Integrate with iOS Health

[so-rich]

Hi there,

I'm really excited about Apple's announcement of the Health App in iOS 8 to be release this fall.  I'm looking forward to seeing a product announcement by Fitbit for a successor to the recalled Fitbit Force, and I'm really hoping to hear some exciting news about Fitbits intigration with Apple's new Health App to be released alongside iOS 8 this fall.  

This is a huge oportunity to make your devices even smarter and more integrated - Please support these APIs!  Thanks!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity and labels.

[Quantifiedselfy]

Given the fact people are willing to pay about a buck for a 3rd party sync tool, I think the business model for the development of this integration is rather simple... Apparently the big data that is gathered by all of us is worth more if it remains a fitbit only commodity. And even more than a separetly priced sync option would make for the company.

[SunsetRunner]

Thing is, if another app can already do it, they're losing data already. Just open it up. 

---
Derek

[drtaxsacto]

They won’t thats why I dropped my fitbit. They share my data and then won’t work with devices I want to work with. Arrogant and stubborn.

[SunsetRunner]

This is too bad. I just jumped ship from jawbone to Fitbit due too additional features. It's not like they need to do much to be the best. Sounds like broken leadership to me. 

[drtaxsacto]

Me too.

[rengle]

Still waiting on this. Would buy Fitbit products if they integrated with HealthKit...

[SunsetRunner]

Basically that and better sleep tracking and they'd be on top. Everything
else they do a great job with. Really too bad, they can be so close, but so
far away.

[Rpnuser]

It would be great to have Fitbit sync with the Apple HealthKit. Let's get that going.

[Rich_Laue]

Actually Fitbit has opened its doors to anyone who wants in, including Apple.

[Garbat98]

Also will be leaving FitBit when Apple Watch 2 comes out if things don't change.  Time is running out FitBit - customer service is what we are talking about!

[schrepfler]

Set OUR data free!!!

[PKDaba]

@schrepfler, set yourselves free from Fitbit!

All indications are that Fitbit will NOT set your data free by the fact that this thread has been in existence for the last two years with not one official word from Fitbit.

[vchapple17]

I realize it's a business decision to not integrate third party devices. However, Fitbit has to products: device and the app community. I use both the Fitbit One (slowpitch) and AppleWatch (lifting and daily wear).

I will sadly be leaving the Fitbit community if I can't use both. I will also be recruiting Fitbit friends to use an alternative challenge app that accepts all trackers no matter the brand.

It's time to change the business plan and capitalize on their two district products. It's only a matter of time before a company overtakes Fitbit's online community.

[PKDaba]

@vchapple17, during Apple’s WWDC2016 Keynote yesterday, new exciting updates have been announced for the Apple WatchOS3 coming this fall. In particular with your needs, Apple Watch users will be able to challenge each other via the native Activity app. In other words, you’ll be able to share your Activity Rings with your friends and challenge them directly from your Apple Watch to your friends’ Apple Watches. In effect, there’ll no longer be a reason for you to wear two devices once all your friends have been freed from their Fitbits.

Also, do keep in mind that even now, depending on what apps you use on your iPhone / Apple Watch, you ultimately control where your data goes. Apps like RunKeeper, Runtastic, Strava, etc. which do integrate with HealthKit (if you let it), you’ll be able to challenge your buddies using the same apps. You don’t get dead-locked into Fitbit’s closed system.

[SunsetRunner]

It's just sad. This feels like a titanic moment for Fitbit, but they know the iceberg is there but choose to ram it all the same...

[SunsetRunner]

Looks like a large number of Fitbit users will need to leave Fitbit for them to decide to do anything about integrating with Apple. It's only a matter of time before Apple exceeds the possibilities that Fitbit gives us right now and everyone leaves Fitbit anyways. Maybe if you integrate now you could retain some of us who currently use Fitbit and haven't bought an Apple Watch....yet

[Leslimac]

Just watched Apple Keynote from WWDC 2016.... They are integrating 3rd party apps into HealthKit. Maybe Fitbit will work with them on creating this.

Leslie

[mbawkher]

That would be great, time to ramp up the activity on this forum!

[PKDaba]

 @Leslimac, HealthKit has actually been available to third party developers since the very beginning (i.e. over 2 years ago). It is actually up to Fitbit whether to work with Apple's HealthKit or not.

The recent Apple WWDC2016 keynote announces further improvements available to both developers and end users as far as Apple's WatchOS and HealthKit goes - progress and innovation that Fitbit has not shown over the last 2 years.

Fitbit tells you through this thread that it is still 'considering' this important feature, after 2 years and counting! Yet Fitbit doesn't have the fortitude to tell you iOS users what exactly it is that is being considered. You may be hoping for something that may never come with no clear answers from Fitbit for 2 years and counting.

[PKDaba]

@SunsetRunner wrote:

>  "... It's only a matter of time before Apple exceeds the possibilities that Fitbit gives us right now..."

I think that the Apple Watch alone has always exceeded what Fitbit step counters have to offer. Fitbit knows this and Fitbit is very much afraid of it. This fear made Fitbit wall themselves in. Ironically, this self-isolation drove many iOS users to switch to more open systems that do integrate with HealthKit. I would have happily kept using my Charge HR and Aria had Fitbit chosen to integrate with HealthKit earlier on.

Granted, many current users have invested their data and social links to Fitbit's system and it's totally understandable the control that Fitbit has over these users. However, it'll be a matter of time when more and more iOS users discover the importance of HealthKit. The earlier you realize this importance, the easier it'll be to free yourselves from Fitbit's hold of you and Fitbit's control over YOUR data.

[souravjha]

Have Apple Watch on my left hand and Fitbit Charge HR on the right with the watch face turned off. I am just waiting for a few more days for fitbit to integrate with healthkit. If it doesn't happen a month after the release of WatchOS3, I will dump Fitbit.

[SunsetRunner]

I am just waiting for the release of Apple Watch 2 and I will be buying one. I can only hope that Fitbit will choose to integrate and work with Apple.

Since I am not currently using HealthKit do any of you who do use it know if you can track your food/calorie intake like we do with Fitbit or My Fitness Pal?

[SunsetRunner]

For anyone that would like to get their data moved around in either direction, search sync solver on the App Store. $4 CDN and it works great. Manual sync but it works.

[HopefulRunner]

@SunsetRunner,

MyFitnessPal reads and writes to HealthKit.

[PKDaba]

@SunsetRunner, think of HealthKit as a central repository of all your health and fitness data stored privately in your own iPhone, under your own control. It tracks food/calorie intake and much much more than either Fitbit or MyFitnessPal offers. Ideally, it is through dedicated apps that end users can access and visualize the data in HealthKit (e.g. nutrition apps, sleep tracking apps, etc).

The following link is a year old. But it gives you a good idea of what HealthKit does and what apps are available that integrate with it: http://www.cheatsheet.com/technology/the-best-new-apps-that-use-apples-healthkit.html/?a=viewall Companies like Withings, Jawbone, Garmin, had the foresight to realize the importance of HealthKit for its users. Fitbit on the other hand willfully missed the boat and continues to want to have control over you and YOUR data.

The native Health App in your iPhone allows you to peek into the vast database and also allows you to do manual entries / edits (i.e. like adding your weight, age, blood type, etc.) if you need to. But again, you would typically interact with HealthKit through dedicated apps, collecting data that's important and specific to your needs. Here are a couple of screen shots of the nutrition related data that HealthKit can track via the Health App: