Your health is a hot topic for device manufacturers these days. Samsung unveiled its new health-focused platform called Sami in late May. Apple revealed its HealthKit platform at WWDC 2014 earlier this month. And Google does not appear to be far behind. Citing multiple unnamed sources, Forbes reported today that Google will announce its own health-focused service called Google Fit at its Google I/O developer conference later this month.
Much like Apple and Samsung’s own services, Google Fit will not only collect and aggregate fitness data from a range of devices but it will also allow apps to share that data. The service will work with Android devices such as smartwatches and smartphones as well as a range of third party accessories thanks to a set of open APIs. Along with the service itself, Google is expected to announce a number of partnerships with wearable device manufacturers.
It remains to be seen if Google Fit will be integrated into Android or if it will work as a standalone application that users will need to download.
It would not be the first time that Google is jumping into the health sector. It launched Google Health in 2008 but shut it down in 2012. Unlike Google Fit, it did not collect live data but allowed users to consolidate their health history, including health records, into a single application.
With Google expected to focus much of its attention on Android Wear and smartwatches such as the LG G Watch and Moto 360, Google Fit appears to be a natural extension for those devices.
Source : Forbes