Google is poised to enhance its Health Connect platform significantly by introducing native step tracking capabilities, marking a pivotal transition from its current role as a mere data aggregator. Initially launched in 2022, Health Connect has served as a centralized hub for health and fitness data, facilitating seamless data sharing between various applications. However, the upcoming changes will allow Health Connect to directly collect data from the phone’s sensors, a feature that is still in the works.
Transforming Health Connect
Health Connect operates as both an app and a framework designed for storing health-related data. Through this framework, applications can input data such as steps, heart rate, and sleep patterns into a secure, on-device database. Other applications can then access this data, either to incorporate it into their own databases or to conduct analyses. Users have the ability to manage permissions, determining which applications can read or write their health data.
This streamlined approach offers several advantages. Developers can now share data with a single application—Health Connect—rather than multiple platforms, thereby conserving time and resources. For users, this means a more straightforward experience when switching between or utilizing different health services.
With the integration of Health Connect into Android 14, users can easily download their preferred health or fitness applications and enable data sharing. Once linked, the Health Connect app will showcase the data contributed by these applications, whether sourced from the phone’s sensors or connected devices like smartwatches.
Recent findings from the latest Android Canary release indicate that Google is indeed working on implementing native step tracking within Health Connect. A newly discovered “Devices” page in the settings reveals a list of connected devices, including an “unknown device” that corresponds to the current phone. This device is permitted to write step data to Health Connect, which can then be accessed by other applications through the established framework.
While initial tests show that step counting is not yet functional—regardless of the device’s screen state or app visibility—the underlying technology is certainly capable. The partial implementation of this feature in the Canary release suggests that Google is still refining the functionality. Nevertheless, the introduction of native tracking capabilities could signify the beginning of Health Connect’s evolution into a comprehensive health and fitness platform, positioning it as a competitor to Apple Health.
This development raises intriguing questions about the future of Fitbit, Google’s primary health and fitness tracking platform for Pixel devices. Given that Fitbit is not universally available on all Android devices, there is potential for Health Connect to serve as a foundational platform, while Fitbit continues to cater to users seeking more advanced metrics.
