Google previews Fit software kit for health-tracking apps

Google is set to release an SDK aimed at making fitness-based apps more effective by pulling in data from multiple devices.

Google Fit, as the company calls the software development kit, will be available to developers in a few weeks, Google said Wednesday at its I/O developer conference.

The problem today is that many health tracking apps are siloed in their own spaces, said Ellie Powers, product manager of Google Play. Fitness-app developers who use the Google Fit set of APIs (application programming interfaces) will be able to create software that provides a broader view of fitness activity with data from various devices, including smartwatches.

Google’s new smartwatches, also announced at the conference, have sensors for fitness-tracking applications.

“Fit takes away the complexity of handling multiple sources,” she said, to provide “a unified view of fitness activity.”

Nike, for instance, will begin allowing other apps to access data gathered through its NikeFuel platform with Google’s system.

Other partners that will be using the system include Adidas, HTC, LG and Basis, Google said.