Google has announced a partnership with Flo Health to bring menstrual health data into the Google Health app and to develop future products together. The first result of the deal will arrive early next year, when Flo Health users will be able to sync their cycle data with the Google Health app. Google said the feature will be opt-in, meaning users must choose to turn it on before any information moves between the two services.
In a blog post, Google said no data will move between the apps without explicit permission from the user. That permission will be requested separately for each type of data and each purpose, according to the company. Users will also be able to withdraw permission at any time. Google further said Flo data will not be used for advertising and will not be sold or shared with other apps or developers.
The partnership extends beyond the app integration. Google said the two companies plan to build future products together with Flo's women's health insights at the forefront. The company did not provide many details about its plans for hardware. It said only that such devices would combine a deep integration of Flo's women's health insights and algorithms with Google's expertise in wearable hardware and advanced sensors.
The announcement places Google alongside a growing group of technology companies that have moved into women's health tracking, a category where Flo Health is an established name. For US consumers, the integration would give Flo users a way to view their cycle information inside Google's health platform rather than only within Flo's own app. Google's statements about consent and data handling address concerns that have surrounded health data sharing in the United States, where apps handling reproductive health information have drawn scrutiny from users and policymakers.
Google's description of the arrangement leaves several questions unanswered. The company did not say which hardware products might result from the partnership, when such devices could reach the market, or what they would cost. It also did not specify which categories of Flo data would be available for syncing beyond cycle data, nor did it name the individual permissions users would be asked to grant. The blog post offered no timeline beyond the early next year window for the app integration.
The partnership is the latest sign that Google is working to expand what its health app can hold. By connecting Flo's cycle tracking data to Google Health, the company would give users a single place to view information that many currently keep in separate services. Google characterized the arrangement as one that puts user control first, saying permission is required for each data type and purpose and can be revoked at any time. Further details on the hardware side of the partnership were not disclosed.
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