colleague and senior wearables reviewer Victoria Song puts it.

There are some real risks to such a wide-ranging, AI-centric overhaul. Hallucinations would be a real problem, especially considering that the health coach is designed to field some medical questions as well as topics related to fitness. Helgren says that the team engaged with “internal and external clinicians and fitness experts” along with an advisory panel to build a safety framework for the coach. Importantly, it’s also designed to refer users to health care professionals when necessary.

It’s an ambitious update, and this is just a first step of what may be a long road to a full launch. Google says the health coach will be fully available “next year,” though isn’t committing to any timeframe more specific than that. You don’t need to own a Pixel Watch to take advantage of the coach, either — it’ll work with Fitbit trackers and watches, including potential “new Fitbit hardware,” which Fitbit’s head of product Andy Abramson teased as part of “an exciting year” ahead.

Correction October 27th: The public preview launches tomorrow, Tuesday October 28th. A previous version of this article stated that it launched on Monday the 27th.

Update October 27th: Added information about new Fitbit hardware coming in the next year.