Flo, the period-tracking app that says more than 80 million people use it every month, just landed a very big tech partner. Google Health announced Oct. 12 that it has entered a multi-year partnership with Flo Health and made a strategic investment in the company, according to Flo's press release.
Beginning in early 2027, and only with their permission, Flo users will be able to sync the app with Google Health for more personalized guidance for their cycle phases and life stages.
Femtech Insider reports the integration will combine Flo's cycle predictions with wearable data on sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature and respiratory rate. The companies will also collaborate on women's health products and features, plus a research program to develop an AI model examining how hormones affect health and potentially predict conditions like PMOS, endometriosis and fibroids.
"Women have waited too long for technology that understands their bodies as well as it understands their steps," Flo co-founder and CEO Dmitry Gurski said in the announcement. Rishi Chandra, GM of Google Health, called the deal "a significant investment in our commitment to women's health."
According to Google's blog post, no data will move between the apps without a user's explicit permission, given separately for each type of data and each purpose, and users can withdraw permission at any time. Flo data shared with Google Health will never be used for advertising, never be sold and won't be made available to other apps or developers through Google's health platforms, the companies say.
Google agreed to pay $48 million and Flo $8 million, a combined $56 million, to settle a class action alleging the Flo app shared menstruation and pregnancy information with third parties, including Google, without users' consent, according to Inside Privacy. Flo had previously settled with the FTC over allegations about the same data-handling practices. At the time of that report, the proposed settlements still needed court approval.