Google’s Fit App Now Available For Android Users

Google has just released its Fit app. For those not familiar with this application, the Fit app serves as a central repository for every health and fitness data recorded by your Android device. It can also store information collected by any app that uses the Google Fit SDK introduced earlier this year at the I/O developer conference back in June.

The Fit app is a useful tool for collating fitness information, generating an easy-to-digest overview of every data monitored by your Android device. Whether you are brisk walking or jogging, the app uses the sensors on Android device to automatically relay data about your activity. Any information that can not be tracked by your device, such as age, height, or weight, can be manually inputted into the app. 

Even data as specialized as heart rate can be fed into the Fit app, as long as they are collected using an Android-compatible device, which includes any Android Wear smartwatch. 

Fitness aficionados may be reminded of Apple's Health app. Android's Fit app though uses a different user interface that aims for simplicity and ease of use.

As more developers explore the potential of the Fit app, users can expect more features to be introduced in the coming weeks or months. And it is worth mentioning that Android 5.0 Lollipop is about to be made widely available to consumers in a few days, so when that time comes, the latest version of the Android OS may grant even more capabilities to the Fit app. 

Setting up the app is pretty straightforward. After downloading the app on your Android device (and agreeing to the terms of service), you only need to tap Next and then grant Google access to activity data. 

The Fit app can also work with other third party apps. Strava, Withings, Runtastic, Runkeeper, and Noom Coach can all work with the app in collating your health and fitness data. 

With the release of the Fit app, Google joins other tech companies that are venturing into the health and fitness market. Apple, Samsung, and LG have already begun exploiting this potentially lucrative segment of consumers. 

While all these companies are vying to get the most market share, the real winners of course are the users, especially the health-conscious ones. After all, competition breeds variety of options. Most importantly, with all the attention the tech companies are giving to health and fitness, the technology can only continue to improve from here on.