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Amazon’s Alexa has learned yet another new skill.
Amazon Echo and Fire TV users will now be able to sync the popular virtual assistant with their Fitbit accounts to get updates on their daily activities. Alexa integration adds a layer of convenience to Fitbit users, who will no longer have to open the app to see how many steps they’ve taken or calories burned.
“Our integration with Alexa gives you hands-free access to your data, so you can find out when you walk in the door at the end of the day what your step count is in seconds, and know if you need to go on a quick walk before dinner,” said Tim Roberts, Executive Vice President of Interactive at Fitbit, in the company’s press release.
Fitbit integration is compatible with the Amazon Echo, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. It will also work with the new portable Amazon Tap smart speaker and the smaller Amazon Echo Dot, both of which are expected to begin shipping at the end of March. You can set it up inside of the Alexa mobile app under the “Skills” section. Below is a list of examples of what you can ask:
Alexa voice commands
| User request | Example Alexa response |
|---|---|
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how I’m doing today. | You have taken about 4,500 steps and have been active for around 20 minutes today. Just keep going. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how I slept last night. | You fell asleep at 11:47pm and slept for 6 hours and 58 minutes. Try fine tuning your routine to get the best night’s rest. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how far I walked today. | You’ve gone 1.9 miles today. You need 3.1 miles more to meet your goal. You can go the distance. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how many steps I’ve taken. | You’ve taken about 4,500 steps. You’ll need 5,500 more steps to hit your goal today. Walk now, thank me later. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how many active minutes I have today. | You have about 75 active minutes today. You’ve met your active minutes goal for today. Nailed it. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how many flights I climbed today. | You’ve climbed about 68 flights today. You’ve met your flights goal. Do you live up a hill? |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how many calories I have left. | You have burned about 1620 calories so far today. You have about 880 calories left. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how much water I’ve had. | You have logged 15 ounces of water today. You still need to drink 49 ounces to reach your goal. Start sipping. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit what my resting heart rate is. | Your resting heart rate today has been 56 beats per minute. |
| Alexa, ask Fitbit how much I weigh. | As of Thursday, you weigh 137.1 pounds. Your target weight is 130 pounds. |
Alexa can also provide you with words of encouragement that are tailored to the specific time of day. For example, if you ask about your step count in the morning, Alexa may respond with “Time to start movin’ and groovin'” or “Try to take a walk today, but don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.”
There are still some limitations, however. You won’t be able to use Alexa to set up a vibrating alarm on your tracker, for example, and information will only be up-to-date as long as the tracker is syncing in the background to the Fitbit app.
Fitbit has big plans for voice integration and is exploring other ways to utilize Alexa and other services.
“As we look at how this integration could evolve in the future,” Roberts explained. “There is an endless world of possibilities from fitness coaching and nutrition tips, to guidance before bedtime to help you get a more restful night’s sleep.”
