‘Why does technology just keep getting less fun?’ Fitbit users are mad about losing key features as a result of the huge Google Health changes — but I want to hear what you think
- Fitbit’s app has completely changed — it’s now Google Health
- Many features have vanished, subsumed into its new all-encompassing AI health coach
- I want to hear what you think — vote in the poll below, comment, or email me at matt.evans@futurenet.com, and I’ll publish your responses
As well as the launch of the new, screenless Google Fitbit Air — likely set to be one of the best fitness trackers of 2026 — Google has also completely revamped the Fitbit app, changing it into a new entity called Google Health.
The Premium version is now a complete AI health coach, capable of using all the information collected via the free version of the app and supplying you with workout plan suggestions, recipe tips, photo-based nutrition tracking, and lots more. While the coach looks impressive at first glance, this enormous, all-encompassing agentic health advisor means that some features Fitbit fans loved are being removed.
Chief among them are the Sleep Animals. ‘Old Fitbit’ used information about your sleep to assign you an animal profile, such as a sleepy lion or nocturnal hedgehog, and these were reassessed on a monthly basis. Badges, too, another element of fitness gamification common in all the best fitness apps, are also going away.
Instead, Google says, “if you have Google Health Coach, your coach will help to celebrate your progress and accomplishment”. The removal of this feature for free users is indicative of Google pushing users towards its premium AI subscription service.
Fans are understandably a little unhappy about this. On one thread on the Fitbit subreddit, users bemoan the loss of favorite features, with one stating, “Why does technology keep getting less fun?”
However, longtime Fitbit users are used to this sort of loss. Ever since the brand was acquired by Google in 2021, community features were slowly stripped away while data collection was improved, with resources likely funnelled into the Google Pixel Watch series while existing Fitbit users felt left behind.
However, I want to hear what you think, especially if you’re a longtime Fitbit user. Do you love the idea new agentic AI coach with its comprehensive approach to health and wellness, or do you wish Google would just leave your tracker alone?
The changes roll out to all users starting May 19. Vote in the poll below, comment on this article, or you can even email me at matt.evans@futurenet.com, and I’ll publish your responses in a follow-up article next week.
Vote in our Google Health poll
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