Fitbit, makers of fitness trackers such as the Flex, has decided it’s not going to jump aboard the HealthKit train, and confirmed via its product forums that it’s going to stand back and observe what direction Apple’s new health-related venture takes for now. HealthKit is part of iOS 8, and is a system which allows companies to share health and fitness data and make it viewable in one central spot.
The news comes after Fitbit users questioned whether HealthKit support would arrive in the near future, but any hopes were rapidly squashed by the company. “We do not currently have plans to integrate with HealthKit,” it stated, adding, “ We will watch as it matures, looking for opportunities to improve the Fitbit experience.”
To make amends, Fitbit says it’s working on “other exciting projects which will be valuable to users.” We’ll have to wait and see what these projects are, because no further details have been provided for now.
HealthKit has already had a difficult start in life, having been disabled following iOS 8’s release, due to a bug. HealthKit was eventually reinstated with the release if iOS 8.0.2. That hasn’t stopped a great many developers from integrating it into their apps, and the continually growing list contains names such as MyFitnessPal, Endomondo, Garmin, Runtastic, Up by Jawbone, and Weight Watchers.
Fitbit isn’t the only major fitness player without HealthKit support for its products. Long-time Apple partner Nike hasn’t updated its own apps, or the FuelBand tracker, to work with Apple’s new app either. It’s early days for HealthKit, but it’s still surprising to see a slight lack of interest, particularly from those we’d have expected to be romanced by Apple prior to its release.
All is not lost though, and Fitbit is encouraging its users to post suggestions on its forum, about how HealthKit integration would benefit them. It promises to review the responses, and take them into consideration for the future.
