Your next Google Pixel Watch might come with a new fitness feature: The tech giant is reportedly working on a health and well-being coach for Wear OS devices.
It’s called Project Wooden internally, according to Android Police, but to the public, the assistant will be “Google Coach” — although that could change before it launches. Aside from tracking exercise, Google Coach is apparently meant to keep you motivated to stay active as well. Using health and fitness data connected to your Google account, it might suggest workout routines or alternatives if you don’t have time to break a sweat that day. If you do end up squeezing in a workout, Coach will track your activity — which will shape and alter its suggestions.
For all-around health monitoring, Coach will even keep track of nutrition and recommend specific foods. Whether it’s a weekly meal plan or shopping list, the assistant will send recommendations right straight to your email in order to easily access it.
Android Police also notes that Coach might be able to recommend a healthy meal based on your location. That way, you won’t have to embark on the daunting task of searching through the menus of restaurants nearby for a healthy dish.
But for those who are afraid of notification fatigue from Coach, the company is aware this could be an issue. The report mentions that Google supposedly plans on grouping alerts together in one notification, with language that’s more conversational rather than authoritative.
As for availability, the report states that Google Coach will be available on Wear OS for the initial rollout, but users will have access to some features as well. Currently, the Wear OS app includes Google Fit — allowing users with smartwatches to track calories burned and distance traveled.
With Google Coach, you will most likely be able to use your phone to check data and suggestions. But to track your activity in real time, it’s assumed you need a Wear OS device. In the future, Android Police says it could also be available on Google Home and Android TV.
Pulling all that user data in order to allow Google Coach to make better, more educated suggestions might not be a big deal for users. But Google has been under some scrutiny this week after the Associated Press published an in-depth investigation on its location tracking.
In the report, the AP proved that certain Google services on Android and iPhone were storing location data even if users didn’t give permission to.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.