Google launches $99 Fitbit Air and consolidates health apps under Google Health brand, retiring the Fitbit app

Google released the Fitbit Air, a $99 screenless wearable band with a metallic fabric clasp. It is 25 percent smaller than the Luxe and 50 percent smaller than the Inspire, weighs 12g with the band, lasts seven days on a single charge, and includes optical heart rate sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, blood oxygen sensor, and skin temperature sensor.

Starting May 19th, the Fitbit app and Android's Health Connect app will consolidate into a single Google Health app. The Fitbit Premium subscription will rebrand as Google Health Premium at the same price. Google Health will be iOS compatible and eventually work with third-party wearables like Garmins, Whoops, and Oura, though it will initially be limited to Pixel and Fitbit devices.

Google's AI-powered Health Coach is leaving beta and rolling out to the public. In a public preview beta since October, nearly 500,000 users participated and the company received over a million bits of feedback. The final version adds back missing features like cycle tracking, more flexible fitness coaching, a customizable interface, a more accurate sleep algorithm, and a less chatty AI coach.