

Ask HN: Why is there no quantified self apps for Android? - DiabloD3

I keep seeing quantified self stories pop up here in on HN (due to the qs&#x2F;startup cross-section), but they always seem to promote iOS support and not Android support.<p>A lot of the various wristbands and other devices use BLE, but Android devices with BLE shipped before iPhones that had it did, so it can&#x27;t be merely hardware support.<p>Is it a result of Apple&#x27;s image at work? &quot;If you own an iPhone, you&#x27;re thin and good looking and self-conscious, but if you own an Android phone, you&#x27;re fat and ugly and don&#x27;t deserve our service&quot;?<p>Android is the largest mobile phone platform, and I just don&#x27;t understand why startups, especially these, are cutting themselves off from such a significant part of the market.
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swamp40
The Fitbit Flex also works with newer Samsung Android devices.

But I'm sure Fitbit put in a LOT of time developing around the _Samsung_
Bluetooth Smart API's.

And all that will have to be re-written when Google FINALLY comes out with
standard Bluetooth Smart support in Android.

Most companies are just saying "Why bother?" until Google gets their act
together.

As a side note, Apple joined the Bluetooth board over TWO YEARS AGO, and since
then EVERY Apple device released has had integrated Bluetooth Smart support.

THAT's what commitment to a hardware platform looks like.

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srid68
As for as I know BLE does not exist in Stock Android even though it is
available in IPhone's first. It exists only in third party sdk's namely
Samsung which i am planning to use. Hence may be once BLE is supported
natively in Android SDK a lot of apps will support it.

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timmm
Apple sells namely premium products, Android sells premium and value (lower
end).

A good majority of smart businesses realize that if someone already shelled
out for an iphone they are more likely to shell out for premium applications.

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ig1
Primarily because iOS is where the money is, iOS customers tend to be middle-
class with significant disposable income, hence they're both the group most
likely to be interested in health related apps and have the income that makes
$100 devices fall into the impulse buy category.

There's also the secondary issue in that iPhone are much more standardised so
it's much easier to test your app on 99% of the phones that your users are
likely to be using.

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rocky1138
Take a look at joining the Moves beta test for Android.

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kaolinite
Market share is completely irrelevant, what matters is where the profit comes
from and iOS dominates that market. A lot of Android phones are just being
used as dumb-phones.

