Google Fit is so buggy that some users can’t even log in

By Christian de Looper July 9, 2019

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

While Apple continues its focus on health through devices like the Apple Watch and the much-loved Apple Health app, Google seems to be struggling in the health department.

Google Fit got a pretty major redesign late last year, but since then the Google Fit website has been shut down and users have been complaining about the buggy new app for months, according to a new report from Android Police. Worst of all? It doesn’t seem as though Google is working on fixing the issues.

We reached out to Google for a comment to the report and were given a relatively boilerplate response.

“We don’t have anything new to share right now other than we’re actively looking into the reports,” said the company in an email.

So what exactly is so wrong with the Google Fit app? Well, the bugs are numerous. As Android Police notes, tracking through the app or a Wear OS watch often simply stops, while logging in to the app is apparently impossible — so don’t even think about trying to fix the issue by logging out and logging back in again. Not only that, but the app doesn’t seem to sync with third-party apps and services, which means that you can’t use it as the health hub that you should be able to use it as.

The bugs aren’t uncommon either. There are a number of bad reviews of the app on the Google Play Store, and those bad reviews seem to be mounting. On June 11, Google said that the login issue was supposed to be fixed — but that hasn’t happened as plenty of users still can’t log in to the service.

Health is an area that other companies like Apple, already had an edge over Google on — and if these kinds of issues aren’t fixed, that’s only likely to continue. Many thought that Google had renewed its focus on health after the redesign of Google Fit. However, unless it can fix these issues and continue to build new features into Fit, it looks like Apple will remain the king of health tech, although rumors continue to persist about the likes of Amazon joining the race.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Christian de Looper

Contributor

Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…

Mobile

I put the iPhone’s Dynamic Island on my Pixel 7 Pro — and I can’t go back

The expanded DynamicSpot Dynamic Island at the top of the Pixel 7 Pro.

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro got a big refresh last year, and key to that was a new selfie camera design with a pill-shaped cutout. Only, this is no normal hole -- it's the home of a new feature, the oddly-named "Dynamic Island." It's a notification bubble that lives behind the selfie camera that displays information like music tracks, timers, and anything else you need to know, but don't need a full screen for. If you're playing music on Spotify, it'll display the track name and controls. If someone calls you, it'll show the person's contact information. Waiting for an Uber? It'll show you how far away it is. It's even tied into the Face ID unlock process. It's a great use of the selfie camera — and one with a bright future.

At least, that's what we thought. The Dynamic Island has had a tough start, as app support was extremely limited, meaning it didn't live up to Apple's promises. This persisted for a number of months before the Dynamic Island finally got what it needed to live up to its hype.

Mobile

This Pixel Watch 2 leak just made it the 2023 smartwatch I can’t wait for

The Pixel Watch on a person's wrist.

Google’s first attempt at the smartwatch ecosystem was the Pixel Watch, which served fine hardware and rewarding software married to underwhelming battery life and some missing health-tracking features. It looks like Google will address all the damning foibles in one fell swoop later this year with the Pixel Watch 2.

According to 9to5Google, Google is switching away from Samsung’s Exynos processor fitted inside the Pixel Watch. Instead, the company is sourcing Qualcomm’s W5 series flagship smartwatch chip for the second-gen Pixel Watch. That’s great news — not just for the Pixel Watch legacy, but also for the whole ecosystem.

Mobile

Google can create the perfect Pixel phone — if it changes one thing

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7a held in a person's hand.

A new Google Pixel A-series has launched, and it's sure to make reasonably priced phones quiver in their boots. The Google Pixel 7a introduces new features for the A-series, including a 90Hz refresh rate, the highest megapixel count ever on a midrange Google phone, and the Tensor G2 processor. It's a solid smartphone, and it puts up a good fight against a number of similar devices — including the Samsung Galaxy A54 and even the flagship Google Pixel 7.

But the fact that it's able to stand up against its flagship brethren highlights a concern -- the price. The Pixel 7a costs $499, which is only $100 away from the Pixel 7. That small disparity means there's a big gap underneath the Pixel 7a for another phone. The $349 Pixel 6a helps to fill some of that gap, but it's not enough. It's time Google embraced the budget phone market by creating a Pixel phone for those who want a truly cheap smartphone with the Pixel name. Not convinced? Let me make my case.
A budget Pixel would be good for everyone