Sync Solver bridges the gap between Apple's Health app and Fitbit devices
Users tied into the Fitbit ecosystem and frustrated by its lack of compatibility with Apple's Health app in iOS 8 can turn to a new app called Sync Solver, which automatically exports Fitbit data like steps, weight and sleep into the Health app.
In addition to steps, the 99-cent Sync Solver app also supports flights climbed, distance, weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, sleep analysis, dietary calories, resting calories, and active calories. Developer James McAndrew provided AppleInsider with a copy of the app, and our initial tests did find it works as advertised.
Tapping in to a user's Fitbit account, Sync Solver gathers data from the Fitbit family of products, including step trackers and connected scales. In addition to authorizing access to their Fitbit account, users must also approve Sync Solver to write and read the associated data in the iOS 8 Health app.
After configuring the app, Sync Solver will automatically sync with a user's Fitbit account once per day. The data is then exported to Apple's Heath app using the HealthKit features of iOS 8.
Sync Solver does not offer intraday data granularity at the moment, due to limitations with Fitbit's developer tools. The developer also notes that Apple does not yet provide a way to disable step counting from the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which can result in double counting of step data.
The need for Sync Solver has come about because Fitbit has publicly said they currently have no plans to integrate with Apple's HealthKit capabilities in iOS 8. Apple has also opted to begin removing Fitbit devices from its stores, though the company has not said whether the HealthKit dispute is directly related.
Still, some users may have invested hundreds of dollars in Fitbit hardware, like pedometers and scales, and for now Sync Solver offers a way for them to continue using those popular devices while also allowing data to be shared with other HealthKit-compatible apps on the iPhone.
One possible reason for Fitbit's reluctance to embrace HealthKit is the fact that data exporting is a "premium" feature in the company's ecosystem. The ability to freely export Fitbit data, and integrate it with other services, requires a membership priced at $49.99, while Apple's HealthKit could accomplish those same tasks for free.
Fitbit recently unveiled a trio of new fitness trackers set to launch in the near future, some of them with heart rate tracking. And Apple is also launching its own fitness tracking Watch in early 2015, which will accomplish many of the same capabilities as the Fitbit product family while also offering more advanced smart watch functions and HealthKit integration.
In addition to steps, the 99-cent Sync Solver app also supports flights climbed, distance, weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, sleep analysis, dietary calories, resting calories, and active calories. Developer James McAndrew provided AppleInsider with a copy of the app, and our initial tests did find it works as advertised.
Tapping in to a user's Fitbit account, Sync Solver gathers data from the Fitbit family of products, including step trackers and connected scales. In addition to authorizing access to their Fitbit account, users must also approve Sync Solver to write and read the associated data in the iOS 8 Health app.
After configuring the app, Sync Solver will automatically sync with a user's Fitbit account once per day. The data is then exported to Apple's Heath app using the HealthKit features of iOS 8.
Sync Solver does not offer intraday data granularity at the moment, due to limitations with Fitbit's developer tools. The developer also notes that Apple does not yet provide a way to disable step counting from the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which can result in double counting of step data.
The need for Sync Solver has come about because Fitbit has publicly said they currently have no plans to integrate with Apple's HealthKit capabilities in iOS 8. Apple has also opted to begin removing Fitbit devices from its stores, though the company has not said whether the HealthKit dispute is directly related.
Still, some users may have invested hundreds of dollars in Fitbit hardware, like pedometers and scales, and for now Sync Solver offers a way for them to continue using those popular devices while also allowing data to be shared with other HealthKit-compatible apps on the iPhone.
One possible reason for Fitbit's reluctance to embrace HealthKit is the fact that data exporting is a "premium" feature in the company's ecosystem. The ability to freely export Fitbit data, and integrate it with other services, requires a membership priced at $49.99, while Apple's HealthKit could accomplish those same tasks for free.
Fitbit recently unveiled a trio of new fitness trackers set to launch in the near future, some of them with heart rate tracking. And Apple is also launching its own fitness tracking Watch in early 2015, which will accomplish many of the same capabilities as the Fitbit product family while also offering more advanced smart watch functions and HealthKit integration.
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That's nice for people with Fitbits.
Still stinks you've got to shell out $50 (yearly?). That means the Watch might as well be considered as starting at $299, since no membership is required.
"The ability to freely export Fitbit data, and integrate it with other services, requires a membership priced at $49.99, while Apple's HealthKit could accomplish those same tasks for free."
In other words, Fitbit wants to lock you into their ecosystem while Apple is providing a way for many third-party developers to use the capabilities of the iPhone for free. And people say Apple is greedy.
That's nice for people with Fitbits.
Still stinks you've got to shell out $50 (yearly?). That means the Watch might as well be considered as starting at $299, since no membership is required.
Fitbit's membership allows users to export data as a spreadsheet and do with it as they wish. This app negates the need for the membership by using Fitbit's developer APIs to connect directly to HealthKit.
Fitbit's membership allows users to export data as a spreadsheet and do with it as they wish. This app negates the need for the membership by using Fitbit's developer APIs to connect directly to HealthKit.
So this allows you to bypass paying? I can't imagine Fitbit will be very happy about that...
Wristband has provide this for Fitbit (and Jawbone) users for some time now.
In fact, the Apple Watch pays for itself in about 4 years because one does not have to purchase any $50 a year Fitbit membership.
After 4 years, Apple Watch saves you $50 a year in Fitbit membership fees.
What would you rather wear? Apple Watch or Fitbit on your wrist? Obviously the Apple Watch. Fitbit makes you look like a geek. Apple Watch makes you look cool and stylish.
Another benefit of Apple Watch: I no longer have to deal with forgetting to wear the Fit One and finding it went through the clothes washer several times.
So this allows you to bypass paying? I can't imagine Fitbit will be very happy about that...
Well, Fitbit has long had an API that allows for exactly this, extracting data without paying. The paid premium service is more to get the data out into different file formats for your own purposes. So, since they've allowed many developers to access the APIs for so long, this is likely not the only or even the main reason for their reluctance regarding HealthKit.
Fitbit's idea is for their app and web dashboard to be your real-time, comprehensive gateway to your fitness information. Health, they are afraid, diminishes that. Even apps that sync with fitbit, cannot gets metrics like intraday step counts, through the API. If you want to see where you are at a given time during the day and how you've progressed or peaked in steps through the day, you must go to the fitbit app/website. Full integration with Health would probably mean real-time info fed into Health, meaning you could avoid using the fitbit interfaces, and that is what they are afraid of.
Even without Health, another area Fitbit has ignored is integration with Notification centre. It would be very convenient for a user to simply check their steps on the lock screen instead of having to unlock the phone and launch the app. But again, that would mean less time in the Fitibit app, so they won't do it yet.
The money for the data isn't the most important part of why Fitbit won't integrate with iOS features (Health and Notification Center). It's all about them being the gateway to that information. A big part of what they fail to see is that Fitbit can't be your full, high level view of all of your fitness and health data. They cannot rely on all other companies integrating to them in order to feed in data they don't collect. Metrics like glucose levels, blood pressure, respiration rate, body temperature, medications, etc can't be guaranteed to be available to Fitbit but can be available to a platform level system like Health (or even Google Fit or MS Health Vault). By cutting themselves off from high level, birds eye view, aggregation systems, they are doing their users a major disservice.
Face it. Apple's Health app and Apple's Watch totally destroy Fitbit on iOS.
In fact, the Apple Watch pays for itself in about 4 years because one does not have to purchase any $50 a year Fitbit membership.
After 4 years, Apple Watch saves you $50 a year in Fitbit membership fees.
What would you rather wear? Apple Watch or Fitbit on your wrist? Obviously the Apple Watch. Fitbit makes you look like a geek. Apple Watch makes you look cool and stylish.
Another benefit of Apple Watch: I no longer have to deal with forgetting to wear the Fit One and finding it went through the clothes washer several times.
This isn't about the $50 premium membership and there is no reason Fitbit can't coexist and thrive with Apple Watch and provide health integration. They serve two different needs, even if there is some overlap. The Apple Watch isn't going to track your sleep because you need to remove it daily to charge it. The fitbit is intentionally understated so that it doesn't attract much attention at all (Flex is probably the most discrete and understated of all of the wrist worn trackers), while the Apple Watch is definitely, in part, a show piece. The Fitbit app is intended to give you a very detailed view of the information in collects, while Health is meant as a very high level, bird's eye view of an aggregation of a much wider selection of data.
Fitbit is making a huge mistake by not integrating with iOS8 features, but unfortunately, they seem to share your mindset of seeing Apple as a threat instead of a partner.
Perhaps FitBit should reconsider supporting HealthKit instead of the boilerplate "we are closely monitoring the situation as it develops" (read: "no, GTFO bitches") responses they've given so far.
If Googs does their own versions of a HealthKit api, FitBit will have to rethink its business model from selling subscription services to being profitable as a device maker that integrates with other platform health tracking software.
So the existence of this app would indicate demand for HealthKit integration for FitBit devices.
Perhaps FitBit should reconsider supporting HealthKit instead of the boilerplate "we are closely monitoring the situation as it develops" (read: "no, GTFO bitches") responses they've given so far.
If Googs does their own versions of a HealthKit api, FitBit will have to rethink its business model from selling subscription services to being profitable as a device maker that integrates with other platform health tracking software.
a) Fitbit is well aware of apps like this. They have an active developer relations and encourage these types of apps. In the fitbit forums, where this issue of non-integration first came up, it has been well discussed that fitbit users are left with using 3rd party apps like this for Health integration.
b) Google already has Google Fit and Fitbit does not integrate with it. They do integrate with Microsoft's Healthvault, but that was a much more robust and comprehensive system that either Apple's Health or Google's Fit. MS also has a newer app called Microsoft Health, which is more akin to the offerings from Apple and Google but so far there is no word on Fitbit participating. I expect they will not for the same reasons they avoided HealthKit.
c) this has almost nothing to do with their subscription service because (1) they have long allowed 3rd party access to the same data and (2) the detailed analytics they offer along with the Premium subscription are not directly threatened by the high-level aggregation HealthKit currently offers.
Face it. Apple's Health app and Apple's Watch totally destroy Fitbit on iOS.
In fact, the Apple Watch pays for itself in about 4 years because one does not have to purchase any $50 a year Fitbit membership.
After 4 years, Apple Watch saves you $50 a year in Fitbit membership fees.
What would you rather wear? Apple Watch or Fitbit on your wrist? Obviously the Apple Watch. Fitbit makes you look like a geek. Apple Watch makes you look cool and stylish.
Another benefit of Apple Watch: I no longer have to deal with forgetting to wear the Fit One and finding it went through the clothes washer several times.
How long will the battery on the Apple Watch last before it needs replacing? With daily charging, will it last 4 years or more?
Nice
The comment about the data in the Health app not being editable has other implications. I always take Mr. iPhone with me on a bike ride, and it thinks jiggling around in my back pocket is steps. When I sync my Garmin cyclometer to Strava (because the Garmin Connect app is a POS) it correctly adds my cycling distance to Health, but of course the activity is counted twice.
A simple third party app to edit Health data would solve the issue. Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?
The comment about the data in the Health app not being editable has other implications. I always take Mr. iPhone with me on a bike ride, and it thinks jiggling around in my back pocket is steps. When I sync my Garmin cyclometer to Strava (because the Garmin Connect app is a POS) it correctly adds my cycling distance to Health, but of course the activity is counted twice.
A simple third party app to edit Health data would solve the issue. Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?
The motion data is recorded by the M7/M8 motion processor and passed to the Health app.
Any other apps reading the M7/M8 will still see the bogus steps.
The bogus steps when bike riding need to be stopped/removed from the M7/M8 chip, before they even get to the Health app.