A NotiTrac guide for Fitbit Air and iPhone
Can I use the Fitbit Air without the Google Health app?
No. Google Health is how the Air is set up, updated and synced, and there is no other app that can replace it. NotiTrac sits beside it, not in place of it.
What Google Health does for the Air
- Pairs it the first time and names it.
- Pulls its measurements off the tracker; the Air's own memory can't be read by anything else.
- Installs firmware updates.
- Holds the alarm, the vibration setting and the rest of its preferences.
Where NotiTrac fits
NotiTrac doesn't sync anything. It reads your Air's figures from Apple Health, where Google Health writes them once you turn on sharing, and it talks to the Air directly only to buzz it. After a buzz it steps aside so Google Health can reconnect and sync. If you ever see Google Health showing the Air as disconnected right after a buzz, open Google Health and it reconnects on its own.
So the honest setup is: Google Health for the tracker, NotiTrac for the wrist buzzes and a quieter view of the numbers.
About accounts
Google Health needs a Google account. NotiTrac needs none: no sign-up, no server, nothing leaves your phone. The privacy policy is short enough to read in a minute.