Wear OS · Privacy & Security

Control how fitness and health data sync between apps

Health Connect is the on-phone hub that lets fitness, sleep, and heart-rate data collected on the watch flow into other apps (and vice versa) with per-app, per-data-type permission controls, instead of every app having its own silo.

What you should know

  • On the phone, open the Health Connect app (or Settings → Security & privacy → Privacy → Health Connect) to review connected apps.
  • Under Health Connect → App permissions, grant or revoke read/write access per data type (steps, heart rate, sleep, workouts) for each connected app individually.
  • On the watch, confirm the fitness tracking app has motion, heart rate, and body sensor permissions under Settings → Apps → Permissions.
  • Use Health Connect's data-sharing log to see which apps have read a given data type recently if sync results look unexpected.

Revoking a data type's permission in Health Connect stops future syncing for that type but does not retroactively delete data already shared with an app — remove it from within that app separately if needed.

Why it matters

Health data is some of the most sensitive information a watch collects, and Health Connect's per-app, per-data-type model is what keeps that data from being shared more broadly than intended when you install a new fitness or nutrition app.

Best practices

  • Review connected apps in Health Connect after installing any new fitness or wellness app — many request broad access by default during their own onboarding.
  • Grant only the specific data types an app actually needs (e.g., a sleep app doesn't need workout route data).
  • Periodically export or back up Health Connect data if you rely on long-term trend history, since uninstalling the tracking app can affect what's retained.

Common problems and fixes

Workout data logged on the watch doesn't appear in a connected app
Check Health Connect → App permissions to confirm that app has both watch-side sync completed and read access granted for the relevant data type (e.g., Exercise, Heart Rate).
Heart rate readings stop syncing after a permissions change
Re-grant the Body Sensors permission on the watch under Settings → Apps → Permissions, since revoking it on the phone side can also disable the on-watch sensor read for that app.

Tips and tricks

  • Health Connect keeps a single combined activity history even across different fitness apps, which is useful if you switch tracking apps and want continuous step or sleep history rather than starting over.

Frequently asked questions

Is Health Connect the same as Google Fit?

No — Google Fit is one app among several that can read and write to Health Connect, which is the underlying permissions and storage layer other apps also plug into.