Google announces $99 Fitbit Air: Screenless wristband serves as entry point to Gemini Health Coach, Fitbit App permanently renamed

According to Omdia Beating monitoring, Google has released the Fitbit Air, a screenless health tracking wristband, starting at $99.99. It was officially launched on May 26 and is now available for pre-order. At the same time, it was announced that the Fitbit App will automatically update to the Google Health App on May 19, and the Gemini-powered AI health coach, Google Health Coach, has transitioned from beta testing to official release.

The Fitbit Air is Google's smallest tracker, weighing only 5.2 grams and lacking a screen, providing no notifications on the wrist to maintain uninterrupted health data collection for 24 hours. The sensors cover all-day heart rate, atrial fibrillation (AFib) alerts, blood oxygen (SpO2) levels, heart rate variability, skin temperature, and sleep stage tracking. With a battery life of up to 7 days and 5 minutes of fast charging for a day's use, it is IP68 waterproof and supports use underwater up to 50 meters. It is compatible with Android 11+ and iOS 16.4+. There is also a special edition in collaboration with NBA star Stephen Curry priced at $129.99.

Google positions this wristband as the entry hardware for the Google Health Coach. The Coach is an AI health coach powered by Gemini, which started beta testing in October last year. It can generate personalized fitness plans and sleep recommendations based on user's exercise, sleep, and health data, as well as handle uploaded medical records and photos. The Coach is included in the Google Health Premium subscription, priced at $9.99 per month or $99 per year, automatically available to users who have purchased Google AI Pro or AI Ultra. Each Fitbit Air comes with a complimentary 3-month Premium subscription.

After replacing the Fitbit App with the Google Health App, wearable device data, Health Connect, Apple Health, and medical records will be integrated into a single interface, divided into four tabs: Today, Fitness, Sleep, Health. Existing Fitbit users do not need to download a new app, as the transition will be seamless through an update, with historical data automatically migrated. Google Fit users will be transitioned later this year. The Fitbit brand remains on the hardware side, while the software side fully transitions to Google Health. Google reaffirms that user health data will not be used for Google ads.

This wristband directly competes in the screenless tracker category with Whoop and Oura Ring, but its one-time purchase pricing starting at $99, without mandatory subscriptions, stands in stark contrast to Whoop's subscription-only model.