Updates to Fitbit Data Export

[BenFitbit]

Hi everyone!

My name’s Ben Ward — I joined Fitbit recently, and I’m responsible for our data management features.

I’m posting to let you know that today we’ve updated Data Export. We’ve made it easier to download your data in spreadsheet-compatible formats, in addition to your account archive. We’ve unified the separate export tools that you’ve been using since last year.

I want to take this moment to thank you all for your recent feedback about data export. You’ve helped us better understand many interesting ways in which you use your data. Especially for me personally, I've settled into Fitbit and learned about the potential of these features from your stories and descriptions. We see you, and we intend to continue to support your established uses, and help you to get the most out of your Fitbit.

Today's update is quite simple, but more data export improvements will be coming in the future; to give you more control, and make your data easier to use and understand.

Thank you again for your support and feedback. As ever, we welcome your comments and suggestions on our feature suggestion board. I encourage you to continue sharing with us, and each other, the useful things you've built with your Fitbit data.

Ben

Product Manager

[Geoff_]

Hi Ben,

Good to see some engagement with customers.

I haven't downloaded any Fitbit data before as it was not an option when I first got a Fitbit years ago. I thought recently I should check to see if the option was available so found the help page.

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1133

It does not appear to me from the help page that they are referring to using the web page to access Fitbit as other OS Fitbit apps have "Dashboards"  but only the web page has the Gear icon. It's a shame this was identified sometime ago but for whatever reason the help page was not changed. https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Windows-10-App/How-do-I-export-my-Fitbit-data/td-p/1902021

OK, onto the download data and it appears the lifetime archive comes in one form, a json file for each record (plse correct me if I this is not the case). Why is it not available in the form of the 1 month data, CSV etc which most customers could deal with?

[Colinm39]

@Geoff_  The "old" download is there but no HR data etc

At this link, but you have to export a month at a time if you want your lifetime data.

https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export

[Geoff_]

Thanks for that Colin.

I thought the only downside to the "month at a time" method was perhaps doing it 70 plus times to get the data but if all the data is not available I don't think I would bother.

Fingers crossed the people @Fitbit will provide a means to easily acquire the data in an easily digestible form.

cheers

Geoff

[Colinm39]

@Geoff_  Thanks for getting back and you got a vote for that.... .. I have been with Fitbit since 2011 and used the "old" Premium, so I was in the habit of downloading the Activity data.. Similar with the RHR data, I was logging that into Excel since the HR Fitbits were released.. Just a few seconds in the day.

But with activity HR data, if I want a finer representation of that, I'm using a 3rd party url which was developed when Fitbit changed the way we could get our data.

The Fitbit graphs are too coarse.  If you want accurate HR data, for the Exercise Workouts, Fitbit records a pulse on average every 2 seconds, and about 7 seconds if you haven't activated a Workout exercise. 

I gave up trying to unscramble the json file because I wasn't going to download my lifetime data every time I wanted a "piece" of data.

More importantly the data is there and I'm comfortable I can get what I want and how I want to record it.

Occasionally I use Workout for my sleep because I have a low HR and from this snippet from last night (no Workout) you can see the variations, from 5 to 15 seconds/HR point. My average HR last night while asleep was 51bpm

---

@Geoff_ wrote:

Thanks for that Colin.

I thought the only downside to the "month at a time" method was perhaps doing it 70 plus times to get the data but if all the data is not available I don't think I would bother.

Fingers crossed the people @Fitbit will provide a means to easily acquire the data in an easily digestible form.

cheers

Geoff

---

[SunsetRunner]

I am going through the exact same thing. I am interested in my heart rate. Hopefully they give you an answer soon.

[comish4lif]

@BenFitbit I would like to access my Heart Rate data. I have completed the Data Archive process and downloaded the file.

Now, since #Fitbit is the one providing the JSON files, can you provide me with a set of directions on how to use JSON files? A csv, txt, or xml file would be easier to work with.

[oucesar]

The data export tool is useless as it is. I would like to be able to export ALL my data in Excel.

[AlvaroFitbit]

@oucesar @comish4lif @SunsetRunner thank you for your replies and sorry for the delay in mine. 

You may be interested in checking this post from Microsoft and this instructional site to learn how to view Json files.

Let me know how it goes.

[Geoff_]

Thanks for the suggestion but it still looks like the method re Excel is still an open each json file individually method, is that correct?

[AndrejaNotAndre]

What i don't understand is that with all of the visualizations tools out there, including the visualization tools you use internally, you leave us, consumers, with archaic formatting of an XLS? And you call that customer support?

You collect data 24/7 - every bite we take, the minute we sleep, every heartbeat, and I get some of it in XLS? 

You curbed the visuals on website, upcharged for ionic, removed apple music player controller from the device, and you are pitching the improved experience? I just dont see it.

[nadasy]

I'm hoping I am in the right place.  I would appreciate an answer to my previous question of where did my weekly cumulative step tile disappear to?  I do not have a smart phone, I use my 'dashboard' on my MacBook Pro.  I have not had an issue with any of my tiles disappearing until a few days ago, when there was no cumulative weekly steps tile.  
I have restarted, updated, refreshed ad nauseum and nothing is bringing it back.  

I can go to my log page and fiddle around until I can get a guestimate, but I would prefer, at the end of a 12 hour work day to not have to fuss with that.  I have always just seen all the tiles displayed on my 'Dashboard' page and that was fine with me.  

I am NOT in a group, or have 'friends' - I am not able to add that to my list of already a jammed day with my life.  Nothing against having friends, I have great friends, but I don't want to compete with anyone but myself. 

Regards, 
Dinah

[Broinhim2]

Greetings,

I downloaded my data archive but don't know what to do with hundreds of .json files.   I was expecting to view, graph and understand my data in Excel.   Isn't that possible?

Thanks,

David

https://www.fitbit.com/user/3TCWP2

[KittyDe37]

Hi @BenFitbit 

I recently posted to the community asking about a chest strap HR and step monitors. I am a licensed clinical massage therapist and am unable to wear a wristband and end up completely not wearing it at all. There has to be more members with similar stories. Can you please forward this to the developers? I would be one of the first people to buy a Fitbit chest monitor if they sold one. 

Thank you for your time.

[devilicious]

Cannot export my data!

Help says Gear > Settings > Data Export but that button doesn't even exist. Please update your Help!

There is an option saying "Manage Data" but clicking on that gives me this error :"UH-OH We've lost you. We cannot find the page you're looking for. Is there a typo in the url?"

AAARRRGGGGHHH!

[Tonia]

Hi, not sure what's going on.  They've made some kind of change.  The data export button was there and worked yesterday.  But not today.

However, I found a workaround. You can still access the export on this page:

https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export

[BubbaB]

Thanks a lot @Tonia , following your link is the only way to get there for the moment.

[SunsetRunner]

When I receive an export of my data archive, the files are JSON.  How do I open them?  Is there a CSV version of the archive?

[Nathaliaribeiro]

Can someone please point me to a software or web that can help me export my FITBIT charge 3 heart rate data? I really need to look at it in one view, like a spreadsheet of sorts, during a period of time. Please and thank you, community 🙏

[Nathaliaribeiro]

Can you please help me export my heart rate data? I have exported the zip file as suggested but the heart rate data is not there! Only activities and sleep. And under the activities there is NO heart rate. 

[SunsetRunner]

BTW I found this website which will convert JSON files to CSV files.  It works well.

https://json-csv.com/