Fitbit’s Gemini AI Coach Finally Hits iOS — While Apple Retreats

Google just expanded the excellent Fitbit Coach, its Gemini-powered AI health assistant, to iPhone users and five new countries. The timing is somewhat pointed, landing a week barely after Bloomberg reported Apple has scaled back its own AI health coach plans after earlier leaks suggested it was about to launch a Health+ subscription service.

What’s Happening

Fitbit’s AI Personal Health Coach, which launched in Public Preview for US Android users back in October, is thus currently available to:

• iOS users in the US
• Both iOS and Android users in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore

To use this, you will need a Fitbit Premium subscription ($9.99/month or $79.99/year), a modern Fitbit device or a device like the Pixel Watch 4, and to opt in to the Public Preview through the redesigned Fitbit app (English-only).

The coach is a conversational AI that interprets your physiological data—sleep, heart rate, activity, and readiness —and builds dynamic training plans. It starts with a 5-10 minute onboarding chat about your goals, available equipment, injuries, etc.. From there, it adjusts recommendations in real time e.g. accounting for bad sleep.

The app redesign is substantial with four core tabs: Today, Fitness, Sleep, and Health. A floating “Ask Coach” button throughout. Natural language queries like “How did my weekend run affect my recovery?” or “Can you build me a marathon plan based on my current pace?”

The Apple Context Is Interesting

Apple’s Project Mulberry — its planned AI health coach, internally called Health+ — was wound down in recent weeks, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. A shame, as the author considered that a good fit to Apple’s need for subscription revenues. The service would have offered AI-driven recommendations on fitness, nutrition, and chronic disease management using Apple Watch data and third-party lab reports – similar to that currently rolling out by Whoop. Apple had even built a content studio in Oakland to produce educational health videos.

Instead of launching as a standalone subscription, some features will trickle into the Health app over time. Bloomberg suggests Apple’s new services chief Eddy Cue didn’t think the plan was competitive enough against Oura, Whoop, and others. There are also reports of regulatory concerns as certain features could have triggered teh need for FDA medical device classification.

Whatever the reasons, Google is charging ahead while Apple pulls back.

How This Compares to Garmin

Garmin launched Connect+ last March for £6.99/month ($6.99) or £69.99/year ($69.99). It includes “Active Intelligence” — AI-powered insights that adapt to your training — plus enhanced coaching content for Garmin Coach running and cycling plans. As of February 2026 it’s widely perceived to be a simplitic AI implementation compared to some of the competition, although it’s recent food logging service showed promise (part of the subscription).

The approaches are different. Fitbit’s coach is conversational and chatbot-style. Garmin’s is more traditional: adaptive training plans created by real coaches (Jeff Galloway, Greg McMillan, etc.) that adjust based on your Training Readiness, Sleep Score, and training load. Garmin Coach itself remains free; Connect+ adds analytics, nutrition tracking, and extra coaching content.

Both are essentially trying to move from passive data display to active coaching. The question is whether we will pay for it in significant numbers.

My Take

Google needs this to work, and there’s a decent chance it will. Fitbit has had a rough few years since the acquisition. The brand’s been muddled, the account migration has been messy, and Google’s hardware strategy still isn’t entirely clear regarding Fitbit devices. An AI coach that actually delivers value could justify Premium subscriptions and differentiate Fitbit from inundation by cheap fitness trackers.

The quality competitive landscape is getting crowded. Oura and Whoop have built loyal followings with focused, much-loved features. Garmin’s ecosystem is mature and trusted. Apple Fitness+ exists, even if it’s apparently “under review.” And even ChatGPT Health is a thing too.

Still, if you’re already a Fitbit Premium subscriber with a Pixel Watch or modern Fitbit tracker, this is worth trying. The Public Preview is free to Premium members. If the AI genuinely synthesises your data into actionable, personalised recommendations — rather than just regurgitating charts — that’s useful.

I’ll be curious to see whether the 100,000+ hours of human review Google claims to have invested in the coach’s accuracy actually translates to sensible advice. Early reports are cautiously positive, but we’re still in “preview” territory.

Requirements

To join the Fitbit Coach Public Preview:

• Active Fitbit Premium subscription (paid or trial)
• Supported device: Fitbit Charge 6, Sense 2, Versa 4, Inspire 3, or Pixel Watch 3/4
• Latest Fitbit app version
• Age 18+
• English language settings
• Located in US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Singapore

You can switch back to the standard Fitbit app if the preview doesn’t suit you.

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Source: Google Fitbit Blog, Fitbit Community Forums

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Last Updated on 12 February 2026 by the5krunner