Google Fit app arrives, poised to take on Apple’s HealthKit
Google’s competitor to Apple’s HealthKit has arrived.
The company rolled out its Google Fit app on Tuesday, its fitness tracking dashboard for Android.
The app, which connects to your existing Google account, functions as a central dashboard for tracking fitness and health goals. Like HealthKit, Google Fit taps into the sensors in your smartphone to keep tabs on daily activities like steps and active minutes. Users can also manually add exercise and other activities like biking and walking.
Google Fit’s dashboard, also available on the web, tracks your activities over time and your progress toward exercise or weight loss goals. Eventually, you will also be able to connect Google Fit to third party apps and devices, including Android Wear smartwatches and fitness trackers from Runtastic, Polar and Basis.
Google Fit’s dashboard tracks your activity and progress toward goals over time.
Image: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.fitness
To help enable third-party app integration, the company also rolled out full versions of its Google Fit APIs for developers. Google released a preview version of its software development kit for Google Fit earlier this year, and announced a series of early partners, including Nike, Runtastic, RunKeeper, who will be among the first developers to make their apps Google Fit-compatible.
That first batch of apps is expected in “the coming weeks.”
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