Google has announced an update to its Fit mobile apps that will introduce a new centralized home screen of health-related information and more sleep tracking data. The updates, for both the Android and iOS versions of Google Fit, will start rolling out this week. Google is also adding new tiles to its Wear OS smartwatch app for workouts, weather, and breathing exercises.
When Google introduced Tiles last year, there were only six options for users to add and scroll through. This year, it removed the 5-tile limit from before, but hasn’t done much with the feature since. Today’s expansion means there are more helpful options to make Wear OS a bit more like Samsung’s superior Tizen OS.
The Workouts tile offers shortcuts to recent workouts and displays metrics while you’re exercising. Weather gets a new look that Google says is “easier on the eyes” and shows the usual forecast information. Breathe, meanwhile, lets you launch guided breathing sessions more quickly and tells you how your heart rate changed between the start and end of each session.
Google is also revamping its Fit app to better show information it’s pulling from various connected devices. In addition to the rings showing your steps and hearts points progress, the home page will also display a summary of your metrics, your most recent workout and your trends over time for things like heart rate, weight and blood pressure.
Sleep-tracking is also getting more useful, particularly for those who wear a smartwatch, ring or use a connected mat in their beds. Fit will now show nightly activity, sleep stages and let you set targets for bedtime schedules. This will also work if you use sleep-tracking apps like Sleep As Android or Sleep Cycle, and Google says it will be expanding this feature so more devices and apps might be supported in future.
The new features are very much in line with the most recent Google Fit redesign launched last year. But the new home screen brings some key data points like weekly goals, recent workouts, and health info like heart rate and weight trends more front and center. As for sleep tracking, Google says Wear OS devices and compatible smart home accessories like the Fossil Gen 5E, Oura Ring, and Withings sleep tracking mat can now sync data with the Fit app for tracking nightly activity and sleep stages, while the sleep tracking feature now lets you set goals for bedtime schedules.
Google says you’ll also be able to send stats, routes, and photos from your Google Fit workout journal entries via social media or messaging apps. And the redesigned Wear OS tiles will also make it easier to check the weather, start and stop guided breathing sessions, and launch recent workouts via shortcuts.
