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From: VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH>
Newsgroups: comp.mobile.android
Subject: Re: For privacy, what is a suitable alternative to the Google FitBit app on Android?
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2025 14:49:45 -0600
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NOTE: The unrelated alt.privacy and sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroups
were omitted in my reply.

Andrew <andys@nospam.com> wrote:

> Since I never used FitBit myself, I asked what the heck it does.
> 
>  Q: What exactly does the FitBit Android app do for people anyway?
>     The Fitbit app on Android does a lot! 
>     Here are some key things it enables:
> 
>     Track Your Activity:
>     Steps: Counts your daily steps, distance walked, and calories burned.   
> 
>     Exercise: Records workouts like running, swimming, cycling, and more.     
>     You can track them manually or use built-in GPS.  
> 
>     Heart Rate: Monitors your resting heart rate and tracks your heart 
>     rate during workouts.  
> 
>     Monitor Your Sleep:
>     Tracks your sleep duration, sleep stages (light, deep, REM), 
>     and restlessness. Provides insights and tips to improve your 
>     sleep quality.  
> 
>     Manage Your Health:
>     Log Food: Track your calorie intake and monitor your nutrition.   
> 
>     Manage Weight: Set weight loss goals and track your progress.  
>     Hydration: Track your daily water intake.  
>     
>     Connect and Share:
>     Connect with friends and family to share your progress
>     and stay motivated. Join challenges and compete with others.  
> 
>     Control Your Fitbit Device:
>     Customize your device settings.   
>     Receive notifications (calls, texts, calendar alerts) on your
>     Fitbit device.  Access and control music playback.  
> 
>     Essentially, the Fitbit app acts as a central hub for all your
>     health and fitness data. It helps you understand your activity
>     levels, sleep patterns, and overall health trends, and provides
>     tools to help you reach your fitness goals.
 
Other than the "Connect and Share", the Fitbit *device* has all the
other features.  Their app just gives some additional insights, like
trends, along with fluff for the socially needy, or attempt to spur
those lacking self-motivation.  After installing their app, configuring
it, linking to the device, and paying for their wrist health device,
oooh, I just must need inspiration to use them.  Uh huh.  Well, I've
seen folks that buy weight sets and a workout bench, or a Nordic track
that sit collecting dust in their basement.  If you record the data to
manually enter into a spreadsheet, you can see those same insights, and
even add trend lines.  As for settings, all can be set on the device
itself, except themes which the app can download to the device.  I only
found 1 theme that had more info than the default theme, but I ended up
going back to the default theme (the one the Fitbit device comes with).

The Play Store's About info on the Fitbit app mentions tracking eating
trends (dieting, calorie watching).  Most users I've seen in forums
discussing the Fitbit app end up switching to a different food tracking
app, like Gadgetbridge app already mentioned, or MyFitnessPal (also a
free alternative to the Weight Watchers app the latter I use which moved
to a points system, and just a single plan other than you can elect to
enable the diabetic scheme which ranks some foods differently).  The
Healthi app uses the old multiple diet plans of Weight watchers, so you
have about 6 different diet plans from which to choose. 

As for weight loss tracking, geez, come on, you have to manually enter
it into the device or app after weighing yourself unless you buy an
expensive Bluetooth-enabled scale that is paired to your phone to sync
to the Fitbit app.  Again, just use a spreadsheet to track where you can
trends, add target and max thresholds, etc.

As for receiving notifications, their app is running on the same phone
where you are getting calls and texts.  You don't need their app telling
you that your phone got a call.  When I go to the gym, I don't take my
phone: don't want to damage it, don't want to wear it while exercising,
and don't want it stolen.  I won't be taking calls or reading texts
while exercising, anyway.  Without the phone, the Fitbit device isn't
going to notify you of anything happening on your phone.  With the
phone, the Fitbit app is superfluous for notifying you of calls or
texts.

The Fitbit devices I've had did not have GPS, so they couldn't track
where I ran or walked.  Steps, yes.  Routes, no.  Their app would use
the GPS in the phone to record your route.  Well, there are LOTS of free
apps that can track where you've been.  I mentioned Strava which seems
mostly a runners' app to track your runs, but it can monitor other data
from a wrist health device.  With the Fitbit device, I would have to
carry my phone on a trek.  For hiking, there are lot better tracking
apps, like adding waypoints.  Unlike younglings, I'm not grafted to my
phone, and don't suffer nomophobia.  I go to the gym rather than run
outside to get a sunburn, frostbite, a cold, in the rain or snow, and on
the road shared with cars since their are no sidewalks in the burbs.
Tracking doesn't work when you're on a treadmill, stair climber, rowing
machine, or other stationary equipment.  Some fitness apps will track
your heart rate and steps for selected exercises, like treadmill,
swimming, track laps, etc.

The point of the Fitbit app is to lure users into paying for premium
services.  Else, what I saw in their app is what I saw on the device.