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Is it true that Garmin Connect's API is poor quality

Former Member over 9 years ago

The name Garmin carries a lot of weight and it was probably one of the main reasons why I opted for this brand; they are (were) leaders in GPS and I assumed that the fitness solution would reflect this.

I was disappointed when I discovered that it does not link up to services such as Microsoft HealthVault and MyFitnessPal.

Some may claim that they managed to update a product by using a software middleware but why should this be the case when other products (Fitbit and Microsoft) can link directly with an app?

A search on the internet seems to point to a poorly designed Adobe Connect solution. If this is the case are there plans to fix this and what are the dates.

Thanks,
Alan

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

I see repeated mention of Adobe Connect - what does Adobe have to do with Microsoft and Garmin. Am I missing something?

Are there users interested in printing to PDF from their phone :o; I would prefer to sync health and fitness information first.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

The part about the opening hours was a rollercoaster of emotions. 10/10, would read again.

If she's saying - to paraphrase - "We don't want to pay staff to write integration for Garmin. If you want that you'll have to get Garmin to do it.", that could well be true.
If saying "It's impossible to integrate anything with Garmin connect unless they write the integration for 3rd parties", that's not correct. The APIs are available and well known. You pays your monies, you gets an auth token to work with said APIs. I can say without doubt that https://tapiriik.com/ (that service I've mentioned 3 times now that integrates with Garmin Connect) was written by Collin Fair, not Garmin.

I think what she is saying is that we make our API open to anyone (and don't charge fees). Anyone who wants to integrate to us can do so. I recall someone saying in this thread that Microsoft were only supporting their band; this is incorrect and the publicly available API and integration with other devices supports that claim.

I would say that Garmin, for the time being, has decided not to integrate with this product.

0 scottmeup over 9 years ago

I see repeated mention of Adobe Connect - what does Adobe have to do with Microsoft and Garmin. Am I missing something?

A search on the internet seems to point to a poorly designed Adobe Connect solution. If this is the case are there plans to fix this and what are the dates.

Thanks,
Alan

Hope that helps.

I think what she is saying is that we make our API open to anyone (and don't charge fees). Anyone who wants to integrate to us can do so.

Source on the information about those APIs and their price?

Apart from the free part, that's the message Garmin seems to be standing by. It's not the quality of connect's APIs that's preventing Microsoft from integrating healthvault. If MS can't afford the $5,000 licence fee for the APIs I think they've got bigger problems than integrating with another manufacturers devices (note to self, sell all MS stock!).

This topic is based on the assertion that HV won't integrate with GC due to the quality of Garmin's APIs. It seems to me that it's more of a business decision and neither party seems particularly interested in taking the step of writing the integration.

Garmin definitely provides access to their APIs at a price that to an organisation the size of MS is laughably affordable. MS is free to write the integration on their side if they felt it was in their interests to.

If MS offer access to their APIs

Source on the information about those APIs and their price?

then Garmin is free to do so if they feel it's in their interests.

0 dcrainmaker over 9 years ago

(Too lazy to do quote thingies)

Microsoft Health Vault API's here: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/healthvault/healthvault.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

Garmin Connect Sync Transfer fees here: http://developer.garmin.com/garmin-connect-api/overview/

I think the Adobe Connect thing was just a point of confusion above actually where someone misstated something and combined too products. Like combining The Lion King and Beauty and The Beast to get The Lion Beast.

Of course, Garmin would happily wave the $5K fee for Microsoft (not that the fee matters anyway). It's simply not worth it for either party at this point to invest in it, because back to the noted above: Nobody actually uses Health Vault (at least for fitness data).