Allow third-parties to access live heart rate data (so Fitbits can act as HR monitors)

[agemperline]

Since the Surge and Charge HR can already connect via bluetooth to phones it would be great if you could allow third-parties to access live heart rate data directly from the device.  

This would allow apps like Strava, Runkeeper, MapMyRun and others to use the Surge and Charge HR as heart rate monitors.  

Moderator edit: added label

[KnuCle]

Are your engineers and developers working on this issue or do I have to look for another watch to get these features anytime soon?

[Nacho1981]

Oh please make this happen !! 

[JeffCu]

Fitbit heart rate is shared with Strava (sync'd in batch mode after the event).   It's claimed that you can also supports Cardiogram but I can't find any way to make that actually work.   It should sync, but I can't see any way to do it, heart rate into Apple Health if I give it permissions.   It should give real time Heart Rate to applications with my permission so I can use it as my HRM for real time applications similar to my Polar devices.    I don't get why Fitbit doesn't understand that a heart rate monitor is a cheap useful device for many purposes.   You can't seem to build decent applications so at least open up the data from your hardware devices so we can enjoy the device as a heart rate monitor for applications that serve our purposes better.   As it stands, I'm going to throw it in the trash and go back to my $75 Polar Heart Rate monitor that does everything better - or move up to a Apple Watch so I can get access to quality heart health applications.   Stop trying to play the walled garden game and make this useful.

[steinline]

TOTALLY AGREE!!!! FIX IT FITBIT AND YOU'LL HAVE MORE CUSTOMERS!! I really
like your sleep data and step count, but want strava and wahoo fitness
compatibility.

[Valetorrent]

Rendere compatibile il cardiofrequenzimetro con runtastic, runkeeper, strava e altro é una cosa che dovete fare per forza se volete continuare a vendere. Altrimenti fitbit non ha nessun valore aggiunto rispetto ad altri competitors

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@agemperline wrote:

Since the Surge and Charge HR can already connect via bluetooth to phones it would be great if you could allow third-parties to access live heart rate data directly from the device.  

This would allow apps like Strava, Runkeeper, MapMyRun and others to use the Surge and Charge HR as heart rate monitors.  

Moderator edit: added label

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[steinline]

Agree agree agree!!!!

[Annie721fabfitf]

Why can't we use the Fitbit heart rate monitor with DDP Yoga?
A moderator on this topic said the app is open. This is the response I got from DDP

Thank you

I appreciate the moderator response but the proposed solution does not
address the request. It sounds like the Web API will only allow DDP YOGA to
pull data after a workout is completed. The smartwatch SDK would require
DDPY to build a specific app that would only work on certain FitBit devices
like the Iconic and Versa.
The users are asking for Fitbit to allow their devices to connect with the
DDP YOGA NOW app so that any Fitbit device can be paired as a heart rate
monitor to see heart rate and calories burned data LIVE in the app, during
the workout. Not after the fact in a data pull. The DDP YOGA NOW app has
the functionality to connect with Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitors like Wahoo
and Polar to display heart rate data directly on the app screen during a
workout. See below.

The issue isn't connecting with fitbit and sharing data, the issue is
having access to the heart rate. Unfortunately until fitbit allows us to
connect with their heart rate data then it wouldn't work with the app.

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @Annie721fabfitf 

Thank you for your question and I appreciate your interest with integrating DDP YOGA and Fitbit.  I'm familiar with Arthur Boorman's story and it's amazing how DDP yoga transformed his life.

To answer your question, the Fitbit trackers are not designed like the heart rate monitors you listed.   Wahoo has an open design that supports connectivity to various devices via bluetooth.  Fitbit's trackers and smart watches do support bluetooth, but only to the Fitbit mobile app. 

We do give companies, and people like yourself, access to the data in 3 ways:

1. Individuals can view their personal data through the mobile app.
2. Pull the static data from Fitbit after the tracker syncs with the mobile application using the Web APIs.  Trackers can automatically sync with the Fitbit mobile app every 15 minutes.
3. Pull the data directly off the smart watch (Ionic and Versa family), near real-time, using the Device SDK.

Since there are thousands of health and fitness applications available on the market, it's not possible for Fitbit to build integrations with all of them.  Therefore, we make the Web API and Device SDK available for these individuals to build the integrations themselves. 

At this moment, the best solution would be DDP YOGA to build an app for the Fitbit smart watches which would display the data in the DDP YOGA application.   In the meantime, I will move your request to our Feature Suggestions board.  Our product management team does monitor these requests looking for customer interest.  

[Pullyourfingers]

HR broadcast to 3rd party apps was possible on my Garmin Vivoactive HR, disappointed that Fitbit have not made this possible on Blaze.

[steinline]

Agree agree agree

[AlokRanjan]

Hi,

Please allow Charge 3 to share live hrm data over bluetooth to 3rd party app supporting external hrm(e.g. Moov Coach, Mapmyfutness, etc.). 

I was using Samsung fit e($40 band). It was doing everything perfectly from activity tracking, workouts and seamlessly live hrm  connection to 3rd party app like Moov Coach, Mapmyfutness, etc. Except for its low battery life which was hardly 3 days. So I thought of upgrading it and bought Charge3. And now I cannot do excellent hrm based guided HIIT workout provided by Moov Coach app. as Fitbit doesn't share live hrm over bluetooth to 3rd party app.

It feels like after buying this costly tracker I degraded myself and feel like cheated. 

Please  understand that Fitbit app has very basic features. Like wise not app will have all the features, so as consumer I should be having freedom to choose. In line with this I conclude and request you allow charge3 to share  live hrm over bluetooth to other 3rd party app.

At the moment charge3 has become useless and I am still using Samsung fit e.

This will be great feature for the product and selling point. 

Please do let me know if even if Fitbit can't do it.

Thanks!!!

Alok

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @AlokRanjan! This is a great idea and thanks for explaining why you'd like to have an option to share your heart rate data via Bluetooth with us! This feature suggestion already exists, so I’ve moved your post here. Don’t forget to post a comment and click on the thumbs-up to show your support.

[steinline]

Please Fitbit, make this happen and I will buy your products!!!!

[AlokRanjan]

This feature suggestion board looks like joke to me. People have been asking this basic feature since 2014 and still fitbit has not done anything about it. Anyway I won't be wasting my time further on this. 

[SunsetRunner]

@LizzyFitbit Thanks for responding after 2,5 years. I moved to Apple Watch. Bye 😉

[vanhoob]

Me too. I have an Apple watch now. Thanks to Fitbit!
--
Bea Selleslag

[steinline]

and what kills me is the battery life on apple watch - prevents me from
using it to monitor sleep - which is why I want a fitbit. I will totally
use fitbit's apps and interface, but want it to broadcast HR data to strava
and wahoo fitness - neither of which really compete with the fitbit
"world". PLEASE PLEASE modify the permissions....

[CptZenon]

Yes, I can get heart rate info from my Pebble now, but I'm worried about how much longer my Pebble will live.  So, I"m looking for my next watch.  Fitbit is a good contender, but I use Ghostracer when I'm biking along with a Wahoo display to monitor my heart rate and speed etc.  Why does FitBit not want to allow access to the heart rate?  Seems like such a simple thing.  There has to be some reason they do not "want" to do it.

[BG10]

Did we ever get an answer on this? 

I'm headed to Apple Watch soon. I really was hoping to have my intraday heart rate data able to sync to other platforms. 

What a bummer that MY heart rate data is being held hostage within the FitBit platform. 

It's literally a spreadsheet of numbers and times... Thanks for the fun times FitBit. 

[SunsetRunner]

sorry about the double-post.  Good luck in your fitness adventure!

[SunsetRunner]

Search the App Store for a Fitbit to Apple Health app.  This app acts as a go-between that imported my entire Fitbit history into Apple Health. It works great!  That being said, since Fitbit won’t place nice and support the needs of its customers, after many years and numerous Fitbit trackers, when my Charge 2 dies, I’m going to an Apple Watch and leaving Fitbit behind.  Cheers and good luck! 

[jnor82]

Yes please!! I use Accurofit at the gym, it would be nice if Fitbit could sync with it.

[wayne7215]

It's just stupid from Fitbit, bought yesterday my first Fitbit Versa 2, was checking all the features and was satisfied. Then I realized it's not possible to get all the data into the Apple Health app, what the hell. Today I throw the Versa 2 and bought an Apple Watch.

[KenOwen]

Glad to see this is an issue... bought the whole family fitbits last week and a deal breaker is real-time sync of heart rate to 3rd party apps... like spinning bike.

ill be returning the 5 fitbits and accessories today unless there is a release date for this feature.