Does the Fitbit Air have strain and recovery scores?
Not in that form. The Google Health app gives Fitbit Air owners a Daily Readiness score and Cardio Load, but no 0-100% morning Recovery and no 0-21 daily Strain. Pulse computes both, with Sleep Performance, Pulse Age, Stress and Energy Bank, from the band's own data on a server you run.
Facts about other products checked on .
What the Google Health app gives you
The Fitbit Air is Google's screenless band, announced in May 2026 at $99 in the US. Reviews list heart rate, HRV, SpO2, skin temperature, sleep stages, Cardio Load and Daily Readiness among the features that need no subscription. Google Health Premium adds the Gemini-based Google Health Coach, adaptive plans and deeper sleep insights.
Reviewers who compared the Air with subscription recovery bands describe its recovery scoring as simpler, with no 0-21 daily strain scale.
What Pulse adds
- Recovery, 0-100% each morning from HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, respiratory rate and skin temperature against your own baselines.
- Strain on a 0-21 scale, and a Strain Target range for today set by your Recovery.
- Sleep Performance against your personal sleep need, and a Sleep Planner bedtime.
- Pulse Age, Stress, Energy Bank and a nightly Health Monitor.
How Pulse gets the data
The band syncs to the Google Health app as usual. Pulse reads it from there through the Google Health API, with an OAuth client you create in your own Google Cloud project, and stores it in SQLite on your server. Your Google Health data is not copied anywhere else.
Google caps an unverified OAuth app at 100 users, so a shared hosted version is not practical. One instance serves one person, which is also the privacy model.
What it does not change
Pulse works with what the band records. If the Air misses a night's sleep stages, there is no HRV for that night and Pulse shows no Recovery rather than a guess. Its scores use familiar scales (0-100% Recovery, 0-21 Strain) with its own method, so they are not interchangeable with any other product's numbers.
Sources
- Google: Fitbit Air and the Google Health app (launch post, 2026-05-07)
- Digital Trends: Fitbit Air's core features don't need a subscription
- the5krunner: Fitbit Air review and buyer's guide (2026-05-07)
- Android Authority: Google Health Premium price and features
- Google Cloud help: unverified apps and the 100-user cap
Questions
Do I need Google Health Premium for Pulse?
No. Pulse reads the data the band records, which does not need Premium. Premium adds Google's own coaching features inside the Google Health app.
Does Pulse work on iPhone?
Yes. Pulse is a web app: open your server's address in Safari or any browser and add it to the home screen. The band still pairs with the Google Health app on your phone.