Fitbit Data Can Finally Sync to Apple Health, Ending a Decade-Long Gap
Google's Fitbit-branded Health app has added two-way syncing with Apple Health, letting Fitbit trackers and the Pixel Watch write exercise, sleep, and vitals data directly into Apple's health ecosystem for the first time without any third-party workaround.
Google Health, which replaced the standalone Fitbit app back in May alongside the launch of Google’s budget-friendly Fitbit Air trackers, has spent the months since folding Fitbit’s hardware lineup fully under Google’s health branding.
Monday’s update marks the first time that transition has translated into a real functional upgrade for iPhone owners specifically, closing a compatibility gap that predates the Apple Watch itself and had quietly frustrated Fitbit users for over a decade.
A One-Way Street Finally Runs Both Directions
9to5Mac reported that Google Health initially launched with only one-way Apple Health integration, able to read and import data from an iPhone, Apple Watch, and other wearables connected through HealthKit, but unable to write Fitbit data back into Apple’s ecosystem.
Version 5.05’s release notes describe the fix directly, stating that users can now share exercise records, sleep, vitals, steps, and more from Google Health to Apple Health.
9to5Mac noted the resulting data becomes available to other HealthKit-compatible apps as well, subject to whatever permissions the user selects during setup, meaning the sync isn’t limited to Apple’s own Health app alone.
A Gap That Started With Fitbit’s Original HealthKit Snub
MacRumors placed Monday’s fix within its full historical context, noting that Fitbit devices, despite being a popular fitness gadget, have never had native sync to Apple Health, forcing users to rely on third-party syncing utilities or manual workarounds for years.
That absence traces back to 2014, shortly after Apple introduced HealthKit alongside iOS 8, when Fitbit publicly stated it had no plans to support Apple’s new health platform at the time.
The outlet also flagged one limitation that survived the update: some data types, including heart rate variability, still don’t transfer between the two platforms, meaning the sync is not yet fully comprehensive.
Enabling the connection requires opening Google Health, selecting Connections, then Apps and Services, and adding Apple Health from the list.
Fitbit Hardware Gains a Real Case for iPhone Owners
The update removes one of the biggest barriers for iPhone users, who previously relied on third-party tools to sync Fitbit data with Apple’s ecosystem, per AppleInsider.
The Google Health app is free to download at 542.6 MB, with an optional Fitbit Premium subscription costing $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year for extra features, including Google Health Coach, which was previously reported to hallucinate workouts.
For users who avoided Fitbit because of fragmented health data, the update removes that obstacle, allowing Fitbit’s sleep tracking data to appear alongside Apple Watch data in the Apple Health app.
Source: Google Health adds two-way Apple Health syncing on iPhone for Fitbit
