Fitbit and iOS Healthkit integration

[Torakaru]

Hello,

I have recently acquired an AltaHR Gunmetal to be able to use it daily with my iPhone (with iOS12), but I do not know why your Fitbit app does not synchronize with the native iOS Health app; Have you fully supported Healthkit on this product and your app? Not sure (not clearly stated in your product box)

I thought 'yes', because iOS Healthkit has been on the market for many years now, and although more expensive than other asiatic products, Fitbit is the leader in wearables bracelets (in quality, design, ergonomics); In addition you said that this bracelet is completely compatible with iOS and all its features.

Please, you could explain how to do it, I just paid $160 for it and I thought it gave full support to iOS (including Healthkit sync) devices (not just Android OS), as its cheaper competitors have been supporting Healthkit iOS since years (ie old Xiaomi Mi Band 2 for only $20) .

Waiting for your help.

Best regards

Moderator edit: Updated title for clarity

[FerdinandFitbit]

Hi there @Torakaru, welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums! 🙂

Thanks a lot for bringing up this inquiry. I'd like to answer this for you.

Currently, all Fitbit trackers are compatible with iOS devices when it comes to being able to install the Fitbit app there and to be able to sync your tracker to the app and using several features altogether with your iOS device. However, Fitbit doesn't connect to Healthkit.

I was able to find a feature suggestion for this to happen but it seems that this is not something that is currently planned to be implemented. You can check the suggestion here.

If you have more questions, feel free to let me know. Anything else I'm here to help!

PS. I'm moving your post to the iOS app board for categorization purposes.

[Torakaru]

Thanks Ferdinand, but "limited" compatibility supporting only "several" features, is not what iOS compliancy really means, even less when on Android the features supported are much longer and deeper, and nowhere in the box of the product is explicitely mention that Healthkit is not (and will not) be supported.

This is quite dissapointing for what is sold as a premium bracelet tracker; moreover when cheaper models have better SW integration, not only in iOS but also in Android.

I decided to pay a premium price to get a premium support and product, not half of it. Otherwise, Fitbit should explicitely, openly and be transparent to say it in the product box and everywhere. I didnt know until now that this request is being neglected since years by the company despite millions of users pleading to get it without success 😞

I like more Fitbit slim HW (aka AltaHR) than bulky smartwatches for weared and used 24/7; but without a good SW, HW is useless and Fitbit will lose more customers, unfortunately; if Fitbit doesnt decide to give in to the prayers and demands of their (loyal? until when?) users. 

By the way, have you any internal Fitbit contacts to really escalate these demands from the users community to Fitbit Prod. Management; or not beyond moderating posts? I wonder, don't know.

[FerdinandFitbit]

Thanks for getting back @Torakaru!

I totally understand your position. However, (and this is my personal opinion) this has to do with the products and brands environments. If you notice, other products as Garmin, the Apple Watch or Samsung Gear will not connect to other platforms either. You can not sync an Apple Watch to the Samsung Health app or a Xiaomi activity tracker to Apple Health app, so these are just a few examples that syncing across these platforms is not something you can not do only with Fitbit but with most other activity apps.

For a list of the apps  that are partnered with Fitbit where you can sync data across them, click here.

If you have more questions, feel free to let me know!

[Torakaru]

@FerdinandFitbit Thanks, you are right about that "We can not sync an Apple Watch to the Samsung Health app", but not right about "Xiaomi activity tracker to Apple Health app".

I have a Xiaomi Band 2 tracker, and its app synchronizes ALL data tracked by it (Steps, Running, Sleep and Heart rates) on HealthKit database, so I can see all in my Health iOS native app from it.

On top of that I want to clarify couple of points, because you are not comparing Apples with Apples:

a) Apple Watch cost around $400. So not comparable with Alta and also, everyone knows that Apple keeps all its data closed "Apple HW with Apple SW remains inside Apple"; but they allow to export whatever is needed (thanks to Apple and iCloud exporting features, and GPDR EU law). In any case, I don't want to further discuss about comparing Alta VS AppleWatch, as they play in total different leagues. No sense to continue comparing those products.

b) Xiaomi Band 2: Costs only $20 and sync ALL the data from their tracker inside the Health database of your iPhone. And not only that, they keep it there and not share with anyone else (neither anykind of Xiaomi clouds); so, your data remains only in your iPhone, nowhere else; while with Fitbit, all your data goes to Fitbit servers, and Fitbit has access to them (for only Fitbit business health data processing benefit).

c) I expected much more from Fitbit, simply because they sell PREMIUM bands (AltaHR costs $150 and Mi Band $20), And in AltaHR never was clearly stated in the package that they not (and will not) allow the sync of MY data (because the data is mine, and I only pay for a product to measure it, that's all) to a common database.

d) It is true that Fitbit has an OPEN API to allow thirty parties to create "semi"-sync apps; but that workaround is awful and annoying for the user, why Fitbit doesnt make things easier to their users? If they (using thirty party apps) to sync with Healthkit in any case? Totally weird to me this Fitbit business decission to not be willing to bring this (easy to implement) supoport on the Fitbit iOS app.

e) On top of that, such Fitbit OPEN API doesnt allow to sync all Heart rate points at all; only a 'single point heart rate BY day', and which in fact corresponds to a "Resting Heart Rate point"; also pretty useless for the Fitbit users,... why?

I also know that Fitbit allows to "some exclusive partners" to use an EXTENDED API which allows to sync the FULL DATA, which means also all the Heart Rate captured points along the whole day(s); but why not to everyone? Again pretty weird biz decission by Fitbit, as other heart rate chest bands supported by iOS, allow to sync their full heart rate data on iOS Healthkit database, why Fitbit not? This makes again to feel the final street end user (who pays hundreds of bucks by Fitbit products) as a "Second Class customer"; while Insurance and Hospital companies can have access to all the data of the users,.. :-S

This lack of transparency from Fitbit company benefits no one, nor the users believing on Fitbit (but not for much longer); that in the end, although Fitbit has better products at HW level (like AltaHR), users will end up migrating to their competitors (Xiaomi/Huawei if they want a thin bracelet, or Apple/Garmin if they want a smartwatch, because with Fitbit Versa the same problem happens); and less sales will become in less profits and a darker future for Fitbit as tracker wearable company, unfortunately 😞

Cheers

[lleifert]

I have to agree ... I bought a new Charge 3 and am currently searching how to integrate the data to Health.  Fitbit ... shame on you for not listening to your customers.  The Internet seems to have a lot of upset customers due to this.

[jsmith181226]

I feel you. I just bought the Charge 3 today. However, before opening the box, I wondered if Fitbit integrated its data with the Health app on my iPhone. I shouldn't have to get a third-party app just to sync my Fitbit data with Apple's Health app. So I returned my Fitbit today and ordered something else that works with Apple Health. I'm just so annoyed, I needed to make an account to just so I can tell Fitbit: not working with Apple Health is a dealbreaker.

[RjDunn]

I agree with the OP. This is a dealbreaker for me, as I’m used to Apple health and use it for everything. I will be returning the Alta HR I just bought.

[drmcsuperstar]

Garmin does in fact write data(steps, sleep, floors climbed, workouts, etc) to HealthKit which is why I returned my Fitbit device and bought a Garmin.  The only reason I can think of why Fitbit doesn’t is that they want to make it harder for the user to possibly switch to a different platform. 

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @drmcsuperstar, @RjDunn and @jsmith181226, have a warm welcome to the Fitbit Community. I hope you're doing well @Torakaru. 

First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay in the response. Thank you for your feedback. We're constantly striving to improve Fitbit products and services, and we very much appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. However, at this moment, our team doesn't have plans to release this feature. You can learn more about how Fitbit decides what suggestions get released in our FAQs. For now, our team will leave this suggestion open for votes (and closed to comments) so that we can continue to track community demand over time.

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and we will let you know if anything changes. For the time being, as there's nothing more to add to this thread, I'll close it. Have a great day.