Google Fit Health Platform for Android Tipped to Debut at I/O 2014

Google seems to be all set to introduce a new health-focused platform that will offer the ability to collect data from connected devices including wearable devices and apps, Forbes reports. The report is lent credence by the fact that both Apple and Samsung announced their own health platforms, HealthKit and SAMI respectively.

The report, citing multiple sources, claims that 'Google Fit' will be able to gather health-related data from wearables using open APIs, and can be expected to debut at the company's annual developers' conference, Google I/O, which is scheduled from June 25 to 26.

Forbes was unable to confirm whether the Google Fit platform will be a service integrated in Android's next version or a standalone app that can be downloaded from Google Play. Apple is doing both, also featuring its own Health app apart from the HealthKit platform.

The report further claimed that Google will also announce tie-ups with wearable device makers at its I/O conference later this month. However, does not name any of the companies likely to be part of Google's health-focused platform.

Another source cited by the report suggests that the rumoured Google Fit would allow wearables that measure health-focused data such as heart-rate and steps to share information with Google's cloud-based service. As of now, there is no official word from Google on such a plan.

If the report turns out to be true, then Google's anticipated Google Fit health-focused platform will be up against the likes of Apple's HealthKit platform, which will be available for general public this fall with iOS 8. HealthKit allows health and fitness apps (including Apple's own Health app) to communicate with each other to manage both in sync with both doctors and fitness trainers.

The rumoured Google Fit platform will also be up against the Samsung Architecture for Multimodal Interactions project (or SAMI) which was introduced recently.

It's worth pointing out that the rumoured Google Fit platform will be the search engine giant's second foray into the health sector. Previously, Google in 2011 pulled the plug on its Health and PowerMeter services that didn't do well since their debut in 2009.