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Google Fit Preview SDK Arrives For Android Developers

Posted by timothy on from the want-to-sense-your-heart-beating dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Google today released a preview SDK of Google Fit available to developers. The tool provides APIs for apps and device manufacturers to store and access activity data from fitness apps and sensors on Android and other devices (like wearables, heart rate monitors or connected scales). Google warns that the preview release contains the Google Fit APIs for Android, but does not contain the REST API or the Android Wear APIs, which will be included in the official release. Furthermore, while it will let you develop and test fitness apps, they cannot be published to Google Play until official release."

13 comments

  1. Teh Google Strikes Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To Better Capture Yours and Everyone's Data!

    Give it Up!

    Teh G! thanks YOU!

  2. Restricted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The interface seems to provide a bare minimum of utility, with the only utility already having a purpose baked-in. Huh.

  3. So when will... by Dracos · · Score: 1

    I be able to use Android Studio to develop for Gingerbread instead of it throwing 72+ errors about the Holo theme not existing (because themes were only added in Honeycomb)? I've already changed all the instances of defaultTheme to none in the config files according to StackOverflow, but that didn't help.

    1. Re:So when will... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you using a normal action bar, or actionbar compat? I develop for Gingerbread+ all the time in Android Studio and it wasn't hard to set up at all...

  4. No REST for the ... by grcumb · · Score: 1

    Google warns that the preview release contains the Google Fit APIs for Android, but does not contain the REST API or the Android Wear APIs....

    Sorry, you're telling me that there's no REST for the FIT? Sounds exhausting....

    --
    Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.
  5. Google Fitspo! by napulist · · Score: 1

    Finally, technology that empowers and encourages everyone to develop an eating disorder!

    Customizable reminders that you are a worthless fatty who no one will ever truly love!

    MORE STEPS, TUBBO.

    MORE.
    FUCKING.
    STEPS!

  6. The Fitness Store by m00sh · · Score: 2

    So, apparently this has a fitness store ... not a store to sell you stuff, but a storage of the user sensor data (snarkily probably a store for advertisers).

    I think this might be a good idea. Recently motorola discontinued their motoactv watch and in the process also broke their website. So, your entire history went with that and your device became almost useless after that.

    Also, the devices have made data overly fractured. The pedometer syncs to a different website than your running app. They don't want to co-operate. Maybe the fitness store will be one central repository for all that data.

    I would rather have an open standard and have the encrypted data stored in dropbox but I guess this is the idea of the API.

    1. Re:The Fitness Store by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      That's why Apple and Google have developed health APIs into the OS - because they see all these sensors and gadgets are all working in incompatible ways.

      Basically the goal is to gather all the data into a central location, and then each fitness app can extract the parts they want and use it on their own website if desired.

      Basically the APIs isolate the gathering and collecting of data from the dissemination and analysis - so you can use any pedometer for counting steps, any heart monitor for your heartbeat/pressure, etc., then you can use your Nike+ app to analyze your data gathered or any other app.

      Of course, I can only image what GOogle is going to use that data for... perhaps if you don't walk enough all your ads are going to be for walking desks and treadmills? Or if you have too high blood pressure you'll get low-sodium food ads and admonishments when you go into a fast food joint? Or if you're just so unhealthy, perhaps Google can recommend insurance policies and even pre-fill in the application forms?

      Or imagine the insurance guys... well, combine Google Glass' ability to monitor everyone (so they can see you walking into a fast food joint instead of a health joint), combine that with the health data that Google collects, ...

      A few years ago Google decided to "un-silo" everything by forcing everyone to use the same privacy policy. Perhaps it's time to have Google re-silo itself so there's no practical way for Google to integrate all this information together...

    2. Re:The Fitness Store by Daniel+Hoffmann · · Score: 1

      That would facilitate user switching their fitness apps, the established apps (runkeeper, nike, endomondo) would probably not implement it or delay its implementation as long as possible to avoid losing their userbase.

  7. Of course there's no REST API by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cuz a body in motion stays in motion...
    A body at REST stays at rest.

    - every sports apparel maker's ad copy