Google Health is here, but a lot of people want their Fitbit app back instead | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Google Health is here, but a lot of people want their Fitbit app back insteadNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...GadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsScienceCloseSciencePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ScienceGoogle Health is here, but a lot of people want their Fitbit app back insteadFitbit users have some complaints about the new app built around Google’s AI coaching experience.Fitbit users have some complaints about the new app built around Google’s AI coaching experience.by Stevie BonifieldCloseStevie BonifieldNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Stevie BonifieldMay 26, 2026, 7:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: GoogleStevie BonifieldCloseStevie BonifieldPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Stevie Bonifield is a news writer covering all things consumer tech. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI.The Fitbit app is no more. Along with the launch of the new Fitbit Air (which you can expect a full review of once we’ve spent more time with it), Google has officially replaced it with Google Health, as previously announced, and many of the responses we’ve seen so far are full of confusion, frustration, and requests to get the old app back.One post on Reddit calls out a common issue, saying, “I can’t even completely fill up my home screen. They only have 2 large tiles available and I can’t just scroll down to see everything.” The landing page has a small section up top showing steps and some other basic stats, but part of the app’s main page is now reserved for recent activity updates and chatty notes from Google’s AI health coach.The AI didn’t have much to say to me, but for my senior editor, Richard Lawler, it started a conversation about today’s plans that he wasn’t quite ready to have with a chatbot.Screenshot: Richard Lawler / GoogleNot everyone is annoyed by the AI bot however, with one person commenting, “When I ask it to design a moderate workout using my office gym equipment, circuit style, I usually end up feeling great afterwards.” Another person called it “quite a helpful feature,” showing how they were able to update their sleep log with a missed session by chatting with the AI bot.Another user said, “This graphic UI looks like something an 8 year old would make,” while someone else complained, “Why must I now scroll through paragraphs of AI slop on every tab before I can actually see my activities and data? I don’t want or need to read platitudes about my 15 minute walk to the grocery store. I want to see my stats from my morning run.”One post on Google’s help center sums things up, saying, “This app is a huge disappointment and a total time drain to get minimal results. How can I get back to using what worked?!” Many others were in agreement, with one reply saying, “it’s no longer a genuine fitness app.”RelatedThere’s a very thin line between helpful monitoring and health paranoia.On Google’s blog post, its sample image shows a version of the Today screen with all of the information and an AI chat that we couldn’t get to show up, but did appear for some users. There doesn’t seem to be any way to remove the Ask Coach / activity window that takes up so much of the screen, but the bot can be disabled from within the new app’s Feature Privacy Controls.PreviousNext1/3Most of the Google Health landing page is updates from the AI health coach. Screenshot: Stevie Bonifield / GoogleEven though I knew the switch to Google Health was coming, I was still disoriented for the first several minutes after opening the app this morning.If you want to see more of your stats and health tracking data, you have to either swipe left in the small top box on the “Today” page or tab over to the “Health” page. To find logs for my rowing workouts that I had stored in the old Fitbit app, I had to go into “Health,” then down to the “Fitness” section in “Focus areas”, where my logs were viewable under “Exercise days.” In the old Fitbit app, I could see the “Exercise days” block by just scrolling down on the app’s main “Today” page.According to a support page, if you have a supported wearable connected, Google Health shows two additional tabs for Fitness and Sleep that would make things easier, but before the redesign I didn’t need those. While Google’s Rishi Chandra told The Verge earlier this month that Google Health will eventually support third-party wearables, my Nothing Watch Pro 3 currently isn’t enough to unlock those two extra tabs.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Stevie BonifieldCloseStevie BonifieldNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Stevie BonifieldFitnessCloseFitnessPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All FitnessGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsGoogleCloseGooglePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GoogleHealthCloseHealthPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All HealthNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsScienceCloseSciencePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ScienceTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechWearableCloseWearablePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All WearableMost PopularMost PopularFerrari reveals its first EV, with design help from Jony IveSennheiser’s new Momentum 5 headphones have upgraded ANC and a replaceable batteryUber president says AI spending is getting ‘harder to justify’THE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATIONVideoNvidia has retired its GeForce Control Panel app after 20 yearsThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Google has transitioned from the Fitbit application to Google Health, a change that has generated significant dissatisfaction among users who prefer the previous interface and functionality. This shift has led to widespread complaints rooted in confusion, frustration, and a strong desire to restore the original application. One user reported specific navigation difficulties, noting that the new interface limits visible home screen tiles and makes accessing certain information, such as activity and data, cumbersome compared to the previous layout.

The core of the user discontent stems largely from the introduction of the Google AI coaching experience within the new application. While some users found the AI feature helpful in specific scenarios, such as designing workouts or updating sleep logs, many others found the experience to be disappointing and time-consuming, often feeling that the AI provides superficial content or "platitudes" instead of the concrete statistics and data users expect from a genuine fitness application. There is a general sentiment that the application no longer functions as a genuine fitness tool.

A significant operational issue highlighted by users concerns the accessibility of historical data. Previously stored information, such as rowing workout logs, required navigating through a complex structure within Google Health, such as accessing the Fitness section under Focus areas, rather than seeing them readily available on the main screen. This structural change demonstrates a compromise between feature integration and user experience. Furthermore, while Google has indicated plans to eventually support third-party wearables, current limitations mean that some users cannot access enhanced features, such as additional tabs for Fitness and Sleep, even when connected with compatible devices. This experience underscores the fine line between providing helpful health monitoring and encountering what some perceive as unnecessary health paranoia.