Introducing the next phase of the Fitbit Web API

[GordonFitbit]

Hi Everyone,

Today marks the start of a new chapter! We are officially opening availability for the next generation of our platform: The Google Health API.

This update is a total modernization of our foundation, rebuilt from the ground up on Google’s infrastructure to provide a more scalable and reliable experience for your integrations. By moving to the Google Health API, you’ll gain access to:

• Unified Source of Truth: A new Reconciled Stream that merges overlapping data points, enabling you to surface the same data in your app as they see in the Fitbit app.
• Technical Modernization: We consolidated 123 endpoints down to a streamlined set of data type bundles across REST endpoints and with consistent format and error-handling. 
• Enhanced Identity & Security: Google OAuth 2.0 replaces legacy Fitbit Authorization, simplifying your code via standard libraries and giving users a familiar, streamlined way to manage permissions.
• Updated Webhooks: Our new webhooks now offer support for auto-subscriptions across all relevant data types.

The Timeline:

• Now: Start building! Access the Google Health API documentation, migration guides, and developer tools at https://developers.google.com/health.
• End of May 2026: Target launch date for your new integration.
• Legacy Fitbit Account users will not be able to access the Google Health API. To ensure a seamless transition for your users, we recommend not to launch your new API integrations and OAuth implementation until late May, 2026.
• September 2026: Final deprecation of legacy endpoints. Previous versions of the Fitbit Web API will be decommissioned and data will stop syncing.

To maintain your application's connectivity, you will need to register your project in the Google Cloud Console and migrate to the new endpoints. Please keep in mind that mandatory user re-consent is required, as silent migration is not possible.

We will be providing a suite of tools—including a comparison tool, API Explorer, and a user-linking API to map legacy user IDs to new user IDs—to make this version transition as smooth as possible. We’re excited to see how these new capabilities transform your apps!

Sincerely, 

The Fitbit Team

[kryan717]

Hi Gordon! One question, If I’m setting up a new integration and want in theory to get it going ASAP what should I do? Best to just do google but wait til May to launch? 

[Guy_]

Hi @GordonFitbit - would you be able to add how this change is going to be made available for use, seeing as the Gallery has been virtually shutdown already, impossible to get in contact with anyone, and months go by without any approvals or actions.

Under such conditions it would seem nigh impossible to implement anything with the current let alone revised features.

Is there a plan to formally shut down the Gallery and when will this come into effect?

It is important to know so developers are aware before trying to make changes that can't be implemented?

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @kryan717 ,

Ideally, you should use the Google Health API since the Fitbit Web API will be deprecated by the end of the summer.  The Google Health API will be GA in May which is when we recommend to launch your application.  You can still launch your application now.  There might be some breaking changes that occur GA.

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @Guy_ 

I have been told the Device SDK is not being deprecated, and will still be available for users to build clock faces on their personal devices.  The GAM is still available, but I'm not sure about the approvals piece.   Let me see if I can get some more information for you.

[Guy_]

Thanks @GordonFitbit - the GAM needs to be thoroughly effective for developers to have confidence in getting stuff approved.

Without that even support simply ends.

[kryan717]

thanks @GordonFitbit that makes sense, i guess a better question: between now and May, will all of our potential FitBit users have their data available through the Google Health API regardless of whether they have migrated over? thanks! 

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @kryan717 

Yes.  All users will have the data available through the Fitbit Web API and Google Health API until the Fitbit Web API is deprecated in September.  

[Guy_]

@GordonFitbit - just to clarify, with depreciation in September does that mean all existing developed apps using Web API will stop working unless they are all modified by developers?

[Aozora7]

I started migrating my app from Fitbit Web API to Google Health API. I encountered an issue where an endpoint consistently returned 500 on a specific page when fetching sleep data. Should I report this issue in detail on this forum or somewhere else? 

developers.google.com/health/support has a link to an issue tracker, but opening it results in an error "Component ID 1914241 does not exist or you do not have access."

[FedericoB]

Could you please confirm the exact date in September 2026 when the legacy Fitbit Web API endpoints will be fully deprecated and stop syncing data?

Which channels can we follow to stay updated on release notes and any changes related to this deprecation?

[Haider2802]

I was going through the migration doc and I found that Webhook subscription does not support Heart Rate. We are using fitbit web api for almost 2 years, and heart rate subscription is one of the most crucial feature for use. What should we do now?

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @Guy_ 

You are correct.  In September, the Fitbit Web API will not longer work.  Therefore, everyone will need to migrate to the Google Health API to continue pulling the user's Fitbit data.

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @Aozora7 

I don't understand why you are getting the error about the component ID does not exist.  We've had several people post questions through Issue Tracker.  If issue tracker is not working for you, you may create a new post in this forum and we will help investigate.

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @FedericoB 

An exact date has not been determined.  I've just been told late September.  We will be sending communications to your Fitbit Developer account email and posting on here.

[GordonFitbit]

Hi @Haider2802 

We will continue to add functionality to the Google Health API over the next several months.  Today, we had another major release, described in the Release Notes, which includes new data types, a new endpoint, and webhook support for 17 data types.  One of those data types is heart rate.  

[Haider2802]

Hi @GordonFitbit 

Thanks for the update. Just checked the release note and found the heart rate in webhook support. I found another feature which is missing in Google Health Api. Fitbit provide an api 'GET /1/user/[user-id]/devices.json' to get connected device list. But unfortunately I haven't found anything similar in Google Health Api.

[GordonFitbit]

That feature should be coming in the future.  I'll try to get it on the roadmap page in the documentation.

[Guy_]

Thanks @GordonFitbit for confirming that Google are forcing an obsolescence which is going to cause a huge upheaval.

Unless all developers have been notified that this is happening they may be unaware of the work  they are being forced to do, of no benefit to users or developers.

And even if they are able to do it, without proper support for publishing the modifications, which is also being denied, it is also a pointless exercise.

In short, by forcing a non implementable change, Google is actively creating a major disaster (so many things will just stop working when the Fitbit Web API is discontinued).

Is it possible to have a rethink of this process to enable full upward compatibility, rather than imposed destruction?

[JeffCohen]

Can you please let the powers that be know that September is a near-impossible deadline for losing all data access?

It's one thing to ask developers to change their API usage by September, it's another to ask us to get all of our users to completely reauthorize by then. I run a platform for hundreds of clinical research participants, and this is going to cause a loss of data for our researchers (academic institutions across the US) and for other research platforms much bigger than us.

As an aside, thanks for all of your help over the years, this forum has been amazing!

--Jeff