Fitness tracking is becoming all the rage, with both Google and Apple releasing fitness-tracking hubs on their mobile devices, Google Fit and HealthKit, respectively.
But how exactly do these new apps and features stack up against each other? Is one better than the other, or is it all down to user preference?
It is important to note this article assumes users are only using stock apps, such as "Health" on Apple devices and the Google Fit app (as opposed to the Google Fit SDK) on Android devices, to view health data, rather than third-party apps. The Health app on iPhone is essentially just an app that takes advantage of the data recorded by HealthKit. Other third-party apps can perform the same function. The same is true for the Google Fit app versus the Google Fit SDK.
Design
Google Fit is laid out exactly how you would expect from an Android 5.0 Lollipop app. It includes flat, bright colors, and subtle animations, in line with Google's "Material Design" philosophy. Users are able to swipe between hours of activity and steps, with each activity, including walking, running, biking, and "other," being calculated and displayed differently. Users can also set goals for themselves, and once those goals are reached there is a small animation to reward them.
Google Fit also has a dashboard which can be viewed on tablets or on the Web, allowing users to see their data a little more in-depth as well as add metrics such as cycling or swimming.
Apple's Health app takes the display portion a step further, however. It allows users to compare different metrics on the same screen, with metrics including things like alcohol intake and sleep quality. Users can choose to see data by day, week, month or year.
Data Control
Before Google Fit there was no standard as to how health and fitness data was handled on Android devices. Now there is, but it remains very open, meaning developers can take advantage of that standard to build and develop their own apps.
Google Fit is able to take data from a range of third-party fitness trackers and the list of partners continues to grow.
Apple, as usual, is a little stricter with the way data is handled. Health allows users to see the information that is collected from other apps as well as the user's input. This information can be shared with medical researchers, but it cannot be shared with advertisers.
The two systems are similar in that they both centralize health data, allowing other apps to take advantage of it.
Conclusion
There is no clear winner here. It is nice Apple includes such an extensive way of viewing health data, but Apple's HealthKit will not work with Android Wear devices, which might be a drawback for someone who doesn't want to wait for the Apple Watch or doesn't like its design.
Google supports many more devices with Google Fit, but it doesn't go in-depth with its data. For those looking at simply tracking their steps and daily activity time, with the option of being able to manually select other metrics, then Google Fit will be the platform for you. For those who need to be able to view their information on the fly, then perhaps HealthKit is the better choice.
