5 ms·

I used to be pretty on the FitBit train, but I don't think that I'm in their camp any more. Refusing to integrate with Healthkit, purposefully building their ch

by epmatsw 11y ago

I used to be pretty on the FitBit train, but I don't think that I'm in their camp any more. Refusing to integrate with Healthkit, purposefully building their challenges feature to reject data input through their APIs, and charging for access to raw data are enough to ensure that I'll never buy one of their products again. Kind of a shame, their hardware, dashboard, and app are all pretty great :(

coryl 11y ago
Isn't Apple also rejecting apps that integrate with "competing devices"?
- RKearney 11y ago
  No, that is simply not true.
  - djloche 11y ago
    They are, and it's been their policy to do so since Day 1, but they haven't enforced it widely. edit: Clearer: Apps that work with other watch platforms are now in conflict with Apple's policy of not mentioning a competing platform, because now Apple has a watch platform. It makes sense from an Android-iOS sense, because the systems aren't compatible, so no real need to mention it. But if the entire purpose of your app is to connect an iPhone to a watch, your option is the App Store. What will the developers put in the description? "This is an app that connects your iPhone to...well, Apple won't let us tell you! Check out our website to learn more about our app." Apple should update their policies and implementation of such to specify this as "mobile phone platforms".
    - lotso 11y ago
      No, their policy is to reject apps that have an app store description mentioning competing platforms.
      - detaro 11y ago
        So you can integrate with other devices, as long as you don't tell your customers in your primary sales channel about it...
    - clarky07 11y ago
      Apple quickly reversed that rejection, and stated that it wasn't their policy in regards to Pebble.
jbrooksuk 11y ago
That's exactly why I stopped using mine. My iPhone tracks everything else really well and integrates with a fair few devices. FitBit refusing to do this means my data isn't where I want it. It's within their app and I can't get it back.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- click170 11y ago
  Dito on stopped using my fitbit. And now I readily share my experience with friends and family who are usually quite surprised at how it holds your data hostage, and they're just as bothered as I am when I point out that the device is a one time purchase but the servers it reports back to require ongoing payments. All I have to do is point out that Fitbit has their health data, and that of millions of other people, and they have a need to make money. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that your data is not safe with them.
  - bapbap 11y ago
    I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding but I don't think they charge to export your data any longer. I remember they did (I refused to pay) but I recently purchased a Charge HR and found I can export everything, going back to when I had a Flex in CSV or XLS.
jelder 11y ago
Completely agree. They are fighting a losing battle against multipurpose devices, and about computing in general getting smaller, cheaper, and more mobile.
- misteredison12 11y ago
  This. The only way I see FitBit surviving is through acquisition by a company wanting to get into the space. Failing that, FitBit = Blackberry.
choppaface 11y ago
Their customer service is pretty horrible, too. My Aria scale just would not connect to wifi. CS sent me the same troubleshooting info as listed on their site 3 times and then offered a replacement but refused to pay for shipping. In comparison, I had a MIO Fuse, which broke, and their CS not only mailed me a pre-paid label but even got me in direct email contact with one of their PMs to try to troubleshoot the issue. It also took Fitbit over a quarter to launch Strava integration after announcing it, yet that feature is probably a couple days (max) of coding. The Mods in the discussion forms kept sandbagging, claiming the feature was extremely complex. The initial step counter was a hit product with a specific niche. My impression is they've really struggled to keep up with growth and innovation in the field, and this IPO is very much an attempt at an exit of sorts.
- frio 11y ago
  That's a pity. I've had the opposite experience with FitBit's support, including free shipping of replacement bits to New Zealand. I was somewhat blown away by the quality of their support. With that said, I've become less happy with their hardware over time. My One frequently resets its clock and thus miscounts steps; my Aria downgrades my network to 802.11b (but that might be fixed by getting a better router?).
- click170 11y ago
  I also question the quality of the software on their devices. I had to return my first fitbit scale because my firewall blocked the first outbound request that the scale made (it was a new unidentified device on the network), which caused the scale to brick itself. If the first registration request fails it does not appear to retry. Taking out the batteries had no effect. I was stunned they hadn't caught this in product testing. Not that the first request could get blocked by an anal firewall but that a sporadic internet connection doesn't cause the device to brick.
- icefox 11y ago
  I also have an Aria scale and the whole reason I bought it is the fact that I don't want to have to bother writing down the date+weight on a piece of paper in the morning (trust me I seem to fail at this basic task at 6am having tried for years). To my horror I discovered that they only save a few months (three?). Given the amount of data the device is reporting I was expecting them to effectively store all data forever. Buyer beware. Edit: to clarify when you go to fitbit's website and you go to the device's settings it shows you all of the measurements and lets you delete some. If it has been extracted to a fitbit account then it is "saved" (testing exporting my fitbit account it does have my old weights), but for example all of the measurements of our cat+me which did not have a fitbit account were auto deleted after some time period. I wonder if you don't log into your fitbit account in less than 90 days if you would also start losing your weight history or something similar :\ Either way deleting weight data on a product whos sole purpose is keeping track of data for you is sad.
JoshTriplett 11y ago
You forgot "revealing their customers private information": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitbit#Privacy_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitbit#Privacy_concerns
guelo 11y ago
If it was my business I'd be scared shitless about relinquishing control of my data to arrogant, secretive, bullying Apple.
bradgessler 11y ago
It's really easy as an engineer to feel bearish about FitBit because of how shitty their acting from our viewpoint, but to people outside our community FitBit makes a statement "I care about my fitness and well-being", works on Android and iOS, has an app that's more actionable than Apple's Health app ("get off your butt and get 2000 more steps in" vs "you have 8000 steps today"), and has several price points below the $349 Apple Watch. I too thought Fitbit was screwed when Apple announced its watch, but after seeing the prices and Apple's eye towards high-end consumers in this market, I wouldn't underestimate Fitbit as a business.
- Nelson69 11y ago
  There is something to be said about focus. I have a surge that I was given. I also have some high end training devices I use on the bike, Polar, Suunto and Garmin. Fitbit doesn't compete with these, neither does apple watch (at least not yet.) The fitbit is easy to use, I do find myself looking at the numbers on and off during the day, maybe walking a bit more. I'm curious about the aria integration, that seems like another killer piece of the weight loss and basic fitness equation. The geek in me would love to be able to pull my fitbit data in to Rubitrack or something else, at the same time, it's really not that kind of data. It seems like it adds data to all the places where I didn't keep it before, for good or bad. Not sure how that helps me out exactly (I put a couple hundred miles on a bike every week) but if you're trying to lose weight or just get started with some basic fitness, I could easily see it being really valuable. They have a social integration component, I might be too old or a different kind of bird but a badge for climbing flights of stairs doesn't do it for me like a top 10 in a bike race, the younger set seem to enjoy that stuff. Seems like a really immature industry as a whole. And FWIW, Apple builds killer laptops but Dell and the others still make them too. Apple builds a great phone but there are still dozens of competitors in the market and some of them are very compelling. Apple Watch seems like a market maker more than a market killer. It is proof that the wrist watch is interesting again, I don't think they're going to put all the other watch makers out of business any time soon. I don't know. We have a weight problem as a country, anything that helps people get out and move more and gives them some motivation and keeps them honest about it seems good to me. I wish them good luck.
imaginenore 11y ago
LOL. Complaints about the lack of integration and extra charges from an Apple fan.
lxcid 11y ago
Yep! Exactly why I stop using them and will not consider them at all. It's a crowded market and they are not standing out.

by epmatsw 11y ago

coryl 11y ago

Isn't Apple also rejecting apps that integrate with "competing devices"?

RKearney 11y ago
No, that is simply not true.
- djloche 11y ago
  They are, and it's been their policy to do so since Day 1, but they haven't enforced it widely. edit: Clearer: Apps that work with other watch platforms are now in conflict with Apple's policy of not mentioning a competing platform, because now Apple has a watch platform. It makes sense from an Android-iOS sense, because the systems aren't compatible, so no real need to mention it. But if the entire purpose of your app is to connect an iPhone to a watch, your option is the App Store. What will the developers put in the description? "This is an app that connects your iPhone to...well, Apple won't let us tell you! Check out our website to learn more about our app." Apple should update their policies and implementation of such to specify this as "mobile phone platforms".
  - lotso 11y ago
    No, their policy is to reject apps that have an app store description mentioning competing platforms.
    - detaro 11y ago
      So you can integrate with other devices, as long as you don't tell your customers in your primary sales channel about it...
  - clarky07 11y ago
    Apple quickly reversed that rejection, and stated that it wasn't their policy in regards to Pebble.

jbrooksuk 11y ago

That's exactly why I stopped using mine. My iPhone tracks everything else really well and integrates with a fair few devices. FitBit refusing to do this means my data isn't where I want it. It's within their app and I can't get it back.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
click170 11y ago
Dito on stopped using my fitbit. And now I readily share my experience with friends and family who are usually quite surprised at how it holds your data hostage, and they're just as bothered as I am when I point out that the device is a one time purchase but the servers it reports back to require ongoing payments. All I have to do is point out that Fitbit has their health data, and that of millions of other people, and they have a need to make money. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that your data is not safe with them.
- bapbap 11y ago
  I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding but I don't think they charge to export your data any longer. I remember they did (I refused to pay) but I recently purchased a Charge HR and found I can export everything, going back to when I had a Flex in CSV or XLS.

jelder 11y ago

Completely agree. They are fighting a losing battle against multipurpose devices, and about computing in general getting smaller, cheaper, and more mobile.

misteredison12 11y ago
This. The only way I see FitBit surviving is through acquisition by a company wanting to get into the space. Failing that, FitBit = Blackberry.

choppaface 11y ago

Their customer service is pretty horrible, too. My Aria scale just would not connect to wifi. CS sent me the same troubleshooting info as listed on their site 3 times and then offered a replacement but refused to pay for shipping. In comparison, I had a MIO Fuse, which broke, and their CS not only mailed me a pre-paid label but even got me in direct email contact with one of their PMs to try to troubleshoot the issue. It also took Fitbit over a quarter to launch Strava integration after announcing it, yet that feature is probably a couple days (max) of coding. The Mods in the discussion forms kept sandbagging, claiming the feature was extremely complex. The initial step counter was a hit product with a specific niche. My impression is they've really struggled to keep up with growth and innovation in the field, and this IPO is very much an attempt at an exit of sorts.

frio 11y ago
That's a pity. I've had the opposite experience with FitBit's support, including free shipping of replacement bits to New Zealand. I was somewhat blown away by the quality of their support. With that said, I've become less happy with their hardware over time. My One frequently resets its clock and thus miscounts steps; my Aria downgrades my network to 802.11b (but that might be fixed by getting a better router?).
click170 11y ago
I also question the quality of the software on their devices. I had to return my first fitbit scale because my firewall blocked the first outbound request that the scale made (it was a new unidentified device on the network), which caused the scale to brick itself. If the first registration request fails it does not appear to retry. Taking out the batteries had no effect. I was stunned they hadn't caught this in product testing. Not that the first request could get blocked by an anal firewall but that a sporadic internet connection doesn't cause the device to brick.
icefox 11y ago
I also have an Aria scale and the whole reason I bought it is the fact that I don't want to have to bother writing down the date+weight on a piece of paper in the morning (trust me I seem to fail at this basic task at 6am having tried for years). To my horror I discovered that they only save a few months (three?). Given the amount of data the device is reporting I was expecting them to effectively store all data forever. Buyer beware. Edit: to clarify when you go to fitbit's website and you go to the device's settings it shows you all of the measurements and lets you delete some. If it has been extracted to a fitbit account then it is "saved" (testing exporting my fitbit account it does have my old weights), but for example all of the measurements of our cat+me which did not have a fitbit account were auto deleted after some time period. I wonder if you don't log into your fitbit account in less than 90 days if you would also start losing your weight history or something similar :\ Either way deleting weight data on a product whos sole purpose is keeping track of data for you is sad.

JoshTriplett 11y ago

You forgot "revealing their customers private information": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitbit#Privacy_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitbit#Privacy_concerns

guelo 11y ago

If it was my business I'd be scared shitless about relinquishing control of my data to arrogant, secretive, bullying Apple.

bradgessler 11y ago

It's really easy as an engineer to feel bearish about FitBit because of how shitty their acting from our viewpoint, but to people outside our community FitBit makes a statement "I care about my fitness and well-being", works on Android and iOS, has an app that's more actionable than Apple's Health app ("get off your butt and get 2000 more steps in" vs "you have 8000 steps today"), and has several price points below the $349 Apple Watch. I too thought Fitbit was screwed when Apple announced its watch, but after seeing the prices and Apple's eye towards high-end consumers in this market, I wouldn't underestimate Fitbit as a business.

Nelson69 11y ago
There is something to be said about focus. I have a surge that I was given. I also have some high end training devices I use on the bike, Polar, Suunto and Garmin. Fitbit doesn't compete with these, neither does apple watch (at least not yet.) The fitbit is easy to use, I do find myself looking at the numbers on and off during the day, maybe walking a bit more. I'm curious about the aria integration, that seems like another killer piece of the weight loss and basic fitness equation. The geek in me would love to be able to pull my fitbit data in to Rubitrack or something else, at the same time, it's really not that kind of data. It seems like it adds data to all the places where I didn't keep it before, for good or bad. Not sure how that helps me out exactly (I put a couple hundred miles on a bike every week) but if you're trying to lose weight or just get started with some basic fitness, I could easily see it being really valuable. They have a social integration component, I might be too old or a different kind of bird but a badge for climbing flights of stairs doesn't do it for me like a top 10 in a bike race, the younger set seem to enjoy that stuff. Seems like a really immature industry as a whole. And FWIW, Apple builds killer laptops but Dell and the others still make them too. Apple builds a great phone but there are still dozens of competitors in the market and some of them are very compelling. Apple Watch seems like a market maker more than a market killer. It is proof that the wrist watch is interesting again, I don't think they're going to put all the other watch makers out of business any time soon. I don't know. We have a weight problem as a country, anything that helps people get out and move more and gives them some motivation and keeps them honest about it seems good to me. I wish them good luck.

imaginenore 11y ago

LOL. Complaints about the lack of integration and extra charges from an Apple fan.

lxcid 11y ago

Yep! Exactly why I stop using them and will not consider them at all. It's a crowded market and they are not standing out.