Google and Samsung have collaborated to create a new unified platform and Android API called Health Connect for Android developers. Health Connect unifies data from multiple devices and apps into an ecosystem.

“With user permission, developers can use a single set of APIs to securely access and share health and fitness data across Android devices,” Google explained in a blog post.

“We’re building this new unified platform in collaboration with Samsung to simplify connectivity between apps. We appreciate Samsung’s collaboration as we roll out Health Connect to foster richer app experiences while also providing centralised privacy controls for users,” it said.

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The tech major has been working with developers including MyFitnessPal, Leap Fitness and Withings as part of an early access program. In addition, Samsung Health, Google Fit and Fitbit are also adopting Health Connect. Developers can get access to Health Connect’s common set of APIs for Android via Android Jetpack.

How it works

The platform supports a host of common health and fitness data types and categories, including activity, sleep, nutrition, body measurements, and vitals like heart rate and blood pressure. Developers can securely read from and write data to Health Connect with user permission. This can be done using “standardised schema and API behaviour,” Google explained.

“Users will have full control over their privacy settings, with granular controls to see which apps are requesting access to data at any given time. The data in Health Connect is all on-device and encrypted,” it added. Users can shut off access or delete data they don’t want on their devices. They will also have the option to prioritise one data source over another when using multiple apps.

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