Apple Health Faces New Competition as Fitbit AI Coach Expands to iOS

The conversation around Apple Health has shifted this month. While reports suggest Apple is slowing down parts of its AI health roadmap, Google has moved ahead by expanding its AI-powered Fitbit health coach to more users, including those on iOS. Until now, the service was limited to Android. Google describes its Gemini-powered Fitbit coach as a 24/7 digital advisor designed to act as a virtual fitness trainer, sleep coach, and wellness guide. Users begin with a five to ten-minute conversation to outline goals and motivations. After that, the Fitbit app delivers health insights in the morning, after workouts, and before bed. The system builds a personalized workout plan, tracks key fitness metrics, and offers sleep analysis with practical suggestions. It also monitors heart rate, temperature, and blood oxygen, while a built-in chatbot answers health-related questions. According to Bloomberg, Apple is scaling back its AI health plans. The report states that Apple is no longer planning to launch an Apple Health+ subscription service that would provide AI-driven health recommendations based on personal data. However, some components developed for the health coach project could still appear as standalone features later this year. For Apple Health Apple had reportedly planned to introduce an AI coach as part of a broader Health+ service tied to a future iOS release. With that plan paused, Apple Health remains focused on its current tracking and insights features rather than a subscription-based AI model. Meanwhile, Google has widened access. The Fitbit AI coach now supports both iOS and Android users in the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The feature requires a Fitbit Premium subscription, which starts at $9.99 per month. Google’s compatible devices include the Fitbit Charge 6, Inspire 3, Versa 4, Sense 2, and the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4. As competition grows, Apple Health faces pressure to clarify its next move in AI-powered wellness.