Sensor startup Misfit Wearables announced that it has added Android support for its Misfit Shine activity tracker, just six months after dropping Android support from its original launch. According to the company, Shine will now work with any phone that both runs Android 4.3 or higher and has Bluetooth Smart connectivity, including Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3, the Google Nexus 4 and 5, and the HTC One.
Misfit originally planned to have Android support for the device when it shipped to Indiegogo backers. The company announced that the launch would be iOS-only the same time it pushed back the shipping date from June to mid-July, saying that "iOS allows us to roll out the features we want and give you the best user experience out of the box." This latest announcement actually comes earlier than Misfit had previously announced: at the time, the company promised Android support in early 2014.
The Android app will allow users to sync their device, set goals, and see graphs and visuals summarizing daily and weekly activity. However, it is not currently as fully featured as the iOS app, lacking the intensity graph, highlights, and recently announced social features.
Last week, Misfit launched new social features for its iOS app, including a leaderboard that allows Shine users to compete with one another on activity, and a profile and social feed to share milestones and achievements. The update also added push notifications that tell users when friends are about to catch up to them on the leaderboard.
As Android's user base and portion of the mobile market share grow, more and more activity trackers are supporting the platform, sometimes even to the exclusion of iOS. Both Jawbone and Fitbit began offering Android support for their wearable fitness trackers this year, and Basis Science launched its device with Android as the only mobile support, though it has since added an iOS app. Of the major players, only Nike still claims to have no plans to move beyond iOS, though rumor has it the company is working on an Android app after all.
