Health Connect Archives

AppWizard

September 20, 2026

I was wrong about Pokémon Sleep, and the Fitbit Air is the perfect companion

Pokémon Sleep has been integrated with the Fitbit Air, a lightweight and elegantly designed device that tracks sleep. The Fitbit Air weighs 12 grams and features a special edition strap with a deep blue color and a sleeping Pikachu design. It provides accurate metrics on sleep duration and cycles and has a battery life of about a week. Setting up the Fitbit Air for Pokémon Sleep involves designating Google Health as the sleep source. The device is available on the Google Store for .

AppWizard

September 16, 2026

Android 17 QPR1 Drops: Top New Features, Customization & UI Changes Explained

Google has begun the rollout of Android 17 QPR1, which includes user interface enhancements, multitasking capabilities, and digital wellbeing features. Key features include: - Pause Point: Introduces a delay before opening distracting apps, encouraging users to engage in calming activities. - Material 3 Blur Expansion: Adds background blur effects to various system surfaces, including the volume panel and power menu. - Multi-Screensaver Support: Allows users to select and switch between multiple screensavers. - Custom Ringtone Vibrations: Users can assign unique vibration patterns for individual ringtones. - Taskbar Recent Apps: Displays actual recent apps on large-screen devices. - HID Access: New APIs enable applications to interact with connected USB and Bluetooth peripherals. - Health Connect Tracking: Natively tracks distance and calories through a built-in step counter. - Media Player Tweaks: Enhancements to the media player carousel and screen recorder functionality. Android 17 QPR1 is initially available for eligible Google Pixel devices, with other manufacturers to follow based on their release schedules.

AppWizard

September 15, 2026

Google rolling out Android 17 QPR1 for Pixel

Android 17 QPR1 is rolling out for Google Pixel devices, coinciding with the September 2026 Feature Drop and security patch. Key updates include enhanced blur effects in the system UI, a redesigned system media player with a Material 3 carousel interface, updated Quick Settings with new animations and features, and improved app management options. The rollout includes Pixel 6, 7, and 8 series devices. Users can check for the update in Settings > System > System update. The Android Beta Program will continue for future testing, and users on the beta must opt out to receive the stable version without wiping their devices.

AppWizard

August 14, 2026

Pixel Journal gets some handy upgrades, and may soon tidy up your rambling entries

Pixel Journal has received an update that includes customizable reminders allowing users to set personalized reminder times at 7 AM, 2 PM, and 9 PM. The app now features two media layouts: a Compact arrangement for grouped images and a Full layout for individual photos and videos. A new confirmation process for deleting entries has been implemented, requiring user confirmation before deletion and offering a brief Undo option. The app has expanded its integration with Health Connect to access sleep data, enabling personalized writing prompts based on users' physical activity and sleep patterns. Additionally, Google is reportedly developing an AI-powered Auto format feature that will refine journal entries after they are written or dictated, with two modes: “Simple” and “Expressive.” Users will need to write a minimum number of words to utilize this feature.

AppWizard

June 1, 2026

4 Google Health app customizations I use to make the app truly personal

The rebranding of Google Health, previously known as the Fitbit app, has received negative feedback from users, prompting Google to address bugs and emphasize user feedback. The app includes customization options, such as using the Health Connect API to share data with other health apps and devices. Users can also set health goals with the AI-powered Health Coach if they subscribe to Google Health Premium, which costs .99 per month. The new Fitbit Air device, priced at .99, tracks health data for up to seven days on a single charge and serves as an entry point into the Google Health ecosystem. Subscriptions to Google Health Premium or Google AI Pro, priced at .99 and .99 per month respectively, enhance the app's functionality but are optional.

AppWizard

May 30, 2026

Survey reveals 50% of users don’t like the new Google Health app

Over a week after the Fitbit app transitioned to the Google Health app, users have expressed mixed feelings about the changes. While 51% of users in a poll acknowledged that the app looks better, they found it worse to use. Only 5% enjoyed the functionality while disliking the design, and just 23% felt the app was both visually appealing and user-friendly. Users reported difficulties in accessing basic metrics, with complaints about the app's new layout complicating navigation. Many expressed frustration over the AI coach's intrusive nature and the lack of essential statistics on a single screen. Additional complaints included issues with workout data integration, the removal of hourly move reminders, and food logging challenges. Users are considering switching to alternative platforms, with Garmin being a popular choice.

AppWizard

May 27, 2026

Google reveals massive list of fixes and new features coming to the Google Health app

Google has announced a series of updates and bug fixes for the Google Health app, focusing on enhancements in exercise tracking, nutrition, daily activity, sleep, and the Google Health Coach features. Key updates include: - Exercise Tracking: - Fixes for misclassified runs, introduction of run splits, improved map loading times, and addressing incomplete TCX exports. - Enhancements to app responsiveness during live tracking and better exercise detection. - Nutrition and Calorie Tracking: - Bug fixes to prevent log duplication, ensure accurate meal types, and correct calorie reporting for Pixel Watch users. - Improvements include custom food logging, enhanced goal-setting, and detailed food log views. - Daily Activity: - Addition of charts for hourly step goals. - Sleep: - Fixes for missing Sleep Scores and improvements like a 24-hour total sleep view and better visibility for sleep metrics. - Google Health Coach: - Refinements for clarity in messages, incorporation of visual elements, and enhanced user preference memory. - Fitness Plans: - Revisions based on user feedback and improvements in coach-generated workouts. - Metric Views: - Fixes for data consistency and easier customization of dashboards. - Data Sharing: - Fixes for app crashes and improvements for sharing data with Apple Health and medical records. - Account Migration and Support: - Enhanced processes for managing child accounts. These updates are set to roll out over the coming weeks and months.

AppWizard

May 24, 2026

I’ve used the new Google Health app for a week, and I hate it

User feedback on the new Google Health app revealed mixed sentiments: 28% praised it as "gorgeous and so useful," 26% found it visually appealing but cumbersome, 10% appreciated its functionality but disliked the aesthetic, 20% expressed indifference, and 16% had not transitioned from Fitbit. The app's design features lengthy text explanations from the Google Health Coach that overshadow vital statistics, diminishing usability. The Fitness and Sleep tabs also exhibit design flaws, with excessive scrolling and text before essential metrics. Users cannot easily move tiles or customize the home screen, limiting visibility for health data. Suggested improvements include presenting metrics and graphs upfront, allowing tile customization, resizing the home screen tile section, prioritizing workouts in the Fitness tab, and displaying sleep statistics before interpretations in the Sleep tab.

AppWizard

May 8, 2026

Look at how they massacred my boy: Google is killing these Fitbit app features

Google has launched the Google Health app, rebranding the existing Fitbit application, but it will phase out several features that longtime Fitbit users relied on. The badge system will be completely removed, and users will lose unique usernames, profile pictures, direct messaging, and community feeds. Child profiles will no longer allow adding friends, and the weekly leaderboard will only focus on steps and cardio load. In health and wellness, minute-by-minute stress check graphs will no longer be available, and detailed skin temperature data will be replaced with daily and weekly trends. Users cannot set calorie targets through food plans anymore, although they can set macronutrient goals. Recipes for Google Health Premium users will also be discontinued, and daily fitness plans will shift to weekly ones. Sleep features will be reduced, with the discontinuation of sleep profiles, monthly sleep animals, and the Estimated Oxygen Variation (EOV) feature. Premium subscribers will now use the Health Coach for personalized sleep responses, and snore detection on certain devices will be eliminated. The app will maintain compatibility with Health Connect and Apple Health but will no longer support connections to Lifescan devices, affecting users who monitor blood glucose levels. Users can log glucose data manually, but reminders and symptom tracking will be removed.

AppWizard

November 22, 2025

Five Android apps to challenge Google Fit

Google Fit is a foundational tool for Android users, but many are looking for more comprehensive fitness insights and community engagement. Alternative applications provide enhanced features and deeper analytics tailored to various training styles. Strava is a social platform for endurance athletes with over 100 million users, offering features like segment leaderboards and route planning, making it ideal for GPS-centric sports. Samsung Health integrates sleep coaching, stress metrics, and body composition estimates, providing a holistic dashboard for daily monitoring, especially effective with Galaxy devices. MyFitnessPal focuses on nutrition and weight goals, featuring a database of over 14 million foods for easy meal logging and customizable macro goals. Hevy is designed for strength training, offering a streamlined logging system for workouts and progress tracking, with a lightweight social component. AllTrails caters to hikers and trail runners, providing access to over 400,000 curated routes and safety features, including offline maps and GPS tracking. Users can choose an app based on their primary fitness goals, with options for GPS and community engagement, overall wellness, nutrition tracking, strength training, or outdoor adventures, all benefiting from data interoperability through Health Connect by Android.