A few days back, I had shared my experiences with the Pedometer app. This Pedometer application has simple, but useful functions. Having used the app for a few hours, I can say that the readings displayed by it were accurate. Later that day, I explored the fitness category of the Play Store and I was amazed to find out that Google has launched a health app too.
Google Fit is free to download app on the Google Play Store. Many people consider it as an alternative to the Apple health app. Like Pedometer from Tayutau, it uses the phone’s sensors for tracking useful health data.
Google Fit app review
How to use GF?
Most Android phones ship with all the apps that were launched by Google. If your smartphone doesn’t have the Fit app, run the Google Play Store, and install it.
When you run the Google Fit app, you’ll be prompted to accept or decline the privacy policy and terms/conditions.
The app will then ask you to select your gender, height, weight, and the day with which you begin the week.
The Fit app will sync your health data with your online Google Fit account. This ensures that your fitness data will be secure even if you lose your smartphone.
Once you enter the requested details, Google Fit will open a simple UI which displays the below information:
- Steps you’ve walked.
- Training Time.
- The distance you’ve traveled.
- The number of calories you’ve burned.
The app has an option to add a new activity, log your weight, and start a predefined activity.
When you tap on the 3rd option, Google Fit will display a list of supported activities. For example, the app supports the below fitness activities:
- walking.
- running.
- biking.
- Aerobics.
- Cricket.
- Dancing.
- Running, etc
When you select one of the activities mentioned above, Google Fit will display a large button with the label “start” and a map. When the user taps on the start option, the Fit app will use the GPS system on the phone to find your exact location. It will display a map of your locality. The map shows your current location with a blue color dot. The dot’s position in the app will be updated in real-time.
When the user starts his activity, the app will display the activity running time, distance traveled, calories burned, steps he/she has walked, and the average speed. The user may pause or resume an activity if he is tired. If the activity is stopped, the Google Fit app will save the recorded data.
Because of the 2nd function i.e. log your weight, Google Fit will convert your smartphone into a good weight loss tracker. This feature is useful for users that are trying to lose weight. Google Fit will ask you to enter your weight for the current date and time. When your workout is over, you should check your weight and re-enter the details in the app. GF will display a graph for the same.
In the 1st option i.e. “add activity”, Google Fit lets users add their activities. During this process, you must enter:
- Activity description.
- category.
- date and time.
- duration.
Google Fit adds a pause/resume button to the notification panel of Android. It also runs in the background so that the operating system may run other apps.
You can check your fitness data on fit.google.com.
Like the Pedometer app, Google Fit has a settings window to:
- Change the active mode.
- Configure notifications.
- Configure Google Fit data options.
- Switch to different units i.e. from KM to Miles, Centimeter to Feet/inches, etc.
- Edit basic information.
- Change favorite activities.
- Set daily goals.
Pros:
- Accurate data as GPS is used.
- Monitors various types of health activities.
- UI is simple.
- Features are easy to understand.
- Categorizes short and long activities.
- Android wear support.
- Dedicated web interface.
Cons:
- An active mobile data or WiFi connection is required for data syncing and calculation.
Final thoughts: Google Fit is one of the best fitness apps for Android. It isn’t difficult to use. As the app can work in the background mode, you can keep it running on your device for the entire day. This will ensure that each and every activity of the user is tracked.
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