Apple Health Plans 2017

[Biker_Bill]

Will Fitbit change course and sync with Apple Health in 2017?

Refusing to integrate with Apple does not secure nor improve Fitbit's position in Fitness tracker market.  

[bbarrera]

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@LeBourrel wrote:

I see ALOT of requests for syncing Aria and Apple Watch, it is simple and dumb at the same time. So you need SyncSolver an app that you always leave on.

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I have an old MyFitnessPal account and app on my phone. After weighing myself on Aria scale, I launch MyFitnessPal app and it syncs with Fitbit, and then syncs my current weight into HealthKit. 

p.s. Fitbit app should sync that to HealthKit, just another reason not to use Fitbit app. 

[Slhenty]

Sorry, Kate, but it's hard to take your response seriously. It's a verbatim copy of marketing-speak that has appeared in this forum - and this thread - multiple times.

I'm faced with the decision to revive my old One vs get an updated Fitbit tracker vs look elsewhere in order to comply with my company's wellness discount on my health insurance premium. Guess which option I'm pursuing?

I should thank you, though. Your response made my decision quite easy.

[Blithespirit]

Hello @bbarrera,

I use "MyFitnessPal" also. Not with a scale, but with the "Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate." The steps being reported to my Healthkit is off by 30% or more. I suspect it is not the Fitbit data, but the data reported by my iPhone itself (the phone will record steps without a fitness tracker, try it and see). Since my phone sits on a desk most of the day, I am only recording steps when I take my iPhone with me. 

Also, Heathkit is getting no heart rate data and that is very important to me. 

[hyybid]

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@Blithespirit wrote:

Hello @bbarrera,

I use "MyFitnessPal" also. Not with a scale, but with the "Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate." The steps being reported to my Healthkit is off by 30% or more. I suspect it is not the Fitbit data, but the data reported by my iPhone itself (the phone will record steps without a fitness tracker, try it and see). Since my phone sits on a desk most of the day, I am only recording steps when I take my iPhone with me. 

Also, Heathkit is getting no heart rate data and that is very important to me. 

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I think maybe the best way to get heart rate data would be to get an Apple Watch.  Not a good answer if you've already invested in a Fitbit device for heart rate but you know the Apple Watch will be supported by Apple for their own Apple Health app.

There were some good sales on Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watches over Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  If you don't need LTE connectivity, then you don't have to buy the latest Series 3.

I think if you get a Fitbit device, the most you can expect is that the device will support Fitbit's ecosystem, not Apple's.

Fitbit has had 3 years to support Healthkit and if they haven't done it by now, it's unlikely they will.

[bbarrera]

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@Blithespirit wrote:

Hello @bbarrera,

I use "MyFitnessPal" also. Not with a scale, but with the "Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate." The steps being reported to my Healthkit is off by 30% or more. I suspect it is not the Fitbit data, but the data reported by my iPhone itself (the phone will record steps without a fitness tracker, try it and see). Since my phone sits on a desk most of the day, I am only recording steps when I take my iPhone with me. 

Also, Heathkit is getting no heart rate data and that is very important to me. 

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@Blithespirit Good luck getting Fitbit to support HealthKit. There is a feature request almost 3.5 years old, and has been the top-rated request in the Feature Suggestion forum for several years now:

I have been using the iPhone as a Fitbit step tracker for many years now. Works great for me, because a) my phone is usually with me, b) my primary cardio activity is cycling 6-10 hours a week, therefore steps don't mean anything to me, and c) I purchased an Apple Watch 2.5 years ago and Health app smartly combines steps from both watch and phone (meaning I get steps while pushing a shopping cart at Costco).

Also keep in mind that Fitbit doesn't allow exporting 24x7 HR (unless you jump thru hoops), and doesn't allow importing HR/GPS. Fitbit claims an "open ecosystem" but I've found that its rather closed.

Hope that helps.

[RW999]

That sounds like a bunch of defensive double speak.  Can you please be clearer?  Do you support transferring data from a Fitbit and Aria scales to the Apple Health app or not?  If not, do you have any plans to do so?  If not, that's your prerogative, but I'm happy to go look for another solution.  Thanks in advance for what I hope will be a simple response.

[davecres]

I purchased a fitbit one a long time ago, upgraded to a fitbit charge when that came out and was promised then Fitbit was looking and health app and partnerships. Im now coming to the end of Fitbit charge HR and still hearing the same marketing type message.and no health app integration.

Whilst the fitbit ionic looks good etc and enhances what my current fitbit does it seems a no brainer now to drop fitbit after all these years and buy the apple watch 1 as its around the same price as ionic but integrates into health app and therefore provides the info my doctor needs through apple health.

Sorry fitbit have given you enough years to work out with apple and your a bit late now so fitbit and I are parting our ways

[SunsetRunner]

I’m with you on this.  I started with a Jawbone Up years ago, the a Fitbit one after buying an Aria scale.  Then HR watch for my wife and an Alta HR for myself this year. The scale is dying so I will be looking for Apple Health compatible devices next year.

[RW999]

It's in-your-face galling that at the top of the thread title, "Apple Health Plans 2017", there is a big green check mark and the word "Solved"! I guess that's the moderator's way of saying F*** Y** to all of us paying customers.  It would be funny if it weren't sad.

[Blithespirit]

Hello bbarrera,

Thank you for the detailed history! Yes, I suspected from the tone of the other comments that this had been going on for some time now. I just wanted to add my little bit of frustration to the mix. Clearly, Fitbit has made the strategic decision to go head-to-head against Apple. Maybe they are hoping to be acquired by Apple or Google. Frankly, I think they made a mistake. I have been using these trackers for a few years now. I've avoided the Apple Watch because it was too clunky, not waterproof, and would not track sleep.  I think Apple just reached the tipping point. I bought the Series 3 watch and I love it. It is actually incredible. It makes Fitbit look like a toy ...except, I really can't use it for sleep tracking. For me, the battery life is not the problem. I am at the end of the day and it still has 83%. It's better than my iPhone 7 at this point. However, it is still too big for sleeping. I might knock my wife out with the thing! 🙂 

Fitbit still has the best sleep app. It is outstanding. I'm tried other solutions and I am still testing devices. For now, I remove my Apple Watch, put it on the charger, and put on my lightweight Fitbit charge and let it do its sleep tracking magic. I admire Fitbit as a company, but the moment I find an alternative non-watch solution, my business with them is over. I think Apple is going to crush them and it is really too bad. 

Thank you again for addressing my post. Have a super healthy 2018!

Cheers!

[Dachary]

I agree with everything you say. The price of the Apple Watch is ridiculous compared to the Fitbit. And I don’t necessarily want my emails on my watch. There’s a big game plan being played an Fitbit will lose...

Sent from my iPhone

[ShanghaiRob]

I don’t understand how this is a solution?  This is not a new idea or question. 

[Jgreenman]

It appears there are some anger issues with Apple? 

[Blithespirit]

Not sure, but I think the anger was directed at Fitbit.

[James2018]

This is not a solution... Please can Fitbit listen to their customers integrate directly to Apple Health. 

[Robbyruns]

Absolutely. And tagging the above as a solution is ludicrous. 

If you can have an iOS app then you can partner with Apple for their Health app. 

[Nat-G]

This is not a solution, and it reduces the functionality of a Fitbit. I was considering switching over from MisFit, but now I definitely won't because I need it to integrate with Apple Health in order to get it to supply all the information needed to my weight-loss app LoseIt (because I'm not paying $40/year to get it to do that).

[SunsetRunner]

There are apps in the App store that do this for free (manual sync) and for a small fee (auto sync). I've tried them and they work well (PowerSync) is one of them. Yesterday I purchased a new tracker with Apple Health Integration (Oura Ring) - Fitbit days are counted with me. That could've been money that I could've spent in an Ionic.

[hyybid]

So Fitbit announces new products for Windows 10 and Xbox One:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/fitbit-coach-arrives-on-your-tv-with-new-windows-10-and-xbox...

This is one reason why Fitbit isn't trying to sync data from their devices to Apple Health.  They cast their lot with Microsoft and even thought Microsoft doesn't sell many phones or mobile devices, they don't make a competing smart watch like Apple does.

Though I think Fitbit made deals with Microsoft even before the Apple Watch came out and started to take away sales from some of the more higher-priced Fitbit products.

MS may also have an exclusive deal or Fitbit doesn't want to alienate MS by working with their longtime nemesis Apple.

[SunsetRunner]

My Alta HR is so glitchy, I can’t trust that it is reading my pulse accurately.