FitBit Apps

[AubFB]

Will fitbit be coming out with a watch that allows you to use apps such as Facebook or Pinterest? 

[WavyDavey]

Hi @AubFB,

There's no telling what Fitbit may do in the future. That said, I'm having trouble imagining how they could put something like Facebook on such a small screen as the Ionic.

[SunsetRunner]

@AubFB, in this case, it depends on whether Facebook and other third-party companies would want to be on Fitbit or not. Usually, companies stay hesitant from developing software for high-maintenance devices. The reason for that is that there is a high chance of being backwards incompatible when new firmware rolls out and overall device instability may affect user experience in regard to the particular app. Users usually cannot tell whether there is an issue with the app or something else and will be addressing complaints wherever they can. 

@WavyDavey it's not so impossible. There is, for example, Instagram for AppleWatch. The small screen requires different UX and most likely it's going to deliver rather a companion app than full experience but I'm far from saying it's not possible. It requires applying different UX design and feature set that is feasible for a wearable device.

[WavyDavey]

@SunsetRunner, but doesn't the AW have a persistent data connection?. How would the app update since the Ionic doesn't have one? Would you be OK with a FB app that only updates once a day and doesn't do messenger?

Not sure it has to do with Facebook wanting to be on Fitbit or not. Facebook published the API for anyone to use, but someone would have to develop the interface as you say. Kind of a lot of work, but since the Ionic supports 3rd party development, you could always write one yourself. Maybe it would even be profitable. Fitbit has been pretty selective about their partnerships so far.

[SunsetRunner]

@WavyDavey My Ionic is always connected with my phone via Bluetooth only. Never got it working stable with wifi so I don't use any apps that require connection because it just doesn't work for me. This is what I said in the first paragraph, Ionic isn't really suitable for such apps due to problems and limitations, not the screen size. I looked into the SDK ( I haven't had a chance to see SDK2 ) and it is horrendous. You can make only really simple things as a third-party developer. It's incredibly limited and, from my point of view, useless when I used to work with wearables supporting native and fast C# apps, utilizing high-end graphics and audio. Comparing to that Ionic is a toy. I was actually quite excited about the possibility of development for Ionic but then yet another disappointment. It is not even level of ancient J2ME technology with the oldest CLDC1.0 profile. Not mentioning horrible IDE ( who thought to make it web-based and that is a good idea? ) and synchronization problems when you want to deploy your app. All these issues will always stop third-party developers from investing time and money in the apps development.

[Rich_Laue]

@SunsetRunner none of the apps with the exception of the music apps require wifi, all communication between the app in the tracker and the phone uses Bluetooth. The phone still needs to be connected to the internet through Wifi or cellular and fitbit notification services needs to be running in android .l assume that is the case for the other phones 

When opening an app on the watch that needs Data from the internet, the app reaches out to the phone through Bluetooth and the phone then passes the request on to the internet. 

Wifi only gets turned on while the tracker is being charged.

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello everyone!

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback and thoughts on the matter. 

Remember that you can post your suggestions in our Feature Suggestions board so that other users can comment and vote on it to show your support. Be sure to read the FAQ if you have any questions on the way that board works.

Feel free to reach out with any further questions.