technology

How do we decide which fitness trackers to integrate with?

blog author
Susana
Mar 29, 2019

How does MoveSpring pick which devices are supported?

We look at many factors when deciding to support a device on MoveSpring. While there are many devices out here, we focus on picking the ones that best meet user needs and provide a quality experience in our app.

How many people use the device?

If we see a device or service being used by many of our users, then we are more likely to look into supporting this device. Some integrations are very complex. If we don’t think a device will be used a year from now, or only a handful of users actually have it, we may pass on the integration.

Does the device allow us to read its data?

Not all devices allow third parties, such as MoveSpring, to access its data. For example, Fitbit has created an access point to our developers so that we can sync its device data. Many devices do not allow this type of access to data, which means we are unable to integrate with the device.

Does the device provider have strict limitations?

Some device providers restrict who can create integrations with their apps and devices, which can make it difficult for us to directly support their devices. Samsung Health is a good example. They require a certain number of app downloads and a lengthy partnership approval before an integration can be done.

How complex is the integration?

An integration that is particularly complex may pose a risk to our user experience. If the connection isn’t reliable or so complex that it requires a lot of maintenance, we will opt out of integrating. We can better spend our time supporting reliable connections and building new, better features for our users.

Here’s a full list of our direct device integrations.

Our direct integrations cover the majority of major consumer wearables. Our supported fitness trackers include:

  • Fitbit
  • Apple Watch
  • Garmin
  • Misfit
  • Withings
  • Google Fit (Android)
  • Apple Health (iPhone)

My device isn’t on the list. Now what?

Sometimes we might not directly integrate with a device, but instead connect with devices through our integration with Google Fit or Apple Health. For example, we don’t directly support integrations with Polar, Xiaomi or Motiv, but since these devices push activity to Google Fit and Apple Health, we can get your activities through a connection through those apps.

One thing to remember is that MoveSpring can only sync activities that have been passed from the device to Google Fit or Apple Health. This means if your device tracks your active minutes, but doesn’t share those with Google Fit or Apple Health, then MoveSpring won’t ever be able to read your active minutes data. We will only see activity data that has been made available to Google Fit or Apple Health.

Note: Looking to buy devices in bulk for your employees? Contact our sales team to learn more.

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