Fitbit integration with Apple Health

[Milesoftrane]

I just got my Charge 4 and was totally excited. Until...

Any reasonable person would assume Fitbit would sync with Apple Health. A ten dollar knockoff that I just threw away because it got wet and was as wonky as you’d expect a ten dollar device to be, would sync with Apple Health. 

Fitbit doesn’t sync with Apple Health.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity, word choice and label. 

[SteveH]

I'm not surprised that they don't sync. Apple Health is a competitor to Fitbit so why make it easier to use a competitor's service in preference to your own. 

[Milesoftrane]

Thank you for replying but please help me understand how this policy
promotes Fitbit. I have a phone like everybody else. Like a lot of people,
mine is an iPhone. Now i want a fitness watch. How does Fitbit’s policy
drive me to choose Fitbit over Apple Watch?

I suppose the answer is in the subscription service. But now that I no
longer own a Fitbit, it sure ain’t gonna be their service. Obviously a lot
of people don’t use Apple Health, or are willing to look at two different
apps to determine their fitness and health data, but I’m not in that group.

Apple, on the other hand, one of the most anti-competitive companies in
history, freely allows connection to Apple Health by its competitors.
Instead of “forcing” me to choose Apple Watch they understand that
consumers want integration and compatibility, so they allow me to choose.
If Apple was like Fitbit, AirPods would connect using a proprietary system
instead of the universal Bluetooth. But I can choose Bose ear buds to pair
with my iPhone if I want. Fitbit is going to lose in the long run.

I don’t really expect you to take the time to answer, life is too short.
I’m long winded here because I’m p.o.’d. Thank you again for replying.
--
Tim Nunnally

[AndreaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @Milesoftrane. Thanks for sharing your Apple Health sync inquiry. 

I know how frustrating this could be we are always looking for ways you can use your data to support your health and fitness goals. For the past few years, we’ve been the leader in developing direct partnerships through our open API with hundreds of the most popular health apps, wellness programs, incentive systems, and other services that have enabled people like you to make the most of your products and data. In addition, the launch of Fitbit Ionic has given us the opportunity to allow third party developers to develop apps for the Fitbit App Gallery through our SDK, providing opportunities to offer even more features and apps to our global Fitbit community from our developer community.

With regards to your proposed integration, we continue to evaluate new partners and will update you if we have news to share. Fitbit has a history of working with the community to bring potential features to reality.

Thank you for your comment @SteveH.

Keep on visiting the forums. 

[Rich_Laue]

@Milesoftrane it says a lot about Apple. As Andrea points out, for the last 10+ years Fitbit has everything needed for anyone to link up with Fitbit. As @SteveH mentions, I too am not surprised that apple doesn't want to sync with there competition. 

However, look in your play store for an app called Sync Solver. 

[Milesoftrane]

Thank you for your reply. However, it is Fitbit who chooses not to link to
Apple. Apple freely allows connection from devices like Fitbit, if Fitbit
chooses. I’ve gone a different route — No Fitbit for me. Thanks again. --

Moderator edit: format

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[AndreaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back to us and for your comments @Milesoftrane. 

We don't want to create frustration in our customers. Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on what you share here.

Keep on visiting the forums. 

[Rich_Laue]

And here is the problem @Milesoftrane fitbit has an open API and allows others, and encourages other companies, like Apple, to link up. 

However, Fitbit, as with Apple, have both decided to allow others to link up with them. 

If you look in your App Store you will find an app called Sync Solver, this is a third party app that the developer takes advantage of both Fitbit's and Apple's APIs

[Smellcoffee]

The lack of direct Fitbit integration had me flustered for a solid 30 minutes yesterday as I searched through my phone and desktop settings trying to find the permission link to Apple Health. I just got my Versa 3 and am getting used to the interfaces and all the settings. The fact that direct Fitbit integration with Apple Health wasn't there didn't occur to me until I exhausted my search.

So ya... as an Apple user and Fitbit user off and on since 2014 the lack of this integration if anything steers me away from Fitbit. 

Apple heath and the Fitbit App don't really compete with each other. I don't acivley play around or check my Apple Heath App. It's there to keep as a hub to my various health Apps, keep track of my overall health, access my health documents securely and comunicate with my doctor if needed. I actively play around and monitor my Fitbit app because it's specific to my daily fitness. Apple health syncs with everything and every health-related device that I have used over the years and to me it was a no-brainer that my new Fitbit would automatically update my health stats to Apple health. 

I think if Fitbit wants to offer competitive products to Apple users they should make the user experience as seamless as possible between the two ecosystems. By and large, Apple users would walk away from using a Fitbit before they walked away using their Apple products... in my case, I currently actively use an iCloud family account, iPad, iPhone, Mac Mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro,... and a Versa 3. 

I use Office, Teams and Google Drive as well as a host of other apps and services with my Apple products seemlessly, I expect my Fitbit experiance to be the same. The Fitbit Versa 3 is a compelling product but I wish it worked better with my Apple ecosystem. This will be a factor for me deciding on whether to keep the Versa 3 and my future Fitbit purchases.

[KZheng]

Yes, I agree!

I don't get what the Fitbit executives are thinking? Does Fitbit have a iOS competitive offering? Is Fitbit larger than Microsoft? Is Fitbit too cocky and think that their product is so superior that offering a half bake experience of their product on iOS beats Apple watch and other competitive offerings? If Fitbit is indeed way superior, then perhaps a better strategy is not to offer their product on iOS altogether.

[Rich_Laue]

There is an app called Sync Solver and another app called Fit Sync, both will link fitbit to Apple health.. 

Fitbit encourages others to link up with them. This is actually very easy for a third party to do, the process is so easy that it is not a simple task for users to see all the apps that do link up with fitbit. 

Apple on the other hand, does not want their users to use fitbits, and Fitbit does not force themselves into the third party. Meaning we are at a virtual standoff 

[KZheng]

Thanks to Rich_laue for sharing possible solutions to this issue.

I do not know the exact details of why Fitbit will not link to AppleHealth but I have used at least 2 other smartwatches (not Apple Watch) that link with Apple Health with no problems or need to use another 3rd party sync solution. From what I have read, so does Whiting and Garmin to name a couple more. So, why is it that Fitbit users on iOS users have to rely on another 3rd part app to sync? You said this is because Apple does not want their users to use Fitbit devices. I can't see how this is so.

The only reason I am still using my Fitbit is that I can't return it and get my money back. My next smartwatch will not be a Fitbit, however, good they may be at my next purchase decision time. My life does not need another bit of unnecessary complexity.

For everyone else in caught in this, I use FITIV sync but it will be something I get rid of once I discard my Fitbit.

[Rich_Laue]

I do not know anything about the other watches, they may have decided to link up with Apple. However as mentioned above, Fitbit does not initiate a link with 3rd parties. They let others link to fitbit. 

As for as fitbit is concerned Apple is more Ryan welcomed to link up with fitbit. 

Unfortunately apple prefers others to link with them and has offered an invitation to fitbit. 

Neither company has the policy to initiate this link. 

[t.parker]

@KZheng Fitbit is known for keeping its ecosystem rather closed. Integration was never a selling point of Fitbit and probably won't.

[KZheng]

@t.parker Thanks for making this clear. I am beginning to see Fitbit's position in the same light.

All I can say is good luck to Fitbit.

[OC_Man]

I was going to buy a Fit bit from Amazon but if it doesn't work with Apple health, that's a no buy for me.

Also, I don't want to pay for yet another subscription service! I just want to track my swimming in Apple health.. That's it and I shouldn't have to pay for a subscription to do it. 

[SarahESullivan2]

This didn’t work for me

[EdsonFitbit]

Hello everybody, thank you for visiting the Fitbit Community.

Our team is constantly working to improve our products and services but at the moment there are no plans to add an integration with iOS Health as stated here.

As a workaround, you can sync some information between Fitbit and iOS Health through IFTTT. For more information, please visit this site.

I am going to close this thread because it became off-topic, but if there is anything else we can help you with, please don't hesitate to start a new topic.

Have a nice day.