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.

[BlazeEBlake]

Just read this article:

http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/10/22/leak-suggests-new-fitbit-surge-smartwatch-will-best-apple-...

I was particularly annoyed by that little gem at the end ("Your voices are being heard," the company said, noting that it could change course if there is enough demand from users. "We're actively reviewing your responses and providing feedback to our product development team.") Because if that truly is the case, what's the hold up exactly?

[TiffTreble]

Hi,

Thank you for addressing Fitbit not integrating with Apple's HealthKit.  I suspected the HealthKit may be a response to the growing popularity of wearable fitness trackers. Many people now have more than one and not  all of them sync with each other.  However, their app may also be an effort to compete with FitBit so I understand the need to be cautious before integrating. I'm waiting to see the Iphone watch with will most likely have fitness tracking capabilities.

That being said, I would still LOVE to have all my health and fitness data filter into one app. 🙂 

Thanks. 🙂

[Bluejay]

Think about it Fitbit. Right now the only way to get glucose, heart rate, and blood pressure into Fitbit is manual entry. I don't use those features of the fitbit dashboard, because I don't do data entry. Why don't I do data entry? It is tedius. It is impracticle (I'm not going to transcribe my BG number when I test at 2 am trying why I woke up feeling off) . It can result into wrong info being used because you wrote 89 instead of 98. Most people that deal with diabetics have discovered that they adhere to their testing requirements better when it is less burdensome. There are clinical studies out that that use glucose meters that transmit the data to the study without the subject having to do anything. It result in better results.

[bbarrera]

---

@Karell wrote:

My reasons are that Fitbit:
- chose to abandon a fiercely loyal fanbase;
- chose to compete instead of cooperate;
- pretends to consider the option just to string us along;
- generally not being the same company I've loved & supported.

Fitbit has gone from being helpful & supportive to being competitive & divisive, also being offensive & condescending to us with their spin, doublespeak, & lack of honest communication.

---

Exactly how I feel. I've already disabled my tracker which was an iPhone 5s while waiting for Force replacement. I'm giving up on Feature Requests, I filed detailed feedback on the web Dashboard redesign on August 1st (https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Web-Dashboard-Suggestions/This-Week-s-Activity-Calories-in-vs-Out/id... and yesterday it was finally acknowledged. Really, 11 weeks later?

I'm done begging.

From the leaks the Surge looks more interesting than Apple Watch, but no HealthKit = no way. And 4 months later MobileRun is still a mess - throws out your tracker's step count so my attempts to track power walks as Activities is pointless as the Badge motivation factor gets thrown out.

Ignored on summer 2014 web dashboard redesign, ignored on HealthKit, no HRM support, no biking support, and Fitbit can't integrate GPS accurate mileage with tracker's accurate step count. Sorry Fitbit you've lost me as a loyal customer and promoter. Time to move on.

[graybjones]

I have been a Fitbit customer for years. I had an Ultra and upgraded to a One in 2012. I like the tracker and the activity logging features. It is an important part of my fitness strategy. The food tracking is not a good fit for me though. I use LoseIt for its superior recipe interface. It is important for me to be able to choose the best app/device for each aspect of my health tracking. Not supporting HealthKit will make tracking my walking, running, cycling and other activities and reconciling them against what I eat more difficult. It is already hard enough to get hardware and software from different vendors to work together. If Fitbit chooses to add to that difficulty by not supporting HealthKit, I will likely look for a replacement tracker.

Withings Pulse tracker includes the features I like about Fitbit and supports HealthKit. 

[faiora]

Today I returned my Fitbit device for a full refund, because of the lack of integration with Apple's Health App. Despite rumours of an exciting new watchlike device, I will not purchase a Fitbit product in the future if it does not integrate with Apple's Health App. 

We know the Health App provides simple integration for multiple devices, apps, and accessories that collect health data. But it also provides a data source for apps that can analyze that data and give us more information about our health. As someone with cardiac problems, here are some things I expect Health App integration could do for me:

• I could track my symptoms in an app that pulls data from Health App, so "palpitations" or "dizziness" frequency could be analyzed alongside my activity and food data. 
• All the data I have entered from the tests I've had at the hospital would be trackable alongside my activity levels. I could tell if improvements or declines in my readings are correlated more with healthier eating, higher activity levels, or other factors. 
• I could look at activity measurements alongside recordings made by my pacemaker, to see if my cardiac events are correlated with a particular combination of exercise and rest.
• I could take readings of my O2 levels during exercise which, combined with my heart rate and/or pedometer data, could give me an indication of whether my condition is degrading (which would prompt me to see my doctor in a timely way). This is a primary indicator for my condition. 
• I could view my blood pressure readings alongside my activity information, and see how my activity correlates with my blood pressure, even during exercise. 
• I could use sleep tracking info in conjunction with O2 readings and possibly heart rate information, to identify problems I may be having with sleep. 

None of the devices I use have any reason to integrate directly with Fitbit, especially now that Apple's Health App exists. It would be far too much work for every device manufacturer to integrate with every fitness app and device that comes along, and Fitbit's apparent position - an assumption that Fitbit is ubiquitous enough that everyone will jump on board to integrate directly - is unfounded and, actually, absurd. Why would my pacemaker company or my hospital tests integrate with ANY app? I can enter that data into Health App myself, though, because there are data entry points for all the information I record. 

In my case, Fitbit may have lost its opportunity to make a sale even if the company does decide to integrate with Health App, because I'm already looking into other devices. Even at three times the cost, it looks like I may be buying an Apple Watch next year, since at least that will be guaranteed to function smoothly with all of my other devices, most of which already integrate with Health App. 

[inator]

I'll add my support for healthkit integration.  Without it, I'll likely never buy a fitbit device again.  Please liberate MY health tracking data or lose yet another customer.

[faiora]

---

@Karell wrote:

My reasons are that Fitbit:
- chose to abandon a fiercely loyal fanbase;
- chose to compete instead of cooperate;
- pretends to consider the option just to string us along;
- and *possibly* allowing Micro$oft to bully them into pulling away from Apple (purely speculation on my part, but that's how M$ generally works); and
- generally not being the same company I've loved & supported.

---

You've articulated this in a way that really represents my experience speaking with FitBit customer service early last week.  I called to ask about Health App integration, and the message I got was: "We're working on it, but there are no guarantees."

I interpreted this as: "We're not working on it, but we want you to think we are so you don't return your device during the refund period."

A day or two later I heard about the Fitbit Surge "leak" and it became clear to me that Fitbit is actively competing with Apple instead of trying to work alongside them. I had previously assumed that Apple was pulling Fitbit from their stores due to lack of Health App integration (after Apple gave them such a great promo during the keynote), but now it's clear that Apple must have been informed of the new product coming their way, and likely reacted the same way I did. 

I feel lucky I was still within the time period to return my Fitbit Flex. I got to enjoy the tracking features for a few days, but without Health App integration the device is useless from a cardiac health perpective for me. Yes, it integrates with MyFitnessPal, which is good in combination with my food tracking - but what about my blood pressure readings, O2 readings, scale readings, measurements, glucose readings, and hospital data? Do I have to enter all those manually in every app I use, every single time I take readings? With Health App I can enter them exactly once, or have them pulled in directly.

And much more importantly, what about all the apps I want to use that will pull data from Health App for further analysis?

Anyway, back on topic:

• Yes, I feel lied to.
• Yes, I feel strung along.
• Yes, I feel like Fitbit has decided to work against Apple, after being handed a beautiful opportunity to work alongside Apple to their mutual benefit. 
• I feel like Fitbit has made a decision to prioritize market share (which will likely fail) over customer satisfaction, which would result in a short term gain and a long term crash. 
• And most of all, I feel disappointed that Fitbit doesn't give me the fuzzy feeling I thought it would. 

Consumer products NEED to give their customers what they want. And while there are more Android users out there than iPhone users, I think Fitbit will find their Apple users quickly waning. We're a loyal bunch of consumers, and most of us will pick Apple over Fitbit when the chips are down. 

[TeRRyZx]

Good Post +1

[Bluejay]

Anyway, back on topic:
Yes, I feel lied to.
Yes, I feel strung along.
Yes, I feel like Fitbit has decided to work against Apple, after being handed a beautiful opportunity to work alongside Apple to their mutual benefit.
I feel like Fitbit has made a decision to prioritize market share (which will likely fail) over customer satisfaction, which would result in a short term gain and a long term crash.
And most of all, I feel disappointed that Fitbit doesn't give me the fuzzy feeling I thought it would.

---

So much how I'm feeling. 

What will happen when a native Android health app comes out that competes with fitbit? If fitbit is afraid of compitition from Apple and think they can fight it, they will be afraid of anyone. 

[Mikey1234]

Fitbit has 70% of the market and its feeling quite good about themselves. What they don't realize is Apple users are well connected, and have more disposable income. Bottom line is it will take some time, but that 70% market share is HISTORY.

[TeRRyZx]

I feel that I need to add to my comments....

I really do like this site and the way it's graphical interface is. So too, I like Withings but not nearly as much....even though I also bought the Pulse O2. It is a nice tracker and does more tham my FitBit One. I was wishing that FitBit would make an upgraded tracker that has more functions on it as the Pulse O2 has. In both cases, even if they both perfectly intergrated with HealthKit, I would still come to both sites, as HealthKit is nowhere near as good as either of these main tracker sites. I fact, it does still have a few problems that need to be resolved. 

With that said...I also have had a Microsoft Health Vault account for a long time. I just don't see why FitBit is in love with them as to me that is like going to a spread sheet and it just does not have a feel that I like. I suspect that PC users would like it better. It does have a lot of information available. In fact, it is more like information overload to me. This something that you (or I) might occasionally look at to be a historical document, but it is just not feasible to have it available as an app that you can QUICK reference and find what you want to compare in a few moments. This is more of an archive for the ages. HealthKit is more of an app that you can QUICKLY check and find what you want and not be overwhelmed with loads of data that you just don't need. And the interface I feel is something similar to what a doctor might want to have access to in an office setting.

I like to get involved with many of these projects as you can never do enough for your health.

What I just don't understand is why FitBit refuses to try to work with Apple for their iOS coustomers. Since there is not anything comparable in Android, they can't claim to be doing this for their Android users, as they have nothing similar...unless you happen to like staring at a spread sheet and then try to find your other app stats elsewhere to compare them. In any case, it would be impossible to do is QUICKLY, whereas HealthKit is an app that is made to be quick and not overwhelm you with years of data being thrown in your face. It is for users, while Microsost Health Vault is something you need to have the time to study.

Not to say these either of these are better, but each one has a singular purpose, and Mac users really like Mac-Like user interfaces, far more than spread sheets. 

What is wrong with having BOTH?

It's not like people using one will forsake the other. They both have different purposes, and one can not replace the other. People should utilize each to get their best results. HealthKit is more of a daily app to glance and compare. Microsoft Health Vault id more like a historical document that is impossible to look through quickly. 

FitBit needs to do the right thing and make each person's personal information available for use in the app and format that they feel can best serve themselves. People like myself might use them all, and might favor one over the other, but still not exclude the other information site. But I think that in fairness, we ought to be able to decide this for ourselves. Being forced to spend a lot of extra time to manually add data or review results, can only leave a bad taste when you know that it all could be located in one place or manys places but all of it still in ONE place. This is all we iOS users are asking for and it would not be that hard to impliment, and much good will would be aquired by not playing a favorite to one side. FitBit...why do you want to destroy the good will you have worked so hard to acquire? You know that the right thing is to do what your users really want. Don't force some of them to go elsewhere, as that wold be a bad thing for us all.

[zapleahy]

@TechGeek Great points. Thanks for sharing your vision.

@kleeberg Thanks for chiming in, and congrats on staying active past 60. 

@SunsetRunner  @exuser Appreciate your perspectives; thanks for adding your voices to this conversation.

@Alacaeriel This is an important point and it has been brought up already, but I'll certainly reinforce it in any internal communications. Thanks.

@Bluejay It's not a matter of scheduling a presentation. Quantitative and qualitative feedback is shared out regularly.

@gutsma Strong rebuttle. Hope you don't mind me borrowing some of it. 

@faiora Thanks for taking the time to compose such a thoughtful post and call out exactly what an integration with HealthKit would unlock for you as a Fitbit user and someone with cardiac problems. Wish you the best of health.

@TeRRyZx Thanks for your ongoing engagement with this topic, and for presenting your appeal.

As @RickyFitbit mentioned earlier, we don't have any substantial updates for you at the moment, but we are working diligently to ensure your stories, perspectives, wants, and needs are heard. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time, and hope you're all continuing to enjoy healthy active days and restful nights despite the uncertainty with regard to HealthKit.

[Alacaeriel]

@zapleahy in reason to what you said to @Bluejay , are you putting it forward like " as an update, we are now at 822 votes and 1629 forum posts from people wanting HealthKit integration" kind of update, or are you also pointing out that we are really unhapy with the lack of communication, some are leaving for the HealthKit integration and others are leaving because of the lack of communication and respect from the higher-ups at Fitbit? After all, we just use Fitbit products. What we've said so far apparently doesn't matter, despite us saying the same thing for months. How do we know they are actually listening to us, if we even had to request, repeatedly, for the status of this thread to be changed?

Would it really have hurt Fitbit that badly to tell us you weren't going to integrate in the first place? If so, how is that different to what has happened because we weren't told? In fact, I believe was has happened is worse as a result of us not being told. 

Pleae let us know how your management are being informed of the discussion. We'd like to know how we are being put forward. As petulant little customers who don't matter, or as a fair-sized chunk of the customer base who are really not  happy and leaving in droves as a result. Please also remember that not everyone uses these forums, and may be leaving as a result of the lack of communication. 

Thank you

[Bluejay]

@zapleahy I think we would love a time table.

fitbit has become so very secretive.  There has been no mention of Charge, Charge HR, and Surge on your site, but someone has leaked the info.

PR by leak is cowardly, it allows Fitbit to tease us with hopes of new devices, but you don't have say when they are coming and you can always disavow anything in a leak. So cowardly.

Please deal with your customers with more courage. 

[Karell]

@bluejay:
"fitbit has become so very secretive. There has been no mention of Charge, Charge HR, and Surge on your site, but someone has leaked the info.


PR by leak is cowardly, it allows Fitbit to tease us with hopes of new devices, but you don't have say when they are coming and you can always disavow anything in a leak. So cowardly."

They can't disavow anything … advertising signage for the 'leaked' models have already arrived at stores. Whoops!

@bluejay:

"Please deal with your customers with more courage."

Perfectly stated, spot on.

[evolkatie]

I am very late to this conversation and am kicking myself for not doing more research regarding this subject. I actually just bought the Fitbit Flex today and was looking into how to get the app set up with Healthkit. From what it looks like, I will be returning the device tomorrow. 66 pages of responses and nearly 4 months of consideration is a clear sign that it will not be happening before my return period is up. 

[SMARTgal]

I am completely devoted to Apple products.  Please integrate with HealthKit.

[jbone311]

@zapleahy @RickyFitbit maybe you could explain what exactly is being considered. I have read over a thousand comments on this forum, seen over 800 votes for HealthKit integration, and read countless App Store reviews demanding the integration. What more do your customers have to do? What can we do to show you what we want? How do we make our voices heard? Our words in this forum fall on deaf ears. You ignore our phone calls, tweets, emails, telegraphs, and smoke signals. I feel like a child being told by his mommy, "Yeah, in a minute." The constant ignoring and patronizing by fitbit staff is not making fitbit a stronger company. You're alienating a loyal fan base. What specific "evaluations" are taking place? For example, are you evaluating if it's too expensive to develop the integration? Is your concern the abilities/knowledge of your programming staff? Are you afraid of the Boogeyman? Or is this a sociological experiment to see how many customers you can enrage? If you would be more honest and forthright about WHY we are being ignored and told we don't matter, we would be more constructive. A happy customer tells one or two people, but an unhappy customer tells ten. I hope your "Evaluation Team" can evaluate that.

[Jmgjg]

Have to say, I'm not that interested in having the fitbit any more if it can't connect with Apple's Health App.  It's convenient for me to have all my information in one place and I don't want to have to use different apps for different things.  

Please just listen to what your customers want and make it work!

[Thingfish]

I've been using the Fitbit Flex and Aria scale, and have been pretty happy with them so far (would have liked to upgrade to the Force, if there'd been an opportunity). I was really pleased to see the Health app that Apple's added to IOS, and naturally assumed that an update from Fitbit would soon enable me to connect my Flex to it. 

But now I learn you've decided not to bother working with Apple on connecting Fitbit with the Health app. Are you nuts? Do you really want large numbers of customers to switch over to competing products? If the aging Fitbit is not going to keep up with the functional developments on other products that we all use, then your customers will leave you behind. 

[SunsetRunner]

Having Fitbit be able to upload my steps taken, distance, and the foods I eat to Healthkit as well as download additional information such as Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Blood Sugar, O2, Temperature, etc. The vitals that I can manually enter into your website but you do not yet have a product released yet for.

Infact this would provide your company with knowledge about what type of additional products to produce. I'd love to see a fitbit brand blood pressure cuff and thermometer!

[thesimsisters]

I am also interested in having fitbit link up with the HealthKit.  My work is actually Healthkit integration for our Wellness program which discounts our health insurance.  So getting my info into the App is pretty important.  If your product cannot do that...then I will have to consider another.

[tpeter]

I would like to see integration with the Apple Health app, not replacement of the current app however. With the integration, I can have one place to see all the items I track from food, sleep, exercise as well as other health data.

The ability to look at my Blood sugar or A1C in relation to excercise and food intake in a single app would make it easier to manage health aspects of my life.

I would still use the current fitbit app for many of the social features and instant feedback as well as setting alarms and tracking excercise as I do today. I see the Healthkit similar to how I see MyFitnessPal integration, just another tool to manage my information and make it more useful.

[zapleahy]

@Alacaeriel You asked for some specifics on our rollups and reporting. I'll start by saying that there is a great deal more than basic metrics (votes, comments, unique visits) that go into these reports. While we do track all the key metrics, those metrics would mean very little without additional context. Common sentiment, tone, your outstanding questions and concerns, are even more important to convey.

Because I'm not always the best at paraphrasing, I often let you speak for yourselves by providing quotes and linking directly to the forums. I find that including links encourages the teams to follow the conversation closely and subscribe for updates. It also preserves the integrity of your voices and opinions.

As you rightly mention, the conversation extends well beyond these community forums. While the community has a large share of voice, it's not the only the component we look at. We collaborate with other departments to further enrich and develop our understanding of both general and extreme opinions and sentiment by looking at feedback submitted directly through email and even abstract discussion found elsewhere on the web.

All our customers are important to us, and although just a small percentage of customers will register for and post to the community, the commentary here weighs heavily. 

@jbone311  At this time we are considering whether this integration is right for Fitbit and how it will improve the Fitbit experience. There has been a great deal of feedback provided by users like you who are eager and even dependant upon the integration and we appreciate all the stories and insights we've received thus far. My team and the broader support team will continue to convey this feedback until a decision has been made. I don't think it's the boogeyman that's holding us up, but it's an interesting theory...

@tpeter Thanks for the input on how HealthKit integration would compliment your use of Fitbit today.

@thesimsisters Good to know. Thanks for shedding some light onto how this integration would impact and benefit larger wellness programs.

@SunsetRunner Appreciate the input and call for a wider range of Fitbit products.

@Jmgjg @SMARTgal @evolkatie Thanks for your votes and for joining the discussion.