What you need to know
- Google Health is getting fixes for workout tracking, sleep scores, and Fitbit Air connectivity issues.
- Users will soon be able to customize Health dashboards and rearrange metrics in the app.
- Google is improving automatic workout detection and fixing exercise data inconsistencies.
- A new 24-hour sleep view will combine naps and overnight sleep into one timeline.
Google officially rolled out its rebranded Google Health app last week. While the new app brings a refreshed UI and several new features, it has also launched with quite a few bugs and missing functionality. Google has now confirmed that a number of fixes and missing features are coming soon.
It's only been a day since the Fitbit Air officially launched. Alongside the new Fitbit Air, Google also rebranded the Fitbit app into Google Health, bringing features like Google Health Coach and several other upgrades. Now, the company has announced a long list of additional improvements that are on the way.
As detailed in a Google blog post, the company says it is improving exercise tracking. Runs that were incorrectly labeled as general workouts will now be properly categorized, and split tracking for runs will also be added later this week. Google is also improving how the app behaves during live workout tracking if the Fitbit Air temporarily loses connectivity.
One of the better parts of the Google Health platform is its ability to import data from other health apps and services. Google says it will also improve metric inconsistencies when multiple devices are connected to the app at the same time. On top of that, the company plans to improve automatic workout detection on the Fitbit Air as well.
Several sleep-related improvements are also coming. Google says it is addressing issues around missing sleep scores in certain sections of the app. Users will also get a new 24-hour sleep overview that combines nighttime sleep and naps together. There will additionally be an option to delete sleep sessions manually.
I haven't used the Fitbit Air yet, but from the reviews that I have read, Google Health still feels a little unfinished right now. And it's great that Google is already acknowledging the missing features and bugs. The dashboard customization is also something I am looking forward to when I get the Fitbit Air.
Google is also working on improvements to nutrition and calorie tracking, alongside upgrades to Ask Coach. Users will soon be able to delete logs directly through Ask Coach as well. The Google Health app is also getting better dashboard customization. Users will be able to rearrange health metrics inside the Health and Today dashboards to better suit their preferences.
The company still hasn't confirmed exactly when these updates will begin rolling out, but given how quickly the issues surfaced after launch, we expect the improvements to arrive fairly soon. We'll update this once the rollout begins.
