Allow Fitbit devices to sync with Polar heart rate monitor

The Polar H7 chest heart monitor is so universal. I love it. Please, please allow the Fitbit watches to sync with it.

  

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

91 Comments
atoosa
First Steps

I totally agree! It's high time fitbit and polar learn to play nice.

 

WinkyRN
Recovery Runner

Same for the Garmin chest strap, having the option to monitor heart rates when the wrist is less accurate would be a huge win here.

Woostigger
Strider

This would be great for those that have a hard time maintaining accurate high HR numbers from an optical sensor.  

 

If they planned a high intense workout, they would be more confident that fitbit is counting their efforts.  I am good with just seeing fitbit make a bluetooth chest strap that can be paired to a surge or charge HR for those times we need them.  I have a Garmin already, but would buy another if it meant keeping my HR numbers accurate.

Mbrown655
First Steps

I would love to see this happen. The Surge HR works great for steady state training but has a real problem monitoring HR during any type of interval training. Please make a Fitbit HR strap or let me Bluetooth with my Polar H7. 

Andy_in_KC
First Steps

Yes, excellent idea.  The optical HR sensor is nice to have for sure, but it's just not nearly as accurate as a chest strap.  I have a microsoft band but would buy a charge HR or surge in a minute if it allowed pairing a bluetooth chest strap (I have a Polar H7 too).

 

Why are the manufacturers all in such denial about the optical HR sensors?  It does work to an extent, but come on, anyone who's used one can tall you they're infuriatingly inaccurate with many types of strenuous workouts.  Chest strap is nearly always spot on. 

 

Good on fitbit for implementing the optical sensor, it's a nice feature and I probably won't buy another fitness tracker without it, but not a complete solution to heart rate monitoring.

SilviaFitbit
Premium User
Fitbit Moderator
Fitbit Moderator

@Maxt121 Thank you for visiting the Feature Request board! The Polar H7 syncs to the Polar Beat app and can work together with Endomondo, Runtastic and a few other apps. I would like to know if you want an integration between the Polar Beat app or you want to sync the Surge to Polar's app or you want to sync the chest strap to Fitbit. 

 

Thank you for your ideas. 

Natie83
Jogger
At first sorry for my bad english.
It will be great if i can my Polar h7 ( bleuthooth) pairing with my charge hr.
When i go to Sleep i set show clock off when i wake up i set it on. But it is much more easy when i can set a timer on for it. En the last one show the battery on te fitbit charge.
Thats soms idees that make the fitbit beter i think.
SunsetRunner
Not applicable

i am not sure, but there is a french speaking forum

 

Natie83
Jogger
I can read en talk english but write down is nog so good. I'm from Holland and i don't think there is a Dutch forum
BlondTriathlete
First Steps

@SilviaFitbit - I can't answer the question for @Maxt121 but I think the perfect scenario for me is to have the FitBit application on my Android / iPhone show the Heart Rate from the H7 and the step information from my Fitbit device during a workout and then show the HR information from the Fitbit device for resting / non-workout situations.

 

I currently have a Flex and was looking at upgrading to a Surge / Blaze, but after doing research, the HR monitoring with the Optical Sensors just isn't accurate enough for good zone training or peak / average HR monitoring. I might upgrade to the Blaze because of the nice Smart Watch like features, but the HR just won't cut it for me. Would be curious to hear what others think?

 

Haydeno
First Steps
Is it possible for you guys to make the new Fitbits (blaze) Compatible with the polar heart rate strap/sensors?
Deezel
First Steps
Yes adding a heart rate chest strap compatibility to blaze & surge would be perfect. The HRM on the surge is very unreliable & hard to keep track of your results. It's probably the biggest downfall on your fitbit products. Make it happen please.
Deezel
First Steps
How about making your products compatible with other chest strap monitors or make your own.
badgerunner
Stepping Up

I just reached out to Fitbit about this very thing.  It would be awesome to have the watches accecpt ANT+ heart rate monitor straps.  That way you could use optical HR for most of the day and then add a strap for more intense workouts.  The Garmin 225 and 235 watches have this option, and I'm sure others do, too.

 

As another mentioned, it would be easy for Fitbit to allow existing straps to work with their watches and equally easy to make their own.  I don't have one at the moment, so I would have no problem purchasing Fitbit's HR strap.

Status changed to: Reviewed By Moderator
CindyFitbit
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hi, This sounds like a great idea to implement in a future.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Eposner7
First Steps
Please allow polar chest strap to sync with chargehr
kevin7
Base Runner

I would also like FitBit app to connect to Polar H7 for heartrate when running.  I just have a FitBit Flex for steps.

dennisd3miller
Recovery Runner

Another vote for chest strap integration. This request has been on the books for almost 2 years and the moderator feedback is consistently "sounds great", but there is no evidence that Fitbit is even considering it. This is really a must-have feature--either make a Fitbit chest strap or integrate with BLE/ANT+ as a standard, please.

FeAlmeida
Jogger

+1000 to this

I had to abandon my Fitbit Surge due to the non-integration with strap heartmonitors such as H7 from Polar. I moved to the new Polar M60, which is (of course), compatible with their's H7.

 

I would love to come back to my Surge, but until I can read a reliable heart rate during my run, I won't be able to.

 

Any stats on this development?

 

Tks!

BlondTriathlete
First Steps

I just wanted to add back to this thread that I have withheld an upgrade to the Blaze or Charge because this feature is missing. 

 

I started doing Crossfit workouts and the HR max is even more important to me now and I have basically stopped wearing my Fitbit Flex and am now using the Polar HR app instead for my workouts and would much rather have the integration between the two instead of trying to work around limitations with the Polar HR application which is designed for aerobic workouts.

 

 

dub97gt
First Steps
At least allow workouts logged with the chest strap heart rate monitors to sync over heart rate data along with the workout duration, type, and calories burned.
Dvansan
Stepping Up

I also want this. we need to be able to have the ability to import our exercise data to the fitbit app from polar.  

FeAlmeida
Jogger

Sad to see such a strategic feature for FitBit being left out on an abandoned forum thread like this one.

I'm sure many many people would feel more inclined to buy a FitBit if it integrates with their current Polar heart bands.

 

Instead of taking advantage of a large installed based of heart monitors carved for years by Polar, Fitbit chosen the path of reinventing the wheel and recreating their own, limiting their plataform to their own devices. Such a retrograde and old mindset, on a company I would expect a more forward-thinking development.

Elthomp1
First Steps

Has there been any updates or progress on the Polar H7 or Polar Beat app integration? Manually adding the data is cumbersome and clunky through the fitbit app. The Polar Beat app or direct integration with the chest strap is the only way to accurately capture hrm data and calories burned totals. Please make this happen sooner than later. In a given week, it's borderline insane to have to use 4-5 different apps to keep track of health performance: Myfitnesspal, Fitbit, Polar Beat, and Runkeeper is starting to become just too much work to maintain. 

alepuccetti
First Steps

I would love to have this feature

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