The Health Connect platform can be used to sync data between fitness apps, simplifying app connectivity and centralizing privacy controls. | Image: Google
Android has released Health Connect into public beta, a new app that assimilates data from across eligible health and fitness apps through a single platform.
In an example provided by Google, Peloton members can use it to sync and get credit for their Peloton workouts in apps such as MyFitnessPal, WeightWatchers, and Lifesum in addition to sharing workout data with other fitness apps. It also adds a central place to easily manage individual permissions and privacy settings.
There are 10 notable health, fitness, and wellness apps integrated with the services so far, including FitBit, Oura, and Flo alongside MyFitnessPal and Peloton. Health Connect was first announced in May, with access initially restricted to developers building the new integrations.
Health Connect was created in collaboration with Samsung to help standardize data sharing between health and fitness apps, replacing previous sharing integrations that required developers to create API connections for each app. Not only was this expensive and labor intensive to maintain but also it made it difficult for users to unlock their data in order for it to sync with other apps.
Now, Health Connect supports over 40 data types across six categories and only requires a few lines of code, providing a standardized data schema for developers. Not only does this simplify app connectivity but also it provides users with more centralized privacy controls, allowing users to monitor which apps have access to specific data at any given time.
Health Connect is available to download as a public beta via the Google Play Store, though no mention has been made regarding a full public release. Google previously mentioned that the app will be preinstalled on new Android devices sometime later this year.