Polar will now play nice with other fitness platforms and wellness services

Polar has announced that it will open up its API (or application programming interface) to developers for the first time.

Polar Open AccessLink will now allow anybody with a Polar Flow account to access the training and daily activity data recorded by its stable of smartwatches and fitness trackers, leaving the door open to the likes of health insurance companies, gym chains, wellness services and those providing fitness platforms to get involved.

Read this: Which Polar running watch is best for you?

Regular users have the option to give permission for their basic data, such as weight and height, to be accessed, though AccessLink will also hand over insights into training sessions and daily activity.

However, while it's likely we'll see plenty of companies and platforms take advantage of the new access, the keys are there to be handed to pretty much anybody who wants to get involved and create their own API client.

Some are already getting involved, too. Vitality, TechnoGym, HeaiHeai and Validic have all already officially announced they are working with Polar, which would appear to show interest is strong in tapping into the Flow community.

Of course, this isn't the only example we've seen of a company partnering with a platform. Vitality, as we noted above, will now make use of AccessLink, but has already been offering the Apple Watch at a reduced rate to users of its wellness platform for some time.

We're yet to see the specifics of how these companies will use AccessLink, and if Polar's goods will be offered in a similar way, but expect even more companies to get involved in the not too distant future.