Integrate with Apple Watch

[JustMe1234]

The options available for wearing your FitBit with business casual clothing is extremely limited. Please partner with Apple & allow us to use the Apple Watch to track our steps for a premium subscription. I love the APP & currently proudly wear my flex daily, but would really like the option available when the Apple Watch is released.

Moderator Edit: Added Labels

[rickstaaa]

Planning on buying an Apple Watch 2 when they release. I am sad to see that there is no integration yet between Apple and FitBit. Sucks, but I guess I will have to live without the weekly challenges with friends. 

[BrennB]

I just want to see the steps and such on my watch through glances and maybe be able to add water and those things via an Apple Watch app interface instead of pulling out my phone

[RunningRob1974]

i have purchased multople Charge (wife) Charge HR( me, father in law, daughter) and Flex (all of my staff (6))

You can say Im a loyal fitbit customer.  Ive had issues with my tracker multiple times, and customer service has been amazing.  

But Fitbit vs Apple watch is apples to oranges literally.

Fitbit is closing off a HUGE market by not allowing integration.  You can easily offer a premium subscription account that allows apple watches to sync properly to Fitbit app (and challenges), and so many of us would pay.  Heck, you'll get more money out of me (lifetime) if you did this, vs keeping everything proprietory.  

Your trackers WERE revolutionary...but not anymore...everyone is starting to catch up or surpass...but your COMMUNITY is not replicatable.  Ive literally held off buying the apple watch because I dont want to leave my fitbit friends and challenges...

so make us pay to be in the community if we dont arent using the fitbit tracker...and I'll gladly pay!

[Gonfreaksss]

A lot of people are fear mongering in their argument to persuade Fitbit to integrate with Apple Watch.  It is my opinion that Fitbit will do just fine even if they decide to never integrate with the Apple Watch.  

Fitbit currently dominates the wearables market for a variety of reasons (design, brand recognition, great customer service, network effect, seemless software/hardware integration) why would Fitbit waver and give up one of their key competitive advantages?

People are telling their friends and family to buy Fitbit and only Fitbit so that they can experience all that Fitbit has to offer: not just the tracker itself, but the software experience of Fitbit.  If Fitbit were to allow for Apple Watch, Garmin, Pebble, Fossil, Xiaomi and even the low-lifes at Jawbone to integrate with the Fitbit software, it will hurt no one other than Fitbit.  Fitbit devices will quickly lose its premium stature as they compete with the rest of the device makers on a level playing field.

Sure, they may earn a nominal amount of revenue charging for their software subscriptions, all the while, they will destroy their premium brand status.  

There may be a day where integration will be appropriate, but Fitbit needs to mature as a company first.  The competition is fierce at this stage, and to ensure their future, they cannot afford to make this move.  They need to first get a nice return for the hundreds of millions of dollars they have spent on software R&D.  

If you want Fitbit to be around in a couple of years, then buy a Fitbit zip, one or Flex so you can use their software.  Integrating with the Apple Watch at this critical juncture will be like a nail in the coffin for Fitbit.  

[AnnLondon]

I think most of us already have a Fitbit, we'd just be happy to pay extra to leave it at home sometimes. Having recently found a One that I'd lost I now have three Ones and a Charge. Despite the fact that I only wear the Charge for sleep tracking the shoddy design of the strap means it's already been replaced twice under warranty (and, with another five months or so to run, that figure may rise). Because of the poor quality of the actual trackers (the One is good but easily lost; the Charge is inaccurate and despite a major design flaw Fitbit haven't issued a recall) I can't recommend Fitbit hardware to anyone. I'm happy to recommend the app and the community but suggest people use their phone as a tracker.

As an income generator, Apple Health integration for Premium subscribers would seem to make sense. It would certainly net Fitbit more than having people like me popping an old One in their pocket and using the non-subscription service.

[FitNique]

I beg to differ. I am currently wearing a fitbit charge that is only still on my arm because of the amazing strength of crazy glue. My parents also have had to crazy glue and tape their watches. We've all only had them about a year. They are cheaply made and if you wear them daily like they were designed to be worn, they will fall apart on you. I'm not interested in buying a new fitbit every year and once consumers realize that, it's gonna be an issue for Fitbit. They have amazing software!!!! That's their blessing. People should have the option of buying a new fitbit every year or buying a watch that will be more durable...and if Fitbit were smart, it would make itself available to participate in either purchase by making their software available for a price... If not, they run the risk of losing their Fitbit customers all together when they decide to move on to other watches and God forbid someone design similar software, which is what I believe Apple is doing. Be smart, Fitbit. Give your customers what they want...

Sent from my iPhone

[Gonfreaksss]

Maybe I am just lucky, or perhaps I don't put my Fitbit through enough of strenuous use, but I have not had a problem with my Fitbit Charge HR since I bought it in June of last year.

Regardless, I don't think trashing Fitbit products and saying you'll never buy or recommend a Fitbit product again will convince them to do what you want.

And lets be realistic here: an the average Apple Watch is 3x the cost of the average Fitbit device, so of course it should be better made.  The problem with the Apple Watch itself is that there are no compelling reason to use an Apple Watch, other than notifications.

The Apple Watch needs Fitbit's software to be relevant; Fitbit does not need the Apple Watch to be relavent.

Once the Apple Watch 2 comes out, the Apple Watch One will be obsolete.  I suggest you all should try one of Fitbits newer products.  If the band breaks, you simply have to replace the band, and not the whole thing.  It will be good for Fitbit, and also good for us as consumers.  

[SunsetRunner]

While I agree bashing doesn't help, your missing the point. The Apple Watch does 100% of everything I need it to do for fitness vs Fitbit except 1 thing - add my activity to the daily leaderboard so I can keep up with friends and family. That's it. Nothing else. Everything else I need: Apple Pay, messaging, flight check in, hotel room key, Nike Run app, controlling PowerPoint presentations, checking the weather, Twitter, Facebook, MLB, Starbucks card, etc, etc, etc, etc ... I use my Apple Watch for. The Fitbit is a fine activity tracker. That's it. I'd rather use 1 wrist device and there is no Fitbit device in the running for everything I enjoy using my Apple Watch for. If anyone cares, I've got 14.99/year I'd gladly give Fitbit to get access to the leaderboard from my Watch. Until then, I'll keep my phone with me on runs and use the Fitbit app for free.

[Smittty]

I agree 100% plus the original Apple Watch will still be more advance that any current Fitbit on the marketplace today and most likely a few years to come. The original Apple Watch will be far from obsolete when 2.0 comes out.

[Gonfreaksss]

I beg to differ.  The Apple Watch does many things, but it pales in comparison with Fitbit in terms of anything Fitness related.  As for everything else, it pales in comparision to the iPhone. The "EVENT" on September 7 is the unveiling of the iPhone 7 and "other" products.  Apple Pay, messaging, flight check in, hotel room key, Nike Run app, controlling PowerPoint presentations, checking the weather, Twitter, Facebook, MLB, Starbucks card and many many other things can be done much better with the iPhone.  Apple Watch sales (per IDC) has plummeted over 50% year over year, while Fitbit revenues has increase over 46% year over year.  

Once Apple Watch 2 comes out, apps developers will gear their apps towards the specs of AW 2, and the Apple Watch One will become nothing more than a useless paper weight.  Just like with iPhones, your device will be considered "old" after two years. 

[Smittty]

Not sure what comparison of the phone you are doing their are people still using the iPhone 5 without any issues and very happy by just updating the OS on that device.

I think you will be surprised to see how many people are switching to smart watches vs where just a Fitness band just look around.

Sent from my iPhone

[SunsetRunner]

I love my Apple Watch. Will I upgrade when the new one comes out? Maybe. We'all see what the new features and functionality are. Listen. This is not about what the Watch does well or not. This is about what the Fitbit app does not do, and that is it does not allow for updates of the leaderboard from the Watch. That's the purpose of this thread. Many people would like it, so we're asking for it. Sounds like you love your Fitbit. Cool. I chose a different route, along with a lot of other folks. We like the app and are willing to pay for an additional feature. That's the purpose of this thread. 

[Smittty]

Very good point DaColson!!

[RenoGuy]

Fear Mongering? No. Most of the posts I have seen say almost the same thing. I have already left Fitbit for Apple Watch. Please give us an option and take our money. Obviously as more and more people have traded for an Apple Watch and fitbit is still doing fine there is no fear mongering saying fitbit is going to die. Most everyone is saying if they program it then fitbit can get extra revenue. And your assertion that they should add all the other smart watches is absurd. No reason to include them. Pebble MIGHT be the only exception. Apple last year hit 12 million with only months of sales and Pebble sold a million after a couple years. So looking at numbers and your basic demographics you have maybe 6 million potential customers. Someone with better sales statistics would know but to your average Joe that looks like a lot of EXTRA cash flow.

[KayvanSylvan]

I've been a FitBit customer for about 4 years and love the products.

Recently, I got an Apple Watch. With that, I stopped using my Charge HR, and went to the solution of using Sync Solver (Health to Fitbit) to sync over my personal steps. I can no longer participate in the challenges or be on the leaderboard, but I am okay with that. The Apple Watch is doing a good job of keeping me on track with my health/fitness goals, and really, when it comes down to it, that's what this is all about.

It would be great if the sync-ed steps, heart rate, etc. that came from Apple's Health Kit counted in the same way as data coming from the fitbit devices, but they don't. At this point, unless this changes, I can easily see myself drifting away from the FitBit ecosystem.

There are a lot of other people in this exact place. What would be ideal would be a fitbit app with Apple Watch integration, but for business and not technical reasons, that's probably not going to happen.

[Gonfreaksss]

The argument that Fitbit will somehow lose as a company if they do not integrate with the Apple Watch is a fallacy, not base in real numbers.  Per today's IDC report. Apple Watch shipments fell to 1.6M for Q2016 vs 3.6M units a year ago.  Apple's worldwide wearables market share nose dive to a mere 7%, from 20%, a year ago.

Fitbit is still the clear leader, and Xiaomi is in second place.  Apple is a distant third and fading fast.

A quick read through of this thread made it appear that Fitbit is doom as a company without Apple Watch integration, so some actual facts were needed to be injected into the conversation.  

Here's the current situation: The competition is currently fierce in the wearables space.  Everyone wants in.  Fitbit competitive advantage is its ecosystem.  Why would Fitbit give this up?  Furthermore, why only Apple Watch integration?  Why not China's Xiaomi, Garmin or Lifesense, Pebble, Jawbone, Misfit, Samsung, Fossil, Runtastic etc?  Will Apple provide Fitbit any special incentive to go out of its way to integrate the Apple Watch?  The software engineers at Fitbit will have to upgrade the software with every new Apple Watch OS. 

The added revenue stream will be nominal relative to the competitive advantage Fitbit will be giving up to Apple.  Furthermore, who will pay for all the tens to hundreds of million of dollars Fitbit has invested into R&D on the software side?  Essentially, Apple will be enjoying the benefits of Fitbit's hard work.  

If I were an Apple Watch owner, of course I would want in on Fitbit's ecosystem.  However, the argument that Apple Watch integration is somehow necessary or beneficial to Fitbit is simply wrong and impractical on many levels.   

[Rollerskier]

The Health app comes with The iOS standard software. It can be updated with various sources. I think it's a reasonable request that the Fitbit device can be added to the list and also that the Fitbit software should import data from the Health app if there is a timegraph in the Fitbit device data. This to ensure 24 hours coverage of information if you alternate using different devices. Charging of devices etc. I always use a Fitbit device for daily workouts. Also during night for sleep tracking since the Apple Watch needs daily charging. Rest of the time I use the Apple Watch due to the integration of other types of information you can see without making a habit of looking at your iPhone constantly during the day to be updated.

Sent from my iPhone

[BrennB]

I really just want to be able to see the stats of my Fitbit flex as
a"glance" on the Apple Watch instead of opening the app on the phone. Does
need to integrate with health apps.

[MattWright]

Hey,

I've been thinking of getting the new Apple Watch but will miss my FitBit challenges. As a result, I was thinking that you should develop an Apple Watch app, even if it's say £20, so then people can compete with their friends still and get the badges etc.

I tweeted the idea and was recommended to post it on here.

I honestly reckon it'd be huge! What do you think?

[MickeyD56]

I bought a Charge HR last October 2015 to help motivate myself to get fit and loose some weight. I had been using a Polar fitness watch for about 2 years but liked not having to wear chest strap for heart rate and having a 24 HR monitor. I was so impressed with the social aspects of your app that I pre-ordered and bought a Blaze each for my oldest son and daughter-in-law along with steel fashion straps each as accessories. I subsequently bought a Blaze for my youngest son for his birthday (28) and pre-ordered and bought an Alta for my middle son's partner while he has my Charge HR as I bought a Surge for myself. I also bought another Alta for an old friend as a thank you present and many other associates have purchased Fitbits on my recommendation. We have all really enjoyed the competitive aspect and social interaction provided in your app to encourage each other to go out and exercise, track diets, etc. My sisters have just pre-ordered an Apple Watch 2 for me as a 60th birthday present and though I don't have it yet it redresses one of the main shortfalls of the Surge and all of the Fitbit range, it's 50m water resistant! However, I don't want to loose the motivational aspects of the Fitbit App and as so many other Fitbit users who've been given Apple Watches have pleaded I would be happy to pay a monthly subscription for a Fitbit App that allowed me to continue to interact with my family and friends using the Apple Watch?

[gummeson]

Applewatch integration is a must. Don´t try compete with Apple hardware. Try live with it... focus on the soft things that makes fitbit the best solution. A fitbit app on the watch that integrates perfect with iphone...budled with the premium options if you want to make some money at the same time.

[krystyne2014]

I was trying to use the fitbit app on my iphone. The steps are not linking up. I currently work at a job where i can't have my phone with me so i use an iwatch so my steps are not accurate. It would be great if you could find a way to link it to all devices that go with the apple phone. I really like the fitbit app but it isn't helpful to me since it isnt' accurately reading my steps.

[AdrianCHE]

I would pay a yearly subscription to use the fitbit software and backend with a Apple Watch 2.  Any takers?

[S2Srini]

Would love to see Apple Watch integration with Fitbit, even if Fitbit decides to charge us for it. I understand that Apple Watch poses a serious competition to Fitbit's wrist based fitness trackers. But Fitbit enjoys a very densely populated social platform with a lot of people using their app. If Fitbit can charge people who have non-Fitbit devices to use all of the features of the app with their non-Fitbit devices, people will be willing to pay. This will offset Fitbit's competition issues. A $5-8/month recurring subscription plan for people using non-Fitbit devices would be great. Imagine - at $8/month, Fitbit earns $96 for the year and recovers the cost of their fitness tracker (which they could have sold to the user who is using a non-Fitbit device).

PLEASE FITBIT!! I am willing to pay for a premium recurring subscription. Please let me use other devices while still existing in your ecosystem.

[DanielM50]

I don't know about a yearly subscription but this would attract more people to buy Fitbit.