Google adds fitness service to Android via Play Services update

Google is likely to support the collection of health data in Android through an update to Play Services, the app that is closely intertwined with the operating system itself. There have been rumors about the fitness service before.

According to Android Police, who are often the first to report new features of the Android operating system, Google is working on Play Fitness, a service that collects health data. This is provided by Play Services, according to the sources. This app is used by Google to add new features to the Android operating system and can be automatically updated. It is therefore likely that Play Fitness will become a standard part within Android and users will automatically receive the software on their device as soon as it becomes available, although it is still unclear from which Android version the software works.

Play Services should probably serve as a kind of framework for the fitness service, similar to the way the Play Games service that Google rolled out earlier works. In addition, Play Services collects the game data, such as achievements and high scores, whereby the data is made transparent via the accompanying Play Games app.

Similar to Play Games, users can view collected health and fitness data through the companion app, according to Android Police. It is therefore also possible to view information collected by third-party apps via the Play Fitness app and to synchronize it between multiple Android devices. Earlier, there were rumors about a health service from Google, with it already stated that Google would be working on APIs for developers.

Google Play Fitness has to compete with Health, the health service that Apple announced at the unveiling of iOS 8. Incidentally, Google’s software could also be used on smartwatches with Android Wear. Presumably, Google Play will announce Fitness at its I/O developer conference, which kicks off in a week and a half.