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.

[WBillM]

LouisJ

Get used to the silence.

Welcome to the FitBit community.

[schrepfler]

Ahahhaha, another sucker! Welcome!

[MisterSW]

Well im signing of and are about to stop using fitbit. Need a health kit Comp device.

[TNelson832]

This is really sad. I've had my Fitbit for awhile now and had no idea it wasn't syncing with HealthKiy. Here's hoping they get it done before iOS 10 gets released.

[drtaxsacto]

They won’t budge. I have dropped mine - because they refuse to make this simple change that will help those of us who use healthkit for broader purposes than fitness tracking have asked for for several years.

[Mikey1234]

I can believe this thread still exists. Give up!! Fitbit has lost its apple customers. The only way to punish this ludicrous decision is to buy products that do sync with Apple health. I am so glad I switched to Apple Watch. It's more accurate, and you don't have to put up with the "we're still evaluating" BS.

[Corconx]

I have decided to when v2 comes out possibly in September

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[LouisJ]

So, do we do our own #Brexit as in #Fitbitin or #Fitbitexit?

Moderator Edit: Font style and color

[schrepfler]

#WontFit, #DoesNotFit, #UnFitting

[LouisJ]

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schrepfler wrote:

#WontFit, #DoesNotFit, #UnFitting

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That's a good one!

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[Jna]

It may be a lost cause, but please consider integrating with Apple's Healthkit!  It's mostly because I'd like to be able to use my FitBit AND certain apps that are only (at this point) built with Apple's Healthkit.  In the meantime, I'll keep bugging the app companies to make their products available for Android users.  

[wild4gadgets]

I'm in the same boat. I've had 3 different Fitbit devices starting in 2010 and have logged over 13M steps with them. Although I love my Fitbit, my latest unit, the Charge, has started delaminating from the guts inside and although they're replaced it once already, I now have an Apple Watch, and the Apple Health app integrates with my company's wellness program (as does Fitbit) but at this point I'm seeing fewer and fewer reasons to keep wearing my Fitbit.

If I could integrate my Fitbit data with Health, that would be a huge step forward as I still believe that Fitbit's health metrics are more accurate than the Apple Watch. The big issue here is that I can only sync one source of health data at a time, and if I can't integrate my Fitbit data with Apple Health, then it's of very little use to me going forward. And I'm not crazy about using a third-party app which may or may not work to sync the data, and may or may not sync all of the data.

Fitbit, you need to listen to the ~3800 other people that have upvoted this and get this built into your iOS app! Stat! You're losing loyal customers like myself in droves because of this.

[drtaxsacto]

I did a calibration of the watch and my Fitbit ONE - after doing all that each manufacturer suggested - with some pretty accurate GPS tracking - and the FITBIT underperformed to the Watch.

[wild4gadgets]

Thanks drtaxacto, that's very interesting. So you're saying that the Apple Watch was more accurate. What I've found, without doing any scientific analysis, is that when I wear both devices, it seems the Fitbit reports considerably more steps than the Apple Watch. So if the Watch is more accurate, then I'll just continue using that and won't worry so much about getting the integration working. Great stuff!

[Mikey1234]

The heart monitor is also much more accurate than the Fitbit. When you use the Apple Watch during exercise you heart rate is monitored the entire time. The Fitbit seems to sporadically test heart rate, and it always reports low numbers when compared to a professional heart rate monitor. The Apple Watch seems to only be off by one or two beats a minute.

[Dutch-food-data]

I like to Sync to Apple health. I now Use "Power Sync" as a workarround but i prefer a direct Integration between fitbit and Apple heath.

[PKDaba]

@wild4gadgets, there are many studies out there that compare the various fitness trackers. The Apple Watch consistently ranks high in terms of accuracy (how true the readings are) AND precision (how consistent the readings are). In one study for steps alone, a calibrated Apple Watch had a deviation of only 0.3% in its readings versus 9% for a Fitbit Charge [see this link].

While I was actively using my One over 2 years ago, I had incidences where step counts varied as much as 12% for the same route walked or ran. During a whale watching tour, my One counted over 13,000 steps just for sitting for 4 hours in a rocking boat. I chalked it up to poor algorithms in Fitbit to distinguish between walking, running and a rocking boat (but 13,000 steps!!). More recently, I wore my Apple Watch for a similar whale watching tour. The Apple Watch was not fooled. So, it is apparent that the Apple Watch has more sophisticated and smarter algorithms compared to what Fitbit has implemented.

Due to the recent trolling episode in this thread, I’ve had a chance to read other discussion threads within Fitbit’s community forums. The picture for Fitbit is not pretty. There are many Fitbit users unhappy with the new Blaze product with issues ranging from flaky Bluetooth connectivity, poor user interface, to inaccurate readings. Users complained about step count variances as high as 30% within their own products (e.g Blaze vs Charge). Many are also experiencing band issues like yourself after less than a year’s use requiring Fitbit to provide replacements within the warranty period. Unlike the Apple Watch, where bands are easily replaceable, once the band in Fitbit products like the Charge or Surge goes, you’d have to replace the whole unit (a wasteful and expensive solution in the long run).

If you look at the tittle of this thread, this thread started when iOS 8 was active. Apple is releasing iOS 10 this fall! These are major OS upgrades we are talking about. If it takes Fitbit over 2 years to decide on (and if ever implement) a relatively simpler data integration feature, you’d have to question Fitbit’s technological competency and how responsive it is to its customers.

So, as far as this HealthKit integration request is concerned, don’t get your hopes high. Looks like Fitbit is busy enough fighting fires with its subpar products. I doubt they have the will and resources to implement this much requested feature.

[gnieboer]

Just jumping on the bandwagon... spouse purchased a FitBit a couple weeks ago, and I am considering one as well, but was surprised to see it doesn't integrate to Apple Health.  So for now I will go without one at all.  Let me know when it happens and I'll come back.

[LouisJ]

Maybe if we take the frustration out in the open on Social Media, maybe that will get their attention. I need a good Twitter #hashtag for this! Hummm!

[SunsetRunner]

It's not just us iOS users that are frustrated. Fitbit isn't supporting Google Fit (Android's version of Apple Health) either. I don't get it. You'd think it'd be in their best interest.

[Mikey1234]

The true reason is that they make a lot of money selling your data. Now they will tell you they do not sell individual data, and that MAY be true, but they do sell everyone's data as a whole.

[grantybe]

There's already one to tack on to: #freeMyFitbit

Grant

[donnales]

Just got my Fitbit Alta today ad I love its look but VERY disappointed that it does not fully integrate with my iPhone data also...when purchasing it, i understood from what I read that it would. Would have influenced my purchased decision if I had known it would not 😞

[grantybe]

Get your money back whilst you still can. Fitbit rely on people like us to make that mistake. Maybe if more did take them back FitBit would have to stand up and listen.

Grant

[Rawdata]

Just lost my Fitbit Charge. I've been wearing two devices, Apple Watch and Fitbit Charge for a long time now. Mostly because I love the challenges. They help me get motivated to take more steps. However, the step count has always been about 30% higher than the Apple Watch, though they are worn for the same amount of time. At this point, I could spend another $150ish on a charge hr with the better clasp or spend $0 and just focus on the Apple HealthKit app, motivating myself with personal challenges. Since I have limited resources at this time, I will vote with my wallet and stick to the Apple solution that is integrated into every other portion of my life. At least most of the other third party apps I have and use regularly work well with the apple products.