Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch Get a Big Upgrade, Workout Detection Jumps From 10 to Over 100 Activities

Google is rolling out a set of upgrades for the Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch, and the biggest one is something most fitness tracker users have wanted for years. Your device will soon be able to recognise and log over 100 types of workouts on its own, up from just 10 earlier.

The update, announced on Google's India blog, also brings a new feature called Health Guardian that tracks slow changes in your health, including blood pressure and insulin resistance trends. Both updates are set to roll out later this month.

No more forgetting to start a workout

The upgraded automatic activity detection now covers strength training, swimming, racket sports like badminton and team sports, among others. It works on the Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4 and 5.

If you exercise for at least 15 minutes with a raised heart rate, the workout gets logged automatically, and a summary usually shows up in the Google Health app within 30 minutes. Google says the system uses context, including your location if you allow it, to work out what you are doing. In its internal tests, this made detection nearly twice as accurate and cut missed workouts by more than half. The system also learns as you confirm or edit what it logs.

A monthly health report card

Health Guardian is aimed at spotting changes you might not notice day to day. Once you set it up in the Google Health app, it can track blood pressure trends and insulin resistance trends. If you wear the device enough through the month, you get a report at the start of every month. The Google Health Coach, Google's Gemini-powered AI coach, can then help explain what changed and suggest tweaks to your fitness plan or lifestyle.

This could be useful in India, where conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes often go unnoticed for years. But Google is clear that these are not medical tools. The insulin resistance feature is not a diabetes test, doesn't track glucose levels and shouldn't be used to manage diabetes or make decisions about medication.

Health Guardian is coming to the Fitbit Air first and needs a Google Health Premium subscription.

What Fitbit Air buyers in India get

The Fitbit Air, Google's screenless fitness band, launched in India earlier this month at Rs 13,999. Every unit comes with a three-month free trial of Google Health Premium, and people subscribed to Google AI Pro or Ultra get Premium at no extra cost.

Google says it has shipped over 55 features and fixes to the Google Health app based on user feedback since its launch. Recent additions include a more customisable Today tab, better memory for the Coach, deeper Apple Health integration and the option to log meals by snapping a photo or chatting with the Coach.