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.

[Bluejay]

So this is what is synced so far

[dkr6977]

Would be great to have integration with Apple's new Healthkit.   I will be looking for a new device and selling my Fitbit since this will not integrate. 

[D702]

I see everyone's point and desire to integrate fitbit components with healthkit and at some point I would like to see the option, but honestly I don't see the criticality of the situation.

I integrate endomondo with fitbit, and fitbit with MyFitnessPal.  The data available in MyFitnessPal is much more informative, interactive, and immersive than anything available on the Apple health app.  

I thought fitbit made a good move, spending time developing new functionality on the fitbit app, rather than investing cycles integrating with a manufacturer specific proprietary app (Apple health), which does no more than what is already available to us on the market (MyFitnessPal).  The new beta "Challenges" in the fitbit app add more enjoyment and motivation.  

Kudos to fitbit for thinking outside the box, rather than following all the other health devices / applications to Apple health, like lambs to slaughter.  Would I like to see integration with the Apple Health app? - Yes.  Would I prefer to see new functionality and additional feature-sets in the app? - Absolutely.

[Bluejay]

@D702 

It might work for you. But HealthKit is the first thing to come around that is getting close to doing what I want.

Sharing my data from multiple apps so that I don't have to do a ton of work when I want to see how the carbs I ate affected my blood sugar.

I hate the food tracking in all the diabetes apps, and none of them sync to anything else.

I love MFP food tracking and sync to everything but glucose apps.

Your life might not be that complicated. Be thankful you don't have diabetes.

[a3photo]

I am terribly dissapointed to hear your (Fitbit's) response to this. I use iOS 8 and would VERY much like to see my fitbit flex data on the Health app. Your decision here is not a good one, and will only push people to other devices. Please change course on this!

[D702]

@Bluejay 

I admit my health tracking needs are fairly simple.  It sounds like the Apple health App could be beneficial to those with more complex health needs - once they get all the bugs worked out.

Keep in mind, Apple's healthkit still isn't fully baked for glucose measurements.

http://www.zdnet.com/apple-removes-manual-glucose-entry-in-healthkit-after-unit-fail-7000034745/

I'm totally with you, I would like to see fitbit integrate with health kit, but health kit is still working out bugs, so I remain dubious of the urgency and question people's #fitbashing.

I'd wager, once the recently leaked Fitbit devices (Charge / Surge) are out in the wild, fitbit will do something to integrate their app with healthkit.

[SunsetRunner]

 I just bought the Wristband Manager app ($1.99) and it does indeed sync Fitbit steps into Health. I think it will cover the gap until the Fitbit folks can pull their heads out of their butts *or* Apple releases their aWatch (thereby relinquishing my Fitbit to the island of misfit gadgets). 

[pmedic39]

62 pages of comments wanting FitBit to work with Healthkit and all you can say is you want to watch it grow and wait to see what happens. What is going to happen it consumers will go buy some other device that will intagrate with Healthkit and no longer use or need FitBit. I for one can say for certian that if by Christmas there is no intagration with Healthkit the device I buy at Christmas will have. 

As a company you can do what your customers want or watch them go to a company that will.

[mrhurley80]

It’s pretty simple for me, I have invested way more money in my iPhone then I ever have in my Fitbit. Its and app change that’s about It, think about it Fitbit   $700+ iPhone > $99 Fitbit. If Fitbit is willing lose customers over this then so be it. Good luck getting iPhone users to purchase your new product coming out.  Garmin/Jawbone here I come. 

[dhalker]

I would also like to see fitbit link to my healthkit app.  I have been using fitbit for a long time now and would hate to have to switch to a different brand just because they wont intagrate with IOS.

[Bluejay]

My source of my anger towards Fitbit is their communication.

They are being evasive and cagey. I wish they would be up front in honest.

Their first responses about this were to say they have not made any announcement. Like the CIA neither confirming or denying anything. Then said they have not plans to integrate at this time.

And about the Surge and Charge; they have made no announcement. They are most likely the source of the leaks, to try and to get us to hang around a little longer.

I wish they would be more open. I’m the type of person that follows crowd funded products and love the constant updates, both the news about how great the development is going, and the admittance that they have had a setback. I like the open transparency. I wish fitbit would offer us some honesty even if it is bad news. Like we will integrate, but after we lunch the Surge and Charge. All they have said is vague bull about new products.

Ditch the vague.

[Bluejay]

And for those that say us Apple users are over reacting.

What is to stop fitbit from pulling the same thing with Andriod or Windows if they come out with a health data collector? After all we don't know why they are dragging their feet.

[intrepidtreks]

I purchased a flex yesterday and am testing it out. So far, so good. However I am sorry to learn that there is NO INTEGRATION with Apple's Healthkit ap. 

Since the store I purchased it from has a 30 day return policy, I am going to anxiously wait for integration before the return deadline expires and will return the flex if there is still no integration.

The clock is ticking...

[Karell]

If Fitbit hasn't even made a decision yet, there's no way they can get iOS HealthKit integration within 30 days. Return it now, before you lose your receipt.

I've been a loyal customer and promoter of Fitbit since they first unveiled the concept; I pre-ordered the original and I've worn a Fitbit every single day since it arrived. I've convinced many people to buy Fitbit products, but now I'm thoroughly embarrassed for doing so. Fitbit has turned their back on the supporters who got them here; they've destroyed all the good will they'd built up with their loyal customers.

They won't be able to bounce back from this mis-step easily; trust is easier to build initially, but nearly impossible to repair once broken.

[lph712]

I just downloaded iOS 8.1 and was really excited to sync my fitbit only to find out after searching, that fitbit is not planning on making this happen.  I love my fitbit and don't want to get rid of it, but I may if it doesn't become compatible with the health app.  After apple started selling fitbit products I thought for sure I wouldn't have to worry about this.  I hope that fitbit reconsiders and makes fitbit compatible with the health app!

[GrahamR]

@SunsetRunner I just grabbed this as well - Best 1.99 ever - under 2 min to get a year of data sync'd and i learned some cool stats, 3.5 million steps tracked since i got one and 2.5 million this year alone

[Billberryjuice]

woo!

[iTuner99]

rwitte42 Excellent link and for $2 I can get all the statistics I needed in my Health App. Awesome and spells a dark future for FitBit if they wont't support the HealthKit....very troubling indeed.

Fitbit - come on, support healthkit 

[stuthedew]

The first thing I thought of when I heard about Apple's healthkit is how awesome it is going to be with my Fitbit One. All of my health data will be in one place, and I wont have to keep going back and forth between different apps. The two seemed like a perfect marriage from the start. So imagine my surprise and disapointment when I found out that there were not currently plans to make this happen. I must say that I really enjoy having my Fitbit, and it's great having that data tracked for me. But at the end of the day, my iPhone is so much more important to me than a little dongle that tells me how many steps I've taken that day. I would love to be able to use both devices easily together, but if you make me choose, Apple wins everytime.

[Bluejay]

I had the premium service for a few years and then went without for one year. Trying instead DigiFit's premium service.

I came back to the premium sevice, not for the download (because I have my data brought over to other apps with the api) but for the Trainer. It was the only thing I missed.

[AlbDusty]

Just downloaded the app too. Omg the amount of data of using Fitbit for more than a year! It's so cool. Talked to the developer and in the next update he will include: sleep, bmi and fat %. Let's hope Fitbit doesn't cut the API access to this developer, something I totally see them capable of doing considering the latest development of things.

[Bluejay]

If they cut the API to developers that allow us to use our data. I'm gone.

I think I'll take my fitbit apart and experiment with it. I would not feel comfortable selling it online, like selling a lemon.

[heylookatlane]

Thanks to everyone who posted about Wristband Manager - I appreciate having at least this stopgap solution.

[brkrunner]

 I am hopeful that you will add Apple Health to the Fitbit data output. The reason is that the Apple app intigrates a large amount of health data in one place and I would like to include my exercise and sleep data collected by Fitbit. 

In addition I would like to see the swimming activity appear on the graph of daily activity, not just steps.

Thanks for your consideration. John

[Bluejay]

I'm disapointed that no one from fitbit posted today.

@zapleahy & @RickyFitbit were is fitbit?