Google's Fitbit Replacement Flooded with One-Star Reviews as Users Reject AI-Heavy Google Health App

Summary

On May 26, Google officially retired the popular Fitbit app and replaced it with a new Google Health app. The replacement has sparked widespread backlash, with hundreds of one-star reviews flooding app stores as users complain about missing core features, inaccurate health tracking, and aggressive AI integration. Key issues cited include buggy sleep and workout tracking—two of the app's most essential functions—alongside complaints that the biggest button in the interface is now dedicated to an AI health coach rather than basic fitness logging.

The transition was not entirely unexpected; Google had telegraphed the migration for nearly a year through beta testing and previews. However, most casual Fitbit users were caught off guard when the update went live. Many reviewers are already abandoning the app and looking for competitors, with some, like Kotaku reporter Rebekah Valentine, canceling their paid subscriptions over unwanted AI features like unsolicited sleep summaries. Google has responded to the backlash by publishing a roadmap of fixes and improvements, though critics question why these refinements weren't implemented during the extensive beta period. The situation exemplifies a growing industry trend: established tech companies retrofitting successful products with AI features that users neither asked for nor want, often at the expense of core functionality.

• Google delayed fixes until after massive public backlash, despite a year of beta testing that could have surfaced these problems earlier