Way back in March of this year, I wrote an editorial titled "Android Wear needs way more than just a Wear OS rebrand." In that piece, one of my main talking points was about how Google desperately needs to overhaul Google Fit if it was any shot at success in the wearable field.
Well, according to a new report from Android Police, it looks like my wish may soon be answered.
Google's reportedly working on a brand-new health/wellness platform for Wear OS called "Google Coach." Coach will likely replace Google Fit, as part of its focus will be on tracking your workouts, steps, calories-burned etc.
All the makings are here for an excellent fitness + health platform.
However, Google Coach will go the extra mile by gathering all of the relevant data Google collects about you and use that to help you make better decisions. Some examples of this include:
- Recommending certain workouts to do
- Offer an alternative exercise if you missed your day at the gym
- Track your food intake
- Create a weekly meal plan and build a shopping list based on it
- Use your calendar info to determine how many meals it should plan
It's said that Google Coach will interact with users via "conversational notifications" as to not bombard people with too many alerts throughout the day. As Android Police notes, "Rather than individual alerts telling you to take medication, get your daily steps, and drink more water, you might get a single notification that incorporates all three suggestions."
Google Coach will primarily live on Wear OS, but users will also have the option of interacting with it via their phones. Down the road, it's possible that Coach could expand to things like Google Home, Android TV, and other gadgets.
Based on what we know so far, does it sound like Google Coach has what it takes to make Google a serious contender in the health/wellness/fitness field? Let us know in the comments below!
Android Wear needs way more than just a Wear OS rebrand
