Can you use Fitbit Alta HR with iPhone?

Best Answer: Yes! In order to get the most out of your Fitbit Alta HR, you need the Fitbit app, which is available on the App Store. The Fitbit Alta HR connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and all of your data gets synced automatically each and every time you open the app and have your Fitbit Alta HR nearby. Once you pair your Fitbit Alta HR with the Fitbit app, you can see your steps, calories burned, exercise history, and sleep patterns. You can also log food and water, participate in challenges with friends, and much more.

Amazon: Fitbit Alta HR ($128)

So all I need is a Fitbit Alta HR, the Fitbit app, and my iPhone?

Pretty much. All Fitbit devices connect to your iPhone via Bluetooth, and you just download the free Fitbit app from the App Store.

Alternatively, if you do not have an iPhone, you can still set it up with your iPad or an Android phone or tablet, or even with a Windows or Mac computer. You'll need the respective Fitbit app version to go with the device you want to sync with, of course.

If you sync the Alta HR to your iPhone though, you'll be able to get call, text, and calendar alerts right on the Alta HR display. This feature is specific to phones only.

What does the Fitbit app keep track of?

The Fitbit app helps you visualize your activity data and monitor your progress to a healthier, more active lifestyle. When you sync data from your Fitbit Alta HR to the app, you'll see how many steps you've taken, calories burned, exercise minutes, flights of stairs climbed, how close you are to your daily goals, sleep tracking, and other fun stuff.

And since eating right is a big part of staying healthy, the Fitbit app also lets users manually log their food consumption and water intake for the day. Doing this lets you see how many calories you've eaten, so you know exactly how much you need to burn to maintain or lose weight.

How often do I need to sync my data?

All Fitbit activity trackers are able to store seven days worth of detailed minute-by-minute data. If you wait longer than these seven days to sync your Fitbit to your iPhone or chosen device, then you only see the most recent week's detailed data.

However, summary data (calories, distance, steps, and floors) is stored for 30 days. Regardless, you should sync as often as you can if you care about keeping your data up-to-date.

Do I need an iPhone or other device in order to use my Fitbit Alta HR?

Unfortunately, it seems that Fitbits are not designed to be used without syncing your data to their web servers. You will need to create a free Fitbit account if you do not already have one, and again, only so much data is stored on the tracker before it must be synced.

Our pick

Fitbit Alta HR

$128 at Amazon

A sleek activity and heart rate tracker

The Fitbit Alta HR is a slim profile activity tracker that also monitors your heart rate. You can track your steps, calories, sleep activity, heart rate, exercise, and more with your Fitbit Alta HR and the Fitbit app.