- Google Fit is an easy-to-use app that collects your biometric stats and daily activity data in order to manage your health and fitness.
- The Google Fit app can collect data from many devices, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and even smart bathroom scales.
- The more information you enter into the Google Fit app — from general data like your height and weight, to specifics about an activity you're performing — the better the app can analyze your fitness.
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As you've surely come to expect from Google products, the Google Fit app has a refreshingly simple look, and an easy-to-use interface.
Don't let that simple design fool you, though: behind the scenes, the app crunches data from several sources to create a comprehensive snapshot of your current fitness, and to help you plan your future health goals.
Whereas most fitness tracking programs require the purchase of a specific tracker or device, Google Fit is simply an app you can download on your Android or iOS device. Your phone itself can serve as your hardware, provided you bring it with you during walks, runs, or bike rides.
You can also feed data to Google Fit from other devices, like a POLAR smartwatch, a Fitbit Plus, or even a smart bathroom scale.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Google Pixel 3 (From $799.99 at Best Buy)
iPhone Xs (From $999.99 at Best Buy)
POLAR smartwatch (From $229.95 at Amazon)
Withings smart scale (For $149.99 at Amazon)
How to set up Google Fit
When you first open the Google Fit app, you should take the time to enter information about yourself, starting with your height and weight.
Then you can enter the types of activities in which you regularly participate. On the app's home screen, tap the colorful plus (+) symbol, then hit "Add activity."
Now tap the little arrow beside the activity selected ("Aerobics" is the default) to choose from options including basketball, golf, open water swimming, and squash. Each time you complete a given activity, enter the time you began and stopped, so Google Fit can calculate the calories you burned.
The more you use Google Fit, entering information about your activities, sleep, and body stats, the better the app can help you plan and meet fitness goals.
When you pair the app with a tracker that adds calorie burning stats, heart rate, and other data, you'll get an even more accurate survey of your progress.
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
How to change the time on a Fitbit using the Fitbit mobile app or website
How a Fitbit is able to accurately track your sleep, and how to see your sleep stats
How to sync your Fitbit with an iPhone and track all of your fitness data in one app
How to change your Google password, or recover it if you've forgotten it
SEE ALSO: The best Fitbits you can buy
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