Google Fit and Fitbit integrations are changing

Note: this only affects users who installed the app before November 2023 and are using the old-style fitness data integrations to Fitbit or Google Fit (i.e. not using Health Connect or Apple Health)

Why is this happening?

When I first added Fitbit and Google Fit integrations to the Chronic Insights app for Android, I created a ‘direct‘ connection from Chronic Insights to Fitbit and Google Fit to bring your fitness data into the diary.

However, Google are now in the process of shutting down and disabling this direct way of integrating with Google Fit (and I expect the same to happen to Fitbit in the future) in favour of a new way of integrating health apps, called Health Connect. So, I’m now forced to likewise start closing down the old integration method in Chronic Insights before they are turned off.

For Android users, the good news is that you can still bring your Fitbit and Google Fit data into Chronic Insights using Health Connect. And because Health Connect actually makes it easier for developers like me to integrate Chronic Insights with other health apps, Chronic Insights can now integrate with Google Fit, Fitbit, Samsung Health, MyFitnessPal and more than 30 others, while allowing me more time to develop other parts of the app.

For iOS users, the alternative is to use Apple Health. Unfortunately Google doesn’t seem particularly interested in making it easy to bring your Fitbit or Google Health data into Apple Health, so our options are limited.

Deprecation notice from Google

What to do next

Android users

Google Fit and Fitbit data can still be viewed in Chronic Insights - it’s just a bit more complicated now because we need to go via Health Connect. Here’s how to do it:

  • First, you will need the Fitbit or Google Fit app installed on your phone

  • Open the Fitbit or Google Fit app, go to Settings, and look for the “Health Connect“ section. Turn on ‘Sync with Health Connect‘, and select the items you would like Chronic Insights to see

  • Open Chronic Insights

  • Open the main settings menu

  • Expand the Symptom Diary section

  • Tap either “Fitness“ or “Health Connect“, whichever you see

  • If you see either “Fitbit“ or “Google Fit“ in a list with a green switch next to it, these are the old integrations - you should turn these off: tap the switch, and then tap the “sign out“ button in the top right corner. Then, turn on the Health Connect switch

  • Follow the instructions to setup Health Connect

If you see a list like this with Fitbit and Google Fit, turn these off first

iPhone users

Google Fit on iPhone

Google Fit data can still be viewed in Chronic Insights by connecting it via Apple Health:

  • First, you will need the Google Fit app installed on your phone

  • Open the Google Fit app, go to settings (in the Profile tab), and look for the ‘Activity tracking‘ section: tap on ‘Track your activities with Health‘, and turn on ‘Connect Google Fit with Health‘

  • Open Chronic Insights

  • Open the main settings menu

  • Expand the Symptom Diary section

  • Tap either “Fitness“ or “Health Connect“, whichever you see

  • If you see either “Fitbit“ or “Google Fit“ in a list with a green switch next to it, these are the old integrations - you should turn these off: tap the switch, and then tap the “sign out“ button in the top right corner. Then, turn on the Apple Health switch

  • Follow the instructions to setup Apple Health

Fitbit on iPhone

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a way to connect Fitbit to Apple Health, so for now you won’t be able to view Fitbit data in Chronic Insights for iPhone. There may be ways to do this via a 3rd party ‘syncing app’, but I haven’t heard of a reliable way which works.

Still stuck?

As always, if you have any questions feel free to get in contact - I’m always happy to help!