11 ms·

Anybody know a good way to get your data out of fitbit? I've got a year's worth of decent data and it's obviously at risk if google shutter it. Also I don't wan

Anybody know a good way to get your data out of fitbit? I've got a year's worth of decent data and it's obviously at risk if google shutter it. Also I don't want them to have it - so I guess I'm in the market for something independent.

jetrink 7y ago
Fitbit is pretty good about this. I've noticed that some derived values such as resting heart rate are not available for export, but the important stuff all seems to be there. https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export
- flukus 7y ago
  And account deletion is somewhat hidden, it's under settings -> personal info -> delete account (at the bottom). When logging in I noticed there's a consent form the I was auto redirected from. Presumably this is for EU customers only and fitbit don't want to give the rest of the world privacy options. I do feel silly giving them this data in the first place though, it's not enough to trust a company, you have to trust who they will be sold too as well.
beckingz 7y ago
you can download it from fitbit, though the daily activity is structured in a hostile json format.
- diggan 7y ago
  > hostile json format This is new. Is "hostile" referring to a data format that has been created to be as un-portable as possible? Feels like a more accurate description would be to just saw "poorly designed format" as you cannot know their intent (unless they published their intent of course)
  - setr 7y ago
    You can derive/assume intent; it'd be pointless to only claim intent when specifically stated (you can't always assume stated intent isn't actual intent either...).
  - beckingz 7y ago
    Either their storage systems and file formatting philosophy are too sophisticated for me to understand or they're intentionally delivered in a way that requires moderately advanced data processing skills to use.
  - Avamander 7y ago
    Nothing to do with json, if someone wants then data can be always represented in hard to understand formats.
    - beckingz 7y ago
      json is a good file format, but the way that fitbit exports the data is strangely partitioned by file and object depth. Machine readable certainly, but most machines will need a lot of guidance to turn it into a useful dataset.
      - Avamander 7y ago
        Yeah and you could make an XML or a TOML that requires just as much guidance for computers to parse. That was my point.
        ldrndll 7y ago
        I assume their point was that it is both hostile and incidentally uses JSON, not that its hostility results from using JSON.
    - megaremote 7y ago
      No one is attacking json here.
ixf 7y ago
This is the worst thing - they have a pretty good API and sensible terms to use it for personal use at least. Garmin by comparison is an omnishambles - no API unless you're a megacorp.
quickthrower2 7y ago
Wait for Google to do the takeover, then do a Google takeout to get your data.
- lrem 7y ago
  Doesn't help with GP not wanting the data in Google's systems.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
staz 7y ago
Gdpr request maybe?

jetrink 7y ago

Fitbit is pretty good about this. I've noticed that some derived values such as resting heart rate are not available for export, but the important stuff all seems to be there. https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export

flukus 7y ago
And account deletion is somewhat hidden, it's under settings -> personal info -> delete account (at the bottom). When logging in I noticed there's a consent form the I was auto redirected from. Presumably this is for EU customers only and fitbit don't want to give the rest of the world privacy options. I do feel silly giving them this data in the first place though, it's not enough to trust a company, you have to trust who they will be sold too as well.

beckingz 7y ago

you can download it from fitbit, though the daily activity is structured in a hostile json format.

diggan 7y ago
> hostile json format This is new. Is "hostile" referring to a data format that has been created to be as un-portable as possible? Feels like a more accurate description would be to just saw "poorly designed format" as you cannot know their intent (unless they published their intent of course)
- setr 7y ago
  You can derive/assume intent; it'd be pointless to only claim intent when specifically stated (you can't always assume stated intent isn't actual intent either...).
- beckingz 7y ago
  Either their storage systems and file formatting philosophy are too sophisticated for me to understand or they're intentionally delivered in a way that requires moderately advanced data processing skills to use.
- Avamander 7y ago
  Nothing to do with json, if someone wants then data can be always represented in hard to understand formats.
  - beckingz 7y ago
    json is a good file format, but the way that fitbit exports the data is strangely partitioned by file and object depth. Machine readable certainly, but most machines will need a lot of guidance to turn it into a useful dataset.
    - Avamander 7y ago
      Yeah and you could make an XML or a TOML that requires just as much guidance for computers to parse. That was my point.
      - ldrndll 7y ago
        I assume their point was that it is both hostile and incidentally uses JSON, not that its hostility results from using JSON.
  - megaremote 7y ago
    No one is attacking json here.

ixf 7y ago

This is the worst thing - they have a pretty good API and sensible terms to use it for personal use at least. Garmin by comparison is an omnishambles - no API unless you're a megacorp.

quickthrower2 7y ago

Wait for Google to do the takeover, then do a Google takeout to get your data.

lrem 7y ago
Doesn't help with GP not wanting the data in Google's systems.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

staz 7y ago

Gdpr request maybe?