Google updates Health app after Fitbit user complaints
What's the story
In response to user complaints, Google has announced a series of changes to its Health app. The updates will start rolling out this week and are aimed at improving user experience by addressing some of the major issues raised by Fitbit users. These include customization options for the Today dashboard, which currently displays selected health metrics only in the top half of the screen.
Upcoming updates
Users will soon be able to customize their dashboards
Google has promised to make it easier for users to customize their Today and Health dashboards. The company plans to allow users more flexibility in rearranging metrics within these dashboards or adding/removing them as per their preference. The Health app will also add features like custom food viewing, creation, and logging. This will let you add custom food items to your logs for a more personalized experience.
Feature additions
New charts and sleep overview
The Today and Health tabs of the Google Health app will also get new features like hourly step goal charts and a 24-hour total sleep overview. The latter will provide insights into both main sleep periods as well as naps. These updates are part of Google's effort to enhance user experience by providing more detailed health data at a glance.
AI enhancements
AI coach messages will be more concise
The Google Health app's AI coach has received mixed reviews from users. While some have found it helpful, others have complained about having to sift through long paragraphs of AI-generated text for their health data. In response, Google plans to make these messages more concise while retaining useful detail and balancing positivity with objectivity. The company also intends to add more visuals like charts, maps, and glanceable stats in messages.
Message refinement
AI coach will also ask for user intent more frequently
Google plans to fine-tune which activities trigger a message from the AI coach. This means users can expect less commentary on short walks, making the experience more tailored and relevant. The company also plans to add splits to run summaries and ask for user intent more frequently before responding, when additional detail would be beneficial for the coach's response.
Migration improvements
Account migration process to be improved
The account migration process for the Google Health app is also set to be improved. Currently, heads of families can't migrate their personal account without migrating or deleting their kids' accounts as well. In June, Google plans to give users the option to delete child accounts and unblock their account migration. This change will make managing multiple accounts on the platform much easier for families.