If you are in the Apple ecosystem, then you only need to open the Health app on your iPhone to see how far you are on your fitness journey. But if you are on Android, you have so many apps and devices to choose from that, at some point, it could become difficult to see all of your data in one place.
In a new joint venture between Google and Samsung, at this year’s Google I/O, the tech giants announced Health Connect, a new platform and an Android API that will allow users to share and sync their health metrics data across all devices and all health tracking apps.
With Health Connect, the information between apps like Samsung Health, Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, Leap Fitness, and Withings will be collected, combined, and then synchronized, so there should be no differences in their readings. This also applies to your devices. You will see the same metrics such as your activity, sleep, nutrition, body measurements, and vitals like heart rate and blood pressure on your phone, watch, and tablet, regardless of manufacturer.
Also, when you receive the same type of data from multiple apps (e.g. footsteps), you will be able to choose which application you want to prioritize.
According to Google, the fitness information will be encrypted and safely stored locally on your device. You will have complete control over your data, including which applications are accessing it and when. You will also be able to erase data from your device that you no longer want.
The Health Connect beta is now available to developers, allowing them to begin implementing it into their health tracking apps.
