Apps can access data more than 30 days old and read data in the background
Summary
- Health Connect app will soon allow apps to access data over 30 days old for easy migration between fitness apps.
- Google will add a new permission for history access, giving users full control over fitness data sharing.
- Future Health Connect update will enable apps to read data in the background.
Google launched the Health Connect app back in November 2022, acting as a bridge for all your tracked health data from various apps and services. It allows your favorite Android workout apps to see and share tracked data easily. While Health Connect debuted as a standalone app, Google integrated it into Android 14 for a seamless experience. For some reason though, Health Connect limits data sharing to the last 30 days between apps, making migration between fitness apps difficult. Thankfully, Google will soon fix this shortcoming and further improve data sharing through Health Connect.
What is Health Connect and how do I use it?
What you need to know about the local Android service that connects all your fitness apps
In the “What’s new in Health” session during the second day of I/O 2024 and in a dedicated post on the Android developers blog, Google revealed that Health Connect will allow apps to read data older than 30 days (via Android Authority). This change will make it easy to migrate from one health monitoring app to another while being able to access all your previously logged workouts and health metrics.
Google will add a new permission to Health Connect for history access, so you will have complete control over apps that access your fitness data over 30 days old. And you can even revoke the permission whenever you want.
Health Connect will soon allow apps to read data in the background
Another planned Health Connect improvement is the ability for apps to access data in the background. This is not possible right now, as the app must run as a foreground service or wait until it is opened to start syncing with Health Connect. While a small behavioral change, it should help improve the overall user experience when using a new fitness app.
Like history access, Google will add a new Health Connect permission for you to manage background data access. So, unless you grant the required permission, apps cannot read Health Connect data in the background.
Both these Health Connect improvements are coming later this year. Google did not reveal whether they will be a part of Android 15 or rolled out through a Google Play System update.
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