Integrate with iOS Health

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.

4,966 Comments
alfordsteven
First Steps

 

Given this news, I will no longer purchase Fitbit products, despite previous purchases of three of them.  I sincerely hoped (now abandoned) that a Force replacement would be forthcoming so it could be integrated with HealthKit.  Too bad for Fitbit; too bad for me.

 

Steve 

diggator
Recovery Runner

Long time Fitbit user and guess Ill find a different device since they wont integrate... Jawbone I guess - here I come..

jmcfadd
First Steps

I think it would be great to have it integrated with the healthkit

Haggard9
First Steps

Come on Fitbit.  I love your product.  I promote your product.  I have probably gotten a dozen people to buy your products after showing them mine.  But I love my iPhone MORE than I love my fitbit.  Please integrate with the HealthApp.  It would only strengthen my support for Fitbit.  

 

The latest news of you not planning to be apart of Apple's HealthApp is discouraging.  I know your product hasn't changed, so why should my support change...but knowing the possibility of integration is there and you are choosing not to be a part of it, when your competitors are....is frustrating.  Frustrating enough to possibly move to your competitors.  I will wait a bit.  But if the wait becomes too long, my decision will be to move to a product that supports my phone of choice.

HermanMG
Jogger

Does anyone have any apps like Fitbit that we can switch to that monitor sleep, steps, etc. I already have MyFitnessPal for my food, and it works with FitBit to monitor my steps. I know this is a loaded question.

  I wish FitBit would change its foolish stance. I am willing to stay with Fitbit because I have no where else to go but I am disappointed by this news. Fitbit or someone help! 

Craig
Distance Runner

@Tcsmth56  I have never really questioned it but it does appear to be just once a day

zapleahy
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

We appreciate all the feedback on this topic. For the past few years, Fitbit has 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 our users to make the most of their Fitbit products and data. Because of this commitment to connect with other applications, HealthKit is really interesting to us. Since its announcement, we’ve been evaluating integration with HealthKit and will continue to do so as more of its features and benefits are revealed. 

 

Please continue to share your thoughts with us so we can better understand how you envision an ideal HealthKit integration to work and what benefits you’re hoping for.

 

Thanks in advance for keeping your comments constructive and on topic!

 

I've been a customer for almost 3 years, and even use the upgraded features I have to pay for, but no healthkit integration means you'll be losing $50 a year from the for the upgraded features AND whatever I would have spent for updated devices as I like to have to new updated ones and I'm reasonably young, you are going to lose a LOT of business. Not just from me, but given this is page 40 of the comments and most are talking about switching to another device seems like it's time to quickly change your tune....I'm going to bet your net worth and future growth are falling at an audible rate.
rleo
Stepping Up

I want Healthkit support but I think we'll never see it from their statement.

But is anyone really surprised by this? They use their trackers to gather your data for them to montize with. As others have stated, they want to be the equivalent of Healthkit but use your data to monitize any way they wish.

 

I use the Digifit app & dashboard instead. Quite happy with it. (www.digifit.com & my.digifit.com)  It supports alot of sensors and Healthkit support (the new version is with Apple waiting for review process to finish) They support a wide array of hardware and other apps and their dashboard is nice. I had been using the fitbit app on my 5s with digifit, and Strava, a Polar HR monitor, and MFP, but am going to find another app to replace the functions I was getting with the fitbit app/m7 cpu in my 5s. Not a big deal for me but was looking to buy into fitbits hardware soon. That plan has changed. I'll get another scale that supports Healthkit.

 

I was hoping for a force replacement but now am considering an Apple Sport Watch or other tracker. Way to alienate people Fitbit.

 

Open Enrollment for healthcare is soon upon us and if your large company has teamed with fitbit or your insurance provider, tell other co workers to not take the free fitbit tracker since Healthkit isnt being supported. Better yet, tell the people in your company in the benefits dept. to not offer or team with fitbit because this move is definitely anti end user friendly.

 

Data wants to be free.

My .02 cents, FWIW.

Mattatarian
Stepping Up

The statement released today, and the one just posted by the mod, says nothing at all. Just corporate speak and back patting, and dancing around the topic. There's not much to evaluate. Integrate with a quickness, or become irrelevant.

gregr209
Stepping Up

Wow Allison! That is your response? EVERY single post has been negative about Fitbit not going to support Apple's Healthkit and you want MORE comments? Incredible.

 

The correct response would have been 'we have heard you, and expect to feed your Fitbit data into Apple's Healthkit soon'. Anything short of that is just incredibly tone deaf on Fitbit's part.

 

You could always start out simple and just feed, for at least the Aria scale, the weight and body fat %. How hard is that?

 

Really really shocked at how poorly Fitbit is handling this situtation.

BlazeEBlake
Recovery Runner

@allison wrote:

We appreciate all the feedback on this topic. For the past few years, Fitbit has 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 our users to make the most of their Fitbit products and data. Because of this commitment to connect with other applications, HealthKit is really interesting to us. Since its announcement, we’ve been evaluating integration with HealthKit and will continue to do so as more of its features and benefits are revealed. 

 

Please continue to share your thoughts with us so we can better understand how you envision an ideal HealthKit integration to work and what benefits you’re hoping for.

 

Thanks in advance for keeping your comments constructive and on topic!


What more needs to be understood or evaluated? Customers are using multiple apps for health and fitness data because no one app does everything/everything perfectly. They want to collect it all in one place. They want you devices and data to be a part of that collected information. Why is that so difficult? 

Also, how can you say you are evaluating when you have already publicly said you have no plans to integrate? Has the status of things changed or are we just getting conflicting (canned) statements?

joestencowwife
Recovery Runner

Mattatarian said: The statement released today, and the one just posted by the mod, say nothing at all. Just corporate speak and back patting, and dance around the topic. There's not much to evaluate. Integrate with a quickness, or become irrelevant.

 

Not only that, but it basically said, "We (don't) really appreciate your feedback. We don't want to hear how unhappy you are, just say nice things about how we might could use it if we were so inclined... which we've already said we aren't." Oh, and "on topic?" What the hell do they think all these comments are if not on topic and EXTREMELY relevant to the topic at hand?!?!?

 

I don't care how "interesting" they find Healthkit - and that does seem disingenuous anyway, if it was so "interesting" why wouldn't they be waiting for Apple to implement their contribution to integration - I am "interested" in syncing my data in PRACTICE... whereas their "interest" remains firmly theoretical. 

 

I am not ignorant of how forum moderation works. I realize the difficulties inherent to Allison's job, and the necessity of massaging her comments to try to walk the line between customers and management. My comments are NOT personal to her, but ARE personal to me, and directly personally directed to the decision makers in the company.

AngryFitbiUser
First Steps

Still no update for the force to show notofication, no communication on when it is going to come and now you dont want to integrate with HealthKit ? I dont think I will ever but a fitbit product ever again. I will also return my Force for this reason. Really disappointed.

ChrisCA
Sprinter

by MarkG76 3 hours ago

For all the people who are saying that Fitbit is trying to lock down user data and sell premium services, here is an IFTTT recipe (by Fitbit!) that sends your daily data to a Google spreadsheet


Great!

Then google can sell your data!

GoOutside
Jogger

Wow! More mind-bogglingly obstinate commentary from the moderator!

 

It is not my job to beg a company, and I am insulted that you are asking me to justify myself to you.

 

However, it is very, deeply helpful to hear from you, Allison, that you're "evaluating" HealthKit integration (despite it being announced for almost half-a-year now). I am also "evaluating" HealthKit, as well, particularly as to how it is integrating with competing products. Jawbone didn't sit around and wait to ask me how I felt I would benefit from their product. Neither did Withings. Or Garmin. They anticipated a business need and delivered.

 

Frankly, you could add HealthKit integration next week, for all I care, and I still won't be buying Fitbits for my family this Christmas, not would I ever recommend your products to any person ever again. In the last two weeks, this company has proven that they do not want to be leaders in current technology and that they want their customers to beg them, rather than listen to the overwhelming feedback they've already received. And then, to add insult to injury, the Fitbit PR response has been an unmitigated disaster. This is not a company that I want to trust with any kind of technology investment. If they can't figure out HealthKit, what else will they totally and completely drop the ball on?

 

I will take my business to fitness trackers with other brands who didn't wait around to ask their customers how to build products, and isntead had the obvious foresight and vision to get this done in advance, without resorting to pathetic and demeaning begging.

zapleahy
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

@BlazeEBlake Not so difficult. Appreciate the feedback! The status has not changed, and we are continuing to evaluate HealthKit as we move forward with other exciting projects that we think will be valuable to users. 

 

 

@gregr209 The suggestion to start out with Aria scale data including weight and body fat % is helpful, thanks.

Havenocents
Base Runner

I've never heard so much double talk since "it depends on what the definition of is, is."

HermanMG
Jogger

**ahem** me and my loyality, I'll stick with Fitbit because it works well for me, yeah it doesn't work with HealthKit but it works with Digifit, Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal etc. Since Myfitnesspal is integrated in HealthKit, does that mean if I link Fitbit the data should go to HealthKit automatically? Meaning the data that MyFitnessPal collects should go to HealthKit right?

 

Bluejay
Runner
What was the last exciting thing out of Fitbit, oh yeah the Force, which didn't work out so well. Makes me wonder about the health of the company. This needs to move to the next stage. Not reviewed by moderators but under consideration.
Havenocents
Base Runner

@HermanMG

Wrong.  MyFitnessPall does not send fitbit data to healthkit.

HermanMG
Jogger

@zapleahy as ticked off as we are, I appreciate the update. With that said, what is there to evaluate with HealthKit, did your developers not get in on the beta testing period, which lasted almost 6 months to a year?

HermanMG
Jogger

@Havenocents thank you for the info I was confused by that.

joestencowwife
Recovery Runner

You know what really sucks about all this? I LIKE my Fitbit One. I LIKE the Dashboard. I LIKE the Premium service... and I would KEEP USING THEM ALL... I just want to ADD Health to what I use. They would all work well, for different things... but I want to be able to send data between them. I just don't see why that is such a problem.

thoxig
Premium User
First Steps

Fitbit avoiding healthkit integration seems extremely likely to push me into an entirely different ecosystem - iwatch, withings, etc. Why would I keep using a proprietary system that doesn't share data? I'll just get a differnt sensor that plays well with others.

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