Google Fit Updated With Step Count, WHO COVID-19 Info
The latest update to Google Fit might make your old Android Wear device into a fitness tracker of the future. If you've been away from Google Fit for a year or two, the differences between the old version and what's out now may seem immense. The Google Fit system works with the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) to incorporate systems like Move Minutes* and Heart Points. The redesign released this week also emphasizes step count.
Just over a year after The Google Fit website went dark, the Google Fit app ecosystem's been given an aesthetic kick in the pants. Google Fit includes both "brighter visuals" and "bolder text" to make the app – on smartphones and wearable devices – more "viewable at a glance." You'll find this immediately in the app on your smartphone, and in notifications from the app once you get going down the road. You'll really see it take shape once you get the extension of the app for your smartwatch.
*Move Minutes have been basically replaced by "Steps" in the app in this latest update. This allows users to keep track of steps for use in other apps, or their own personal recording and record-keeping outside of the app ecosystem. Now the system has a slightly more user-friendly interface, not only for UI and control, but for the user to take the data they create by tracking their movements, and making use of that data in whichever way they see fit.
The latest update also brings adjustments for and information on our current global pandemic reality. "See important information from the World Health Organization on how to reduce the risk of catching and spreading infections like the new coronavirus," says the latest update notes (as of April 6, 2020). This update also brings "new and delightful celebrations" at the point at which you complete daily goals.
You'll start the setup – if you've never done so before – with a few screens of basic information entry, based on your physical statistics, and you'll be on your way. This app will be updated (or may already have been updated by the time you read this article) and accessible on Google Play for Android devices and in the Apple App Store for iOS.