Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR Google is sending notifications prompting users to set up Health Connect, its service for syncing health and fitness data between different apps.
These new alerts aim to solve the service’s poor discoverability, as many users are unaware that Health Connect exists on their phones.
The prompts come as Google prepares to expand the platform with new features, such as native step tracking in an upcoming Android update.
There are many excellent health and fitness trackers on the market, most of which have their own apps for viewing the data they collect. If you have a fitness band from brand A, a treadmill from brand B, and a digital scale from brand C, getting a holistic view of your health and wellness data can be a messy process. To make it easier for these apps to share data, Google created the Health Connect service back in 2022. Although the number of compatible apps and its feature set have grown steadily since its debut, many people still don’t know it exists. That’s why Google is sending alerts prompting users to connect their apps to Health Connect.
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Currently, Android doesn’t introduce Health Connect during the phone setup process, so people have to discover it on their own. This discovery usually happens online (by reading sites like ours) or within the health and fitness apps they already use. However, relying on online articles isn’t effective because many people don’t follow tech news. The in-app approach often fails too, as many developers don’t prominently advertise their Health Connect integration, burying the option deep in their settings. Speaking of which, the path to Health Connect in Android’s main Settings app is quite convoluted, with the entry point buried three layers deep. It’s no wonder many people have no idea Health Connect exists, or are even surprised to find it installed on their phone.
To solve this, Google recently updated Health Connect to send a notification and display an in-app banner encouraging users to enable it. If you haven’t connected an app already, you’ll see a notification titled, “See your health data across apps.” It explains that Health Connect allows you to share fitness and wellness data between your apps and invites you to see which ones you can connect.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
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