How to make the most of Apple's HealthKit in iOS 8 with compatible apps and accessories
After a rocky start, Apple's built-in Health app now integrates with numerous activity tracking services and hardware to bring all your fitness data into one place. Here's a primer on how to best take advantage of the new wellness platform.
Before Apple's HealthKit debuted in iOS 8, users had to manage their fitness data across multiple apps, Web tools and third-party cloud services. Some platforms, like Fitbit, tried to incorporate calorie counting and activity tracking into one universal solution, but the result was often fragmented and worked mainly with that company's hardware.
With HealthKit and the corresponding Health app, users can track nutrition, activity, calories burned and even take biometric readings through different apps and see it all in one place.
Here are the best new or updated apps and accessories that integrate with HealthKit, including fitness bands, exercise equipment, scales and more.
Recently updated for HealthKit, the free Health Mate app from WiThings can track your steps and log stats like weight using the iPhone's M7 and M8 motion coprocessors. Where WiThings really shines is the integrated hardware accessories (sold separately) that can track unique data without user intervention.
Using the $99 Withings Smart Scale or $150 Body Analyzer, you can send your weight, BMI and other stats to the Health Mate app automatically. Other WiThings products can measure blood pressure or sleep and integrate with third party services like IFTTT.com.
The Health Mate app is a free 65.6MB download from the iOS App Store.
If users are wanting to track nutrition and calories, the free MyFitness Pal app is a great choice. MyFitness Pal incorporates a large food database that can automatically fill nutrition information just by scanning a package's barcode.
Keep favorite foods, add entire meals and have all your data synced to the web and Health app. Activity added to HealthKit from others app can also be imported to the MyFitness Pal app and will automatically adjust your daily calorie goal.
Users can also create an unlimited number of custom foods from personal recipes and remember them for later use, as well as set weight goals, measurement goals and even connect with friends for motivation.
The free MyFitness Pal app weighs in at 43MB.
One of the most popular fitness tracking band lines on the market, Jawbone's UP series boasts a number of tools to keep users healthy. The UP app was recently updated to integrate with HealthKit to track activity and add a sleep tracker capable of sending your data to the Health app. The software also provides personal coaching tips to achieve your personal fitness goals.
Food and drink logging will also carryover through HealthKit and the UP 24 fitness band offers unique features such as a vibrating alarm, customizable vibrating reminders, idle alerts and more.
Jawbone recently added a few devices to its product line, including a new flagship model called the UP3 that incorporates bio-impedance sensors for respiration and heart rate logging. A more basic clip-on version called the UP Move measures steps, calories burned and includes a sleep tracker for $99.
The UP by Jawbone app is available for free from the App Store.
Another popular line of activity trackers come from Fitbit. Unfortunately, Fitbit has refused to natively incorporate HealthKit into its app. Instead, a third-party developer has created an unofficial app called Sync Solver for Fitbit that will read the data from your online Fitbit account and send it to HealthKit.
This app is not authorized by Fitbit and there's no telling if Fitbit will continue to allow access through it's online portal for this app. For now though, Fitbit users can sync their calories, weight, activity and more to HealthKit using this app. Available for $0.99 from the iOS App Store.
The Bowflex line of exercise equipment made by Nautilus has added HealthKit support for its app that will allow users to see workout stats in Apple's Health app. Information such as workout duration, heart rate, calories burned and distance traveled are recorded.
Right now the HealthKit integration is available for Bowflex Max Trainer models and Nautilus claims the 616 Cardio product lines will be updated soon. Bowflex Max Trainer starts at $999 and features 14-minute workout intervals with high calorie-burning exercises.
Unlike many other fitness apps that track nutrition and activity, BACtrack integrates with a mobile breathalyzer that can measure your blood-alcohol content and send the stats to your iPhone. While the app is free, the mobile breathalyzer is currently on sale for $99, while a more portable keychain-sized version called the Vio can be had for $49.99 from Amazon.com.
With HealthKit integration, users can track their daily, weekly and monthly alcohol intake at glance in the Health app. BACtrack is the first app to integrate blood alcohol content measurements with HealthKit to help users see correlations between alcohol intake and overall health and exercise.
BACtrack is a free 25.6MB download from the App Store.
With numerous accessories and one of the most mature platforms for fitness, the free Nike+ Running app can send your distance traveled, calories burned, run duration and more to HealthKit. Some Nike accessories like the GPS Sportswatch is capable of sending activity stats through the Nike+ app as well, though users can tap into their iPhone's GPS radio via the free app.
Interestingly, one of Nike's premier wellness products, the Fuelband, does not integrate with Apple HealthKit. Nike Fuelband tracks users' activity through proprietary "Fuel Points" rather than actual steps, thus distance and cannot be synced to Apple Health.
Nike+ Running is a free 46.2MB download from the iOS App Store.
Before Apple's HealthKit debuted in iOS 8, users had to manage their fitness data across multiple apps, Web tools and third-party cloud services. Some platforms, like Fitbit, tried to incorporate calorie counting and activity tracking into one universal solution, but the result was often fragmented and worked mainly with that company's hardware.
With HealthKit and the corresponding Health app, users can track nutrition, activity, calories burned and even take biometric readings through different apps and see it all in one place.
Here are the best new or updated apps and accessories that integrate with HealthKit, including fitness bands, exercise equipment, scales and more.
Health Mate from WiThings
Recently updated for HealthKit, the free Health Mate app from WiThings can track your steps and log stats like weight using the iPhone's M7 and M8 motion coprocessors. Where WiThings really shines is the integrated hardware accessories (sold separately) that can track unique data without user intervention.
Using the $99 Withings Smart Scale or $150 Body Analyzer, you can send your weight, BMI and other stats to the Health Mate app automatically. Other WiThings products can measure blood pressure or sleep and integrate with third party services like IFTTT.com.
The Health Mate app is a free 65.6MB download from the iOS App Store.
MyFitness Pal
If users are wanting to track nutrition and calories, the free MyFitness Pal app is a great choice. MyFitness Pal incorporates a large food database that can automatically fill nutrition information just by scanning a package's barcode.
Keep favorite foods, add entire meals and have all your data synced to the web and Health app. Activity added to HealthKit from others app can also be imported to the MyFitness Pal app and will automatically adjust your daily calorie goal.
Users can also create an unlimited number of custom foods from personal recipes and remember them for later use, as well as set weight goals, measurement goals and even connect with friends for motivation.
The free MyFitness Pal app weighs in at 43MB.
Up by Jawbone
One of the most popular fitness tracking band lines on the market, Jawbone's UP series boasts a number of tools to keep users healthy. The UP app was recently updated to integrate with HealthKit to track activity and add a sleep tracker capable of sending your data to the Health app. The software also provides personal coaching tips to achieve your personal fitness goals.
Food and drink logging will also carryover through HealthKit and the UP 24 fitness band offers unique features such as a vibrating alarm, customizable vibrating reminders, idle alerts and more.
Jawbone recently added a few devices to its product line, including a new flagship model called the UP3 that incorporates bio-impedance sensors for respiration and heart rate logging. A more basic clip-on version called the UP Move measures steps, calories burned and includes a sleep tracker for $99.
The UP by Jawbone app is available for free from the App Store.
Sync Solver for Fitbit
Another popular line of activity trackers come from Fitbit. Unfortunately, Fitbit has refused to natively incorporate HealthKit into its app. Instead, a third-party developer has created an unofficial app called Sync Solver for Fitbit that will read the data from your online Fitbit account and send it to HealthKit.
This app is not authorized by Fitbit and there's no telling if Fitbit will continue to allow access through it's online portal for this app. For now though, Fitbit users can sync their calories, weight, activity and more to HealthKit using this app. Available for $0.99 from the iOS App Store.
Bowflex MAX
The Bowflex line of exercise equipment made by Nautilus has added HealthKit support for its app that will allow users to see workout stats in Apple's Health app. Information such as workout duration, heart rate, calories burned and distance traveled are recorded.
Right now the HealthKit integration is available for Bowflex Max Trainer models and Nautilus claims the 616 Cardio product lines will be updated soon. Bowflex Max Trainer starts at $999 and features 14-minute workout intervals with high calorie-burning exercises.
BACtrack
Unlike many other fitness apps that track nutrition and activity, BACtrack integrates with a mobile breathalyzer that can measure your blood-alcohol content and send the stats to your iPhone. While the app is free, the mobile breathalyzer is currently on sale for $99, while a more portable keychain-sized version called the Vio can be had for $49.99 from Amazon.com.
With HealthKit integration, users can track their daily, weekly and monthly alcohol intake at glance in the Health app. BACtrack is the first app to integrate blood alcohol content measurements with HealthKit to help users see correlations between alcohol intake and overall health and exercise.
BACtrack is a free 25.6MB download from the App Store.
Nike+
With numerous accessories and one of the most mature platforms for fitness, the free Nike+ Running app can send your distance traveled, calories burned, run duration and more to HealthKit. Some Nike accessories like the GPS Sportswatch is capable of sending activity stats through the Nike+ app as well, though users can tap into their iPhone's GPS radio via the free app.
Interestingly, one of Nike's premier wellness products, the Fuelband, does not integrate with Apple HealthKit. Nike Fuelband tracks users' activity through proprietary "Fuel Points" rather than actual steps, thus distance and cannot be synced to Apple Health.
Nike+ Running is a free 46.2MB download from the iOS App Store.
Comments
Before Apple's HealthKit debuted in iOS 8, users had to manage their fitness data across multiple apps, Web tools and third-party cloud services. Some platforms, like Fitbit, tried to incorporate calorie counting and activity tracking into one universal solution, but the result was often fragmented and worked mainly with that company's hardware.
Then how have I been using Fitbit app to track calories and activities since April with no Fitbit hardware?
I must be holding it wrong...
/s
In my dictionary, "track" is a four-letter word.
Maybe I'm missing some control or setting, but the healthkit app and phone, by themselves,
do an abysmal job of counting strides and measuring distance walked.
I wonder if it's different with other hardware or apps added.
No doubt, in a few years' time, you'll be able to export the data, if you've lived long enough.
I'm looking at the Jawbone UP3. Only $150 and has great features, like heart rate monitor and is waterproof since I do a lot of swimming. Can anyone recommend the Jawbone products?
[URL=http://lark.com/?referer=appleinsider1]http://lark.com[/URL]
Seriously?! It's fucking November 2014!
From what I understand, you have to have the iPhone with you at all times to use any of the motion, gps, Internet, or wifi uses.
Fucking shit man **** dude
Sorry.. My Tourette's.
That's not accurate, nor is your "you have to have your iPhone with you at all times to use [?Watch]" comment. I thought Apple was very clear as to what HW ?Watch doesn't have (GPS and Cellular) as well as how it can be used without an iPhone present.
Well since this is a fitness and health related post, those were the features I was referring too. Sorry for not making that more clear.
I agree. I walked around Disney World all week with the iPhone and a fit bit in my pocket. The Fitbit reported many more steps than the iPhone. I'd like to believe the fit bit.
That doesn't make it useless because there is no GPS or cellular chip and their requisite antennas. It might not be the best use case for your needs but I'm sure there are plenty of people that just want their steps, pulse rate, calories and pace recorded, as well be able to play music on a run without carrying their iPhone.
@Rob Bonner
Just the opposite for me. I use an old pedometer, which, while "underfeatured" (to say the least), is at least reliably accurate.
When I first got my iPhone 6, I carried them both, and in about 5 miles, my phone thought I took about 38% more steps,
and it apparently thinks my strides are each about 25% longer than they are. No way to "set" stride length that I could find...is it
using some GPS sort of method for distance? My ignorance probably seems idiotic to those well-versed in fitness tracking.
In any case, I still have to carry both.
Would someone please tell me what the point of getting an iWatch is, if you have to have your iPhone with you at all times to use it, and your iPhone already tracks your activity and does almost everything the watch does except have a built in heartbeat sensor. To me, it's just a $400+ heart rate monitor.
You pretty much nailed it. Without your iPhone, it won't do much. You need to recharge it daily, or it won't work when the battery is dead. I don't need to answer a phone call on my watch, I would rather have a private conversation. I don't track my fitness, and I have never seen anyone wear a FitBit band either. I already exercise regularly, so I don't need to track what I do. I will never use the Health app on the iPhone. I also prefer to use my Harmony remote to control my home theater, not my watch.
Will Apple sell millions of them, probably. Will the fanatics hate your comment, yes, it would seem so, but they cannot give a valid reason why they need an Apple Watch when they already have an iPhone that does more than the watch. Exercise and fitness fanatics will probably buy it, but they still need to have their iPhone with them to make it work. The cell phone market was already well established when Apple entered that space, but not true with the smart watch. That space has been a failure so far with the current offerings, so I am sure there will be many that take the "wait and see" approach to see what happens before throwing down $350+ for a watch they may not need.
That doesn't make it useless because there is no GPS or cellular chip and their requisite antennas. It might not be the best use case for your needs but I'm sure there are plenty of people that just want their steps, pulse rate, calories and pace recorded, as well be able to play music on a run without carrying their iPhone.
Most people like that will track their data using another, far less expensive, fitness device. They won't spend $350+ to track their steps, etc. Most people exercising use an iPod Shuffle to listen to music, not an iPhone.
Watch the keynote again. Cook specifically says, "Apple Watch requires an iPhone". They never explained what the Apple Watch could do, or could not do, without a link to the iPhone.
You pretty much nailed it. Without your iPhone, it won't do much. You need to recharge it daily, or it won't work when the battery is dead. I don't need to answer a phone call on my watch, I would rather have a private conversation. I don't track my fitness, and I have never seen anyone wear a FitBit band either. I already exercise regularly, so I don't need to track what I do. I will never use the Health app on the iPhone. I also prefer to use my Harmony remote to control my home theater, not my watch.
Will Apple sell millions of them, probably. Will the fanatics hate your comment, yes, it would seem so, but they cannot give a valid reason why they need an Apple Watch when they already have an iPhone that does more than the watch. Exercise and fitness fanatics will probably buy it, but they still need to have their iPhone with them to make it work. The cell phone market was already well established when Apple entered that space, but not true with the smart watch. That space has been a failure so far with the current offerings, so I am sure there will be many that take the "wait and see" approach to see what happens before throwing down $350+ for a watch they may not need.
I'm a fitness fanatic and I see the Jawbone UP3 at $150 as a far better investment. From what I've read the Apple Watch sport isn't even waterproof, what good is it for athletes then? I'm a triathlete and a swimmer. I suppose there will be water proof cases for the watch, with an additional $50+ dent to your wallet.
Yes, I'm sure a lot of people will buy it just to have it with no real need or use for it. But I'm a more discerning customer, and I will be passing on the watch. If it had it's own abilities without have to have the phone and it was waterproof, I would probably give it a second chance.
My new 5s is an excellent product and does everything the Watch does, except check your heart rate. It is a great investment for fitness activity and is far more versatile.
The watch is total fashion, minimal utility.
God I miss Steve.