Fitbit SDK and APIs desperately needs to talk to phone apps on Android and iOS

All major smartwatch platforms which support apps on the watch also support communications between the watch app and the 3rd party companion apps on the phones. This includes Android Wear, Galaxy Gear, Garmin Vivosmart, Pebble...

 

We desperately need a way how to talk to phone apps. At the moment the only very cumbersome workaround is to create a HTTP server with a local URL on the device and use the fetch() API.. but two way communication is only possible through polling and in all cases this will negatively affect battery life of the phone..

 

I think this limitation is a great burden to very interesting use-case which are simply not possible with FitBit. For example we would really like to introduce the Ionic to several million of our Sleep as Android users.

 

Even without any API changes there is a super simple ways how to allows 3rd party integrations from within the FitBit app. For example on Android if a companion messages would also broadcast an intent with the parameters (target appId, name, payload..) like intent extras we are all done, this would open this platform to all the amazing on phone use-cases. Implementation time of that in the FitBit app is 1 man hour and there is no need to change the APIs!

15 Comments
Twomasc
Base Runner

I would love for my fitbit to work with my Sleep as Android. Currently I'm using both.


pironic
Jogger

The only thing holding me back currently from upgrading from my pebble to a fitbit ionic is the availability of sleep as android on this device. If the Sleep as android developer needs something and fitbit wants my money, there is only one solution i can see 🙂

 

I've had a fitbit in past and would love to upgrade my watch but the request outlined by Petr is a must. 

 

Thanks for considering it FitBit. I'll check back every couple of weeks for progress and hopefully purchase a new watch once things progress in our favor Smiley Happy 

 

EDIT/UPDATE: Not looking for a fitbit ionic anymore... now looking for a fitbit versa... same problem exists though. Still waiting.

 

Edit2: still waiting. Still checking back.

JamesUnFit
Jogger

Here here !  This gets my vote 100%.

 

Also, if any Fitbit staff are reading, please correct your text in your T&Cs for "Feature suggestions".

 

Namely, correct "where" to "were" in "This policy is necessary to avoid potential misunderstandings or disputes that may arise if our new products or services or marketing campaigns where to appear similar to an idea submitted by you."

rjm_robin
Jogger

Yes, indeed. If it had Sleep As Android, I would buy your latest watch in a New York second. My Pebble is approaching 3 years old, and batteries do die. Please allow 3rd party apps, especially those with millions of users, to have the access to the device needed for their app to work. 

 

Thank you. And if you do it, I'll buy it. 

Rich_Laue
Community Legend

@PetrNalevka you have confused me, several of the current ionic and Versa apps do interface with their companion app .

 

Gang of your asking about Sleep as Android this would not be a companion app for a versa or ionic app .Please consider adding your vote to the current request 

Sleep as Android Integration

 

I would also consider asking the crew at Sleep as Android. Since Fitbit has already provided all the tools needed for them to set up the connection. 

pironic
Jogger

@Rich_Laue > PetrNalevka is one of the primary developers of Sleep As Android.

 

The request you have linked was created by a community member asking for FitBit to create an integration on behalf of SleepAsAndroid. Fitbit posted that they would not take the time to develop this but would keep the request open to track interest. 

 

This request, being that it is opened by the developer of the app, outlined exactly what is missing in order to bring the Sleep as Android app to fruition without FitBit devs having to provide their own time/resources directly. It also has a nice side-effect of opening the functionality up to all future developers too. 

 

I dont know the apps specifically that you are referencing but i suspect the companion app and the watchface/watchapp needs to be open and in the foreground to communicate with each other. Currently the only way for the watch to talk with an app on the phone is for the app to be in the foreground. What Petr is looking for is a way for the watch to create a broadcasted intent that an app running in the background can pick up. This means that an app running in the background will never miss out on the information initiated from the other device. 

Rich_Laue
Community Legend

The request was left opened for votes, the mods often do this to stifle the conversations when the go off on tangents .and start complaining, instead of giving there well thought out reasoning as to why Fitbit should imp Leland a feature. 

The idea is that if votes picked up, Fitbit might change their mind .

 

As for the phone, they run a true OS and no the companion app does not need to run in the foreground. 

The Fitbit app does not need to be in the foreground to send notofications or for the connected GPS to work. 

As for the request to connect to sleep as Android. This is several years old, long before the ionic, and is the merging of separate threads .

 

SunsetRunner
Not applicable

Nice suggestion @PetrNalevka and thanks for sharing within the community. We are aware it would be a tremendous feature for the community, thanks for continuing to vote on that feature request. We will be discussing this with the product team.

Credelius
Base Runner

The current implementation of companion is very much useless, because it doesn't allow to exchange information between peers' apps. If you look at other vendors, you will notice that Android has Data Layer API for Wear, Samsung has Samsung Accessory Protocol (SAP) for Gear devices, even Pebble had something to communicate with Android or iOS apps.

 

I think, if you want Fitbit watches to be integrated into a bigger inter-connected ecosystem this feature is a must and you need to prioritize accordingly.

Credelius
Base Runner

@SunsetRunner It's not a "nice" suggestion, it's a "must feature" if you serious about being in smartwatch market. Feel free to delete my suggestion, it's actually the same as this one with refs to some existing protocols like SAP or Data Layer. I've posted, then noticed the Petr's post. 

mortenfirst
Stepping Up

Any news on this? 

Maybe allowing the companion API to access the host phone's clipboard would help too.

Something like phone.pasteFromClipboard

 

Cheers!

 

 

jrtomsic
Recovery Runner

If we can wake the companion app with an intent on android (not sure if it's possible for apple), then we can interface with apps like Tasker to have more powerful apps and watch faces. Some things I can think of that will be opened up by this: synchronized alarms (popup on watch when phone alarm rings, dismiss from anywhere), more than 8 alarms supported on the watch, real time google maps navigation updates.

Status changed to: Reviewed By Moderator
JonFitbit
Fitbit Developer
Fitbit Developer

Thanks for the feedback, I think this request fits with the existing one for Android and iOS communications. https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Fitbit-SDK-and-APIs-desperately-needs-to-talk-to...

Status changed to: Not currently planned
YojanaFitbit
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this suggestion. We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and we appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. We do not currently have plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released in our FAQs. For now, we will leave this suggestion open for votes (and closed to comments) so that we can continue to track community demand over time. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and we will let you know if anything changes.

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