5 ms·

Just installed the phone app. Less a "comprehensive view", and more of a pedometer with graphs. You can manually add activities but the only options are: Walk

by parfe 12y ago

Just installed the phone app. Less a "comprehensive view", and more of a pedometer with graphs. You can manually add activities but the only options are: Walking, Running, Biking, Other. And even then, you can only record duration. I suppose there is hidden integration with the wearables, but why can't I manually input the data? If I can't record squats, then what's the point?

kyriakos 12y ago
And judging from the reviews on Play Store its not a very accurate pedometer either. It seems more like a clone of Moves.
Fogest 12y ago
It is meant to aggregate data from other fitness apps. They just need to integrate with Google Fit
- parfe 12y ago
  >"No need to check one app to see your weight and another to review a run" Except the blog post doesn't allude to anything more than what's already present. I can already input weight and run time and it looks like it tracks heartbeat. Maybe the phone app has problems loading widgets with the webservice currently being flakey.
  - antoncohen 12y ago
    > "You can also connect your favorite fitness devices and apps like Strava, Withings, Runtastic, Runkeeper and Noom Coach to Google Fit and we’ll surface all of the relevant data in one spot, giving you a clear and complete view of your fitness. No need to check one app to see your weight and another to review a run – with Google Fit, that data will all be surfaced in one, simple place."
    - parfe 12y ago
      Yes, I clearly read that line as I pulled a quote directly from it. If you read the quote they don't expand beyond what is already available in the app. If I track a 2 mile 20 minute run with another app, Google Fit (so far) only exposes the data as "Ran 20 minutes" completely eliminating the useful information. And if they have a hidden feature that does track distance as well, why isn't that exposed to me to manually enter?
      - dragonwriter 12y ago
        The backend platform doesn't seem to have a standard data type for distance (but can track both time and average speed, which, if the other app recorded them, presumably the app, or another front-end for the Fit backend, could surface as distance.) [1] [1] https://developers.google.com/fit/android/data-types https://developers.google.com/fit/android/data-types or https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/data-types https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/data-types
        ejain 12y ago
        Yes, there is com.google.distance.delta, the "distance covered since the last reading" (in meters). The platform also has a built-in stream of consolidated and cleaned up distance data points (without jumps due to a poor GPS signal etc).
Numberwang 12y ago
Such a let down. I was hoping they would do something I could use. There are surprisingly few, if any at all sites/apps fulfilling my very modest basic criteria. -weight log -calorie log -gym and cardio progress log and plan -not using Liberian units of measurements. GDoc spreadsheet still seems like the best option. -- Don't they do any market research at all at Google? No one interested in tracking anything will find this useful. Even the people only using a pedometers won't use it. This is a horrible interface getting that one number tracked that they are interested in. Now I'm upset. So much money to spend and one lackluster product after another.
- monksy 12y ago
  Jetfit does that, and breaks down the workout into exercises. I would use that but they don't integrate with Witherings scale.
  - edraferi 12y ago
    Jetfit is the only app I've found that tracks weightlifting well.
mirsadm 12y ago
I think anyone that is even a little bit serious about their particular exercise/activity will not use this. I cycle and run. I record everything in Strava. Most of my friends do too. I can't really see a reason to use this. Counting steps does not seem to be very useful.
- saym 12y ago
  Strava is pretty awesome. I'm contemplating premium but probably won't splurge until I have a mount for my phone and/or a heart rate monitor. I do wish I could hide segments though, it's annoying how everyone makes their favorite 0.2 miles their own sprint.
- richbradshaw 12y ago
  The data from Strava will sync into Google Fit (if you want), then if you wanted to switch to a new app in the future, it could bring in your existing data from Google Fit. Essentially this can act as an external datastore for those apps, rather than your data being locked into Strava's infrastructure. It's hard to think of this as useful with Strava as it's so damn good, but there are many other apps for other activities that are not as nice to use, but users are locked into them as losing all your data means starting with a new app is frustrating.
dragonwriter 12y ago
> If I can't record squats, then what's the point? The point is to be one front end to "[a]n open platform that lets users control their fitness data" and "lets developers build smarter apps and manufacturers focus on creating amazing devices." [1] > You can manually add activities but the only options are: Walking, Running, Biking, Other. The backend is aware of more activity types [2], so I suspect its either getting the right UX for that is the issue, or that developing the what to do with other activities to make the data meaningful that is holding back putting more into the app UI. [1] https://developers.google.com/fit/ https://developers.google.com/fit/ -- the page that, for me, comes up as the first web (not news) result for a Google search for "Google Fit". [2] https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/reference/activity-types https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/reference/activity...
- ams6110 12y ago
  lets developers build smarter apps and manufacturers focus on creating amazing devices They don't seem to have mentioned "and lets us sell all the data to the highest bidder"
  - DevKoala 12y ago
    I don't understand why you are getting downvoted. There was some obvious snark in your comment, but I am also not clear on how else Google could monetize this product unless it is through the use of the collected data?
    - nevi-me 12y ago
      Why should every small component be monetised? Google has an interest in Android, and if they felt that Android needed something like this, then the continued revenue from people using Android services benefit them because most of those people would use the 'greater' Google services, not just Fit. Does it mean that when Google created Keep, they were looking for a way of making money off our notes and to-do lists?
      - 12y ago
readme 12y ago
The same point as all Google products, which is to mine your data. They get more accurate data if you aren't allowed to input it.

by parfe 12y ago

kyriakos 12y ago

And judging from the reviews on Play Store its not a very accurate pedometer either. It seems more like a clone of Moves.

Fogest 12y ago

It is meant to aggregate data from other fitness apps. They just need to integrate with Google Fit

parfe 12y ago
>"No need to check one app to see your weight and another to review a run" Except the blog post doesn't allude to anything more than what's already present. I can already input weight and run time and it looks like it tracks heartbeat. Maybe the phone app has problems loading widgets with the webservice currently being flakey.
- antoncohen 12y ago
  > "You can also connect your favorite fitness devices and apps like Strava, Withings, Runtastic, Runkeeper and Noom Coach to Google Fit and we’ll surface all of the relevant data in one spot, giving you a clear and complete view of your fitness. No need to check one app to see your weight and another to review a run – with Google Fit, that data will all be surfaced in one, simple place."
  - parfe 12y ago
    Yes, I clearly read that line as I pulled a quote directly from it. If you read the quote they don't expand beyond what is already available in the app. If I track a 2 mile 20 minute run with another app, Google Fit (so far) only exposes the data as "Ran 20 minutes" completely eliminating the useful information. And if they have a hidden feature that does track distance as well, why isn't that exposed to me to manually enter?
    - dragonwriter 12y ago
      The backend platform doesn't seem to have a standard data type for distance (but can track both time and average speed, which, if the other app recorded them, presumably the app, or another front-end for the Fit backend, could surface as distance.) [1] [1] https://developers.google.com/fit/android/data-types https://developers.google.com/fit/android/data-types or https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/data-types https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/data-types
      - ejain 12y ago
        Yes, there is com.google.distance.delta, the "distance covered since the last reading" (in meters). The platform also has a built-in stream of consolidated and cleaned up distance data points (without jumps due to a poor GPS signal etc).

Numberwang 12y ago

Such a let down. I was hoping they would do something I could use. There are surprisingly few, if any at all sites/apps fulfilling my very modest basic criteria. -weight log -calorie log -gym and cardio progress log and plan -not using Liberian units of measurements. GDoc spreadsheet still seems like the best option. -- Don't they do any market research at all at Google? No one interested in tracking anything will find this useful. Even the people only using a pedometers won't use it. This is a horrible interface getting that one number tracked that they are interested in. Now I'm upset. So much money to spend and one lackluster product after another.

monksy 12y ago
Jetfit does that, and breaks down the workout into exercises. I would use that but they don't integrate with Witherings scale.
- edraferi 12y ago
  Jetfit is the only app I've found that tracks weightlifting well.

mirsadm 12y ago

I think anyone that is even a little bit serious about their particular exercise/activity will not use this. I cycle and run. I record everything in Strava. Most of my friends do too. I can't really see a reason to use this. Counting steps does not seem to be very useful.

saym 12y ago
Strava is pretty awesome. I'm contemplating premium but probably won't splurge until I have a mount for my phone and/or a heart rate monitor. I do wish I could hide segments though, it's annoying how everyone makes their favorite 0.2 miles their own sprint.
richbradshaw 12y ago
The data from Strava will sync into Google Fit (if you want), then if you wanted to switch to a new app in the future, it could bring in your existing data from Google Fit. Essentially this can act as an external datastore for those apps, rather than your data being locked into Strava's infrastructure. It's hard to think of this as useful with Strava as it's so damn good, but there are many other apps for other activities that are not as nice to use, but users are locked into them as losing all your data means starting with a new app is frustrating.

dragonwriter 12y ago

> If I can't record squats, then what's the point? The point is to be one front end to "[a]n open platform that lets users control their fitness data" and "lets developers build smarter apps and manufacturers focus on creating amazing devices." [1] > You can manually add activities but the only options are: Walking, Running, Biking, Other. The backend is aware of more activity types [2], so I suspect its either getting the right UX for that is the issue, or that developing the what to do with other activities to make the data meaningful that is holding back putting more into the app UI. [1] https://developers.google.com/fit/ https://developers.google.com/fit/ -- the page that, for me, comes up as the first web (not news) result for a Google search for "Google Fit". [2] https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/reference/activity-types https://developers.google.com/fit/rest/v1/reference/activity...

ams6110 12y ago
lets developers build smarter apps and manufacturers focus on creating amazing devices They don't seem to have mentioned "and lets us sell all the data to the highest bidder"
- DevKoala 12y ago
  I don't understand why you are getting downvoted. There was some obvious snark in your comment, but I am also not clear on how else Google could monetize this product unless it is through the use of the collected data?
  - nevi-me 12y ago
    Why should every small component be monetised? Google has an interest in Android, and if they felt that Android needed something like this, then the continued revenue from people using Android services benefit them because most of those people would use the 'greater' Google services, not just Fit. Does it mean that when Google created Keep, they were looking for a way of making money off our notes and to-do lists?
    - 12y ago

readme 12y ago

The same point as all Google products, which is to mine your data. They get more accurate data if you aren't allowed to input it.