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.

[Dream]

I have used FitBit to keep solid data on movement and now want to integrate that data with other health data from other apps. HealthKit was a perfect fit for me. I have to keep track of my BP and have a integrated app for that and also have some other information that has a keychain into HK. If FitBit were too integrate I would be able to utilize one central dashboard with a terrific UI. I don't want to change from FitBit to Garmin b/c their platform is filled with data I do not want or need but might have to if FitBit isn't going to collaborate.

[vinous]

Let's be realistic, this is a business decision. Revenue from premium services and devices - loss of revenue due to Health integration and customers abandoning fitbit ecosystem = decision. Right now, I believe fitbit is being business savvy.

[jdben518]

Why you all won't intergrate with healthkit is beyond me.  I love my flex and even bouight one for my mom.  But, I will be switching to the apple watch as soon as it comes out because you don't seem like a company that want to matain and gain customers by not making your customer experience enjoyble.  just look at all the comments on this subject and a huge majority is in favor of intergrating with Healthkit. Pay attention to your customers!!!!!

[rshim]

"The question we want you to keep in mind when providing feedback is: What do you imagine a HealthKit integration would entail and what do you expect to get out of it?"

I expect it to be integrated with HealthKit using the API provided so that any and all data I collect through fitbit (steps, calories burned, weight) or enter into the fitbit app  (water intake, food consumed, etc) would be immediately available in both the Fitbit app and the Health App. That way, I can continue to use and enjoy the fitbit app for what it provides and also use the Health App for a more complete agrregate of other fitness and health data.

While the fitbit app is great, I expect that another portal that also includes and aggregates information that is not in Fitbit (glucose levels, blood alcohol levels, galvanic skin response readings, tempurature, clycling and other activities, etc, etc, etc) allow me to see a more complete picture. Not only that, you by integrating, Fitbit would have access to all of that into from Health to use for even deeper analysis because the integration is not a one way street. You feed data in and you have access to get data out, make fitbit even more of a gateway and better able to provide deep analysis.

I get it. You want to protect your "premium" subscription revenue. But access to the data is not the primary reason people pay for that. They pay for the deeper analysis. iOS Health will provide a birds eye, high level aggregate picture. You can continue to provide a detailed analysis for your premium subscriptions, which is the reason, I expect, most of your subsribers pay for it anyway. You lose nothing with integration.  But by alienating Apple and Apple users, you stand to lose a great deal. 

[Anomoly]

Business savvy? Losing loyal customers is business savvy? How hard is it to earn a new customer... Doesn't sounds savvy to me. @RickyFitbit fitbit not integrating with HealthKit. here is a great demonstration for your higher ups: Grab as many bags of $100 dollar bills that you can hold at one time and go into your higher-ups board room office. Now take those bags of dollar bills and dump them on the table cover them with gasoline, then light them on fire. Once done ask if there's any questions. If there is questions let me know and I will answer them for you.

[Rich_Laue]

The way I look at it is:

Do you want the Fitbit team be trying to integrate with the Apple Health

Would you rather see them work on getting the new devices out?

Fitbit did not say that they are not going to hook up with the Apple Healthkit, they sais at this particular time they are not going to pursue it.

Could it be because they have a lot on their plate allready?

Possibly up to 3 new trackers and getting the Android verson of the Apple app out. There was a lot of moaning that us Android don't have what Apple has!

Did anybody follow Ricky's suggestion and go to the current conversation on the Healthkit.

As for as Apple dropping Fitbit, this is not the first device they dropped when they introduced their own version, it is simply a smart business desicion.

Apple is coming out with their own tracking device, should they continue to sell a competitors model? This should not have surprised anybody, Apple is in the business for themselves, the decision for them is. Do we continue to give our profits away by selling 3rd party devices or keep the money for ourselves, and our products?

[TeRRyZx]

Of course I want them to do ALL that they can to improve the product, however it it not all that hard to incorporate an update that sends to HealthKit. If it was, then not almost every other app and tracker wouldnot already have it. If necessary then they could hire new people as I agree that the Fitbit is extremely popular for now. However unless they keep it updated like the other tracker producers, then you will see more and more people leaving for their competitors. I just bought a Withings Pulse, and although I do not like it near as much as my Fitbit One, I do like the extra features and the integration with HealthKit. But I dislike now having to wear both of them to get what one ought to be able to do well enough so that I don't need one or the other. I love the Fitbit dashboard and even if it did work with HealthKit, I would not abandon this site and their great features. They just ought to easily enable the Fitbit to work with HealthKit also....just like all those other apps already can an do.

[Rich_Laue]

Fitbit has never stopped anybody from accessing their data, or adding to it.

Fitbit has allways been setup so that anybody can send and recieve data to them and Apple has the same policy.

Have you gone to the link Ricky posted, and added your vote and comment, you will see it is under consideration.

Remember it is the votes that count!!!!

Posting does not add votes

[TeRRyZx]

Under consideration is not the same as connected to HealthKit like so many other apps are. Why can't they allow HealthKit to work with them in the same way they have allowed other apps to share their data?

[vinous]

Earning new customers is easy. It's harder keeping them. Fitbit seems to care about the easy part only...

[zapleahy]

@scottnwdw Appreciate you taking the time to post.

@WobmlingFree @Carta @rshim  Thanks for your thoughtful, unique, and constructive assessments. 

@SunsetRunner Thanks for the follow up, it's good to hear your take on things. And no worries -- venting happens. 

@Mystigrrl Noted. Thanks for all the feedback related to your experience as a Premium user.

@jhstroebel No percentage of our userbase is worth ignoring. No matter how small or large the group is. And yes, we are all in pursuit of the next best thing; this conversation speaks volumes to that. Thanks for being here.

@frosteternal @jaganlamb @shawnkearns @Alexboi @SunsetRunner @iPaulo Thanks for adding your voices to this.

@Bluejay Yes, of course we will relay this.

@BlazeEBlake There is no formal assessment period. Suggestions move through channels organically. Generally, prioritization follows the same guidelines as bug fixes and suggestions are brought into development according to their relative impact and importance. The argument for this integration is extensive and well laid out across all the votes, comments and visits to this discussion, so the research portion is well covered. I don't have an estimate of when we might expect additional formal statement regarding integration with HealthKit, but will any and all official information as I have it. 

@Jot_and_Tittle A moving statement. Thanks for sharing. I'm pulling for you and for this development.

@Anomoly Can you loan me the $100 bills for this demo? It sounds promising!

@vinous I always thought it was the other way around, and that customer acquisition is more challenging and costly than retention?

[Rich_Laue]

---

@TeRRyZx wrote:
Under consideration is not the same as connected to HealthKit like so many other apps are. Why can't they allow HealthKit to work with them in the same way they have allowed other apps to share their data?

---

Under consideration means just that, we are considering this path. We do not have any plans to join HealthKit right now, that is the reason we are asking for your feedback. Do you want us to connect to HealthKit?

This is the smart way.

They poll their customers to see what they want, now if only 100 people add there vote what is it telling them?

I'll let you answer that question yourself.

Under consideration means we are looking into what do you as the user of our product want to see. If only 100 people say that they are interested in the Healthcare then it is not worth their time or effort, and the only place your comment and vote matters is in going to the link Ricky provided.

This was posted in the Feature Requests forum the place Fitbit has requested your feedback into what you would like to see.

Under consideration means just that, do you want to let the chips fall where they might or do want to add your voice and be apart of the deciding factor?

Have you voted and left your comment yet?

Your stubbornness to be a productive change to this subject is making want to add my own vote and comment.

Personally I have never owned or want to own an Apple Product, they are over rated overpriced and they overwork their employees overseas. Apple owns the towns the employees live and work in, and they have a very high suicidal rate amongst their workforce. Can you figure out how I would vote?

[TeRRyZx]

Yes I have voted to support HealthKit and so have a good deal of the others. With such a show of support, I think that if you were to include the people who do not post here, it would seem like a majority of them would Welcome HealthKit. Even if some of them wouldnot use it, it is a great service and to add it to the Fitbit features could not do anything but make the software better an thus be a good supporting reason for others to use it or if they do not already have a fitbit, this would be 1 more compelling reason to purchase one. By not utilizing HealthKit, you are basically slighting the Apple coustomers who all have great loyality to products that are compatible with their Apple products. Otherwise you run a high risk that many will opt out for a different tracker that does work well will all Apple products. This does not mean you have to abandon Microsoft's Health Vault (I also use that too), but the more choices you give consumers, then the more likely many would be to choose a Fitbit over a different tracker. The more choices we have, the better the chance that even more people will choose to go with Fitbit. Once they decide otherwise, to get them to switch is going to be much harder, and the less of a customer base you have, it will mean the less interaction that the fitbit users will have, as well as limiting the R&D funds. I feel that it comes down to the choice of Fitbit management who would be best served with more users. Who knows? By integrating with Apple's HealthKit you might get invited back into the Apple Sores too. The more exposure you get, the better it would be for all of us.

[vinous]

@zapleahy You might go to a bad restaurant once, but you won't keep coming back if it is not up to your expectations, right? I have bought 3 Fitbits for me and my family and an Aria scale. Although I really enjoy your products, no Health app integration means not returning to your brand for future acquisitions, and orienting future customers to check other manufacturers.

[SusanMarshall]

Integrating with HealthKit would be very smart of Fitbit, otherwise people with IPhones are going to go for other devices. 

[Leo47]

Waiting to replace my Zip with a Charge. I REALLY want Fitbit to be compatible with Apple's Health app. Make this work!

[PDM]

I've been using the Fitbit ecosystem to help clients lose weight. Fitbit hardware is great and the software just works. The problem now without Health Kit integration is that I am locking people into a closed/privileged ecosystem which in this day and age doesn't work for most of us. Fitbit's competitors are coming up the rear; Jawbone UP's latest (with or without their trackers) software is excellent and has HK integration. Misfit is releasing the Flash tracker which will be cheaper than the Zip and it is waterproof plus captures more types of data. I am saying that Fitbit needs to feel the hunger of this competitive space because it is no place for corporate hubris. +1 for HealthKit Integration. Paul from lifehackrdiet.com

[streetyking]

Please integrate with Apple Health. It's the best way too see all of your health related information at once, I use several other applications from the App Store that monitor my heart rate, blood pressure, weight and sleep and I use my Fitbit Flex for all my activity such as running and walking, water and food counting, so without Fitbit chosing to intergrate with Health I can't see any of my activity or food/drink information without leaving the Health app and going into the Fitbit app. It would just be so useful to have it all under one app. Obviously I'd still use the Fitbit app as it has the challenges and other fun stuff and the comparison to my friends so I can beat them! You guys have been really supportive in the past and when I read that you aren't looking to intergrate with Health it really knocked me back, for a company who prides itself with a great Health product to not intergrate into one of iOS 8s mainstream features and when the Apple Store sales guy couldn't reccomend your Fitbit higher to me over any other tracker, it seems like a stab in the back. Get on board please 🙂

[Jhein73]

Yes I'd love to use my Fitbit with the health app

[trbob]

It is almost impossible to imagine that fitbit would not integrate with HealthKit.  My wife and I currently have both fitbit trackers and aria scale.  If they are not integrated with Healthkit by the end of the year we will be switching to a device that is.

[bsukala]

The value of HealthKit is unifying all these disparate devices into one location. Skipping out on iOS Health will make a quickly-becoming-limited fitbit an aging and irrelvant product. It's tough to see not supporting iOS Health as anything but consumer hostile and irrationally defensive.

If you can provide good reasons and functionality (that people want) that requires you not to support iOS Health, then that's something else. 

[Ghiizhar]

I have way more $$$ invested in Apple gear than Fitbit, guess who will lose my health/activity monitor business.....

[Jcmaison]

I would like that fibit integrateS Healthkit to be able to have all health measures stored in the same vault then to be able to compare and analyze.

I will surely quit fitbit for withings if by XMas the integration is not done, my withings scale is already doing the job. Seems to me you are currently loosing the competition.

BR

[johndawson]

I am one of the earliest Fitbit users, September 30, 2009, so I am now into my sixth year. I am currently using the One. I urge Fitbit to integrate with Apple's Health app. After this long with Fitbit, I will hate to leave, but I will switch to some other product if Fitbit does not integrate.

[redhill]

do hope intergration with healthkit will happen. Longtime Apple user, computer, phone, ipad. Love my fitbit flex, use it for tracking steps, weight (Aria integration great)  sleep, then use nike watch for running, and polar heart rate monitor which is intergrated with nike. That means i am wearing /using 3 devices to track activity. Can't wait to get it all on the same page, whoever manages that wins the game, I hooe that page has an apple on it 😃