The Fitbit app is getting a major overhaul that'll be launching later this year on Android and iOS – and the Google-owned fitness brand has just given us our first preview of the redesign.
If you own one of the best Fitbits, you'll notice that while the basic features are similar to today's app, the new one is quite a big visual refresh. This is because it's been guided by a unified Google design language, called Material You, which appeared alongside Android 12.
So what's changed? The main difference are the three tabs at the bottom, called Today, Coach and You. Like the current app, the Today tab lets you see all your top stats at a glance, but has been given a refresh with bigger charts, graphic and icons so you can see your stats a bit more clearly.
Next is the new Coach tab (see further down). This is where you'll find workout and mindfulness sessions, plus the ones that require a Fitbit Premium subscription, like HIIT and dance cardio classes. These are again all similar to what is available today, but the new app promises to let you find classes a little more easily thanks to some new filters (for example, letting you search based on how much time you have).
Lastly, there's the redesigned You tab, where you can tweak personal goals and details, plus track your achievements and marvel at the app's redesigned badges. This is also where the app's social feed is, allowing you to see Friends and Groups you belong to.
Interestingly, Fitbit and Google say the redesign makes it easier to track things like steps, exercise and water intake on your phone, "so you can track your goals even without a Fitbit device". So the refreshed app clearly isn't just for hardcore Fitbit fans, but also anyone who owns one of the best Android phones or best iPhones.
If you are a super-keen Fitbit user and beta tester, though, you'll be pleased to hear that "select Fitbit users" are being invited "to try out the app in a limited beta and share their feedback", before the app becomes available to everyone "this fall" (sometime between September and November). For an even deeper look, check our Google's The Keyword blog on the redesign.
What about Google Fit?
While the redesigned Fitbit app looks like an improvement, it doesn't explain where this leaves Google Fit, which is the search giant's simple fitness app for Android and iOS.
Google Fit will presumably remain as a separate hub for any fitness and health data that's been tracked by other apps or fitness trackers, with Fitbit being a more fully-featured alternative.
The new Fitbit app's new Coach tab (above), for example, promises to be a handy new home for guided workouts on your phone, even if the content itself isn't radically different from what's already available in Fitbit Premium.
So while it's been a shame to see Fitbit slowly lose features as it's gradually absorbed into Google's ecosystem, the new app looks like a promising new option, whether you own a Fibit tracker or not.
If you do own the likes of the Fitbit Versa 3 or Inspire 3, Fitbit accounts will remain active until early 2025, after which time you'll need a Google account to access your fitness data. We're expecting Fitbit smartwatches to effectively disappear from then – but the new refreshed app will likely carry the torch for the brand name and its fitness tracking.
