Bo AI is a text-based AI assistant from Bo Labs, Inc. that lives entirely inside iMessage, logging meals, tracking sleep and workouts, and managing your calendar from a normal text conversation. It launched publicly this week, runs on iPhone only, and doesn't publish an exact subscription price on its site or its App Store listing.
Short answer: Bo AI is an iMessage-only assistant that tracks nutrition, fitness, sleep, and your calendar through text messages, using a companion iOS app to connect Apple Health, Oura, Strava, and Google Calendar. It's a free download with an in-app subscription option, but Bo Labs hasn't published an exact price. There's no Android version.
When I checked Bo’s App Store listing and its site at getbo.com before writing this, the pitch was consistent in both places: instead of opening another app, you text Bo like you'd text a friend, and it handles the tracking in the background. Bo Labs says on its site it has exchanged more than 20 million messages with over 100,000 users since it started, and the company's own framing is that Bo costs a fraction of what a human personal assistant would run — its site puts a $1,000-plus-a-month human assistant against Bo's own price, which the company doesn't publish, so treat that comparison as marketing rather than a verified number. It's a genuinely different interaction model from a chat app you have to remember to open. Here's what setup actually involves, what Bo can and can't do, and where I'd slow down before connecting your health data to it.
What you'll need
An iPhone is non-negotiable — Bo works through iMessage, and as of this writing there's no Android app or Play Store listing, despite some secondhand write-ups implying otherwise. You'll need an Apple ID with iMessage turned on, plus the free Bo AI: Health Assistant companion app from the App Store, which handles onboarding and connecting other accounts (the actual conversation happens in Messages, not in this app). If you want Bo to do more than answer general questions, have your logins ready for whichever services you want synced: Apple Health, Apple Watch, Oura, Strava, Google Calendar, Google Health, or Calendly are all supported, alongside a scheduling tool for meeting reminders. None of that is required to start — you can text Bo the moment onboarding finishes.
Step-by-step: setting up Bo AI
1. Download the companion app and start onboarding
Get Bo AI: Health Assistant free from the App Store and open it. The first screens ask about your goals, body, and lifestyle — this is what personalizes Bo's coaching later, so answer it for real instead of skipping through.
2. Send your first text
Onboarding hands you off to iMessage, where Bo replies as a regular contact. Send a normal message — a question, a goal, or just "hi" — and Bo responds in the same thread you'd use for any other text.
3. Connect your health and calendar apps
Back in the companion app, link Apple Health, Oura, Strava, or Google Calendar if you use them. This is what lets Bo answer questions like "how did I sleep" with your actual data instead of asking you to type it in.
4. Log something the way you actually eat or move
Text a photo of your plate or just describe it in words — Bo is built to take either. The same goes for workouts: text what you did, or let a connected app like Strava fill it in automatically.
5. Build the daily habit before judging it
A single day of texting won't show you much. Bo's pitch is a running relationship — daily summaries, reminders, and check-ins — so give it a week of normal use, including a bad-lighting meal photo or two, before deciding if it's worth keeping.
Example prompts you can copy
These are the kinds of texts Bo is actually built to handle, based on the feature list Bo Labs publishes:
- "Log breakfast: two eggs, toast, and coffee."
- "What's my sleep score from last night, and how does it compare to my weekly average?"
- "Remind me to stretch at 3pm on weekdays."
- "I'm eating at [restaurant] — what's the best macro fit on their menu?" (attach a menu photo)
- "What's the weather this weekend, and should I move my run?"
Each one plays to a specific feature area — nutrition, sleep, reminders, restaurant recommendations, and the general-question utility layer — rather than treating Bo like a generic chatbot.
Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is assuming Bo works on Android because a couple of secondhand write-ups say "iMessage and Android Messages" — Bo's own site and its App Store listing only describe iMessage, which is Apple-only. Second, expecting a published price before you install: neither getbo.com nor the App Store listing shows subscription tiers, so budget-conscious users should download it and check the in-app price screen before assuming a number. Third, weighing the App Store’s 3.4-star, 19-rating average like it's a mature signal — Bo Labs launched Bo publicly this week, so that score is thin and will likely move a lot in either direction over the next few months. Fourth, texting Bo once and judging it like a search engine; the value case here is the daily habit and connected data, not a single clever answer. Fifth, connecting sensitive health accounts before reading the privacy terms — Bo Labs states health data is encrypted and de-identified and not used to train public models, which is worth confirming for yourself rather than taking on faith.
Bo AI vs. general AI chat apps for daily tracking
| Tool | Interface | Platforms | Cost | Built-in health tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bo AI | iMessage texting | iOS only | Free download; subscription price not published | Yes — nutrition, fitness, sleep, via Apple Health/Oura/Strava |
| ChatGPT | App chat + voice | iOS, Android, web | Free; Plus $20/month | No native tracking; you'd log manually in chat |
| Claude | App chat | iOS, Android, web | Free; Pro $20/month ($17/month billed annually) | No native tracking |
Bo's actual differentiator isn't the AI model underneath — it's that logging happens where you already text, with real integrations doing the data entry ChatGPT or Claude would need you to type by hand.
Tools that make this easier
If you want an AI you can point a camera at instead of typing to, my AI Eyes guide covers the free vision apps that describe what your phone's camera sees, which is a useful companion to Bo's photo-based meal logging. For the general chat apps in the table above, how to use ChatGPT and how to use Claude AI cover setup and plan differences in more depth than the summary here. If you're building out a no-cost AI toolkit before you commit to any paid tier, my free AI tools roundup and starter kit for AI are both worth reading first. And if you want to know how I approach claims like these before publishing them, see how we test AI tools.
My take
Bo AI's texting-first design is a real idea, not just a gimmick — meeting people where they already are, instead of asking for one more app open, is the right call for daily tracking that people tend to abandon. What holds me back from a full recommendation right now is timing: it launched this week, the App Store rating is built on 19 reviews, and neither the price nor the model behind Bo's answers is disclosed anywhere public. That last gap matters more than it sounds like it should — if you're already paying for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro at $20 a month, you'll want to know whether Bo stacks on top of that budget or replaces part of it, and right now the only way to find out is to install the app and look at the subscription screen yourself. I'd try it on the free download, watch what the in-app subscription screen actually charges, and give it a couple of weeks before deciding it's a habit worth paying for. If the price turns out to be reasonable, the pitch of skipping app-switching for something as routine as logging a meal is genuinely worth the download.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bo AI free?
The app is a free download from the App Store with an in-app subscription option. Bo Labs hasn't published the exact subscription price on its website or App Store listing as of this writing.
Does Bo AI work on Android?
No. Bo works through iMessage, which is Apple-only, and there's no Android app or Play Store listing as of this writing.
How long does it take to set up Bo AI?
A few minutes to download the app, finish onboarding, and send your first text. Connecting extra accounts like Apple Health or Strava adds a couple more minutes per service.
Is my health data safe with Bo AI?
Bo Labs states health data is encrypted with 256-bit encryption, de-identified, and not used to train public AI models, and describes the service as GDPR compliant and HIPAA ready. Read the current privacy policy on getbo.com before connecting sensitive accounts, since stated policies can change.
What is the easiest way to start using Bo AI?
Download the free companion app, finish the short onboarding, and send a plain text like "hi" or a question you'd normally Google. Connect Apple Health or your calendar only once you're sure you'll keep using it daily.