Google has been working to get its users up and on their feet for some time now - the company's "Wellbeing" dashboard, a beta feature present in the latest version of Android, is just one example of that.
Soon, though, Google could take a more direct approach to improving the health of its users. According to an exclusive Android Police report, an upcoming version of Google's smartwatch-focused Wear OS will include a virtual fitness coaching feature, aptly named Coach.
In addition to acting as a simple exercise tracker, Coach will be a robust all-around fitness tool, with the ability to use data Google has collected about you to recommend workout routines and keep track of your progress toward your fitness goals.
Coach will also reportedly be able to monitor your nutrition and recommend foods. It's not clear what Coach's limitations will be in this regard, though. If somebody is on a low-carb diet, for example, it's unknown whether or not Coach can account for that.
However, for individuals on a more conventional diet, Coach will be able to create appropriate shopping lists and meal plans based on their eating and exercise habits.
This all sounds great on paper, and it's definitely a smart way for Google to revitalize its portion of the wearable market, but some may raise a few privacy concerns regarding the amount of user data Coach will apparently track.
In addition to gathering exercise and meal information, which most fitness apps do, Coach seems to monitor user locations and "patterns," whatever that means. It's not clear if this sort of monitoring will always occur in the background, or only when the app is actively running.
Regardless, if you want to try Coach out for yourself, you may have to wait a while. We don't know when the feature will arrive, nor do we what form it will take when it does.
Based on Android Police's report, the fitness tool seems to be in a relatively early stage of development so a lot could change between now and its future launch.
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