Unify Android Health Data with Health Connect API Integration

We integrate Health Connect to unify Android health data under one API, eliminating fragmentation. Our team has completed over 50 Health Connect integrations for fitness, medical, and insurance apps, with a 100% Google Play review success rate. A proper architecture from the start saves weeks of work and reduces bugs when adding new data types.

Why Health Connect Is the Only Sane Choice for Android Health?

Fragmented health data sources on Android are a direct path to technical debt. While some apps write to Google Fit, others use third-party SDKs, and users switch between three trackers. We replaced this chaos with a single API: Health Connect. It's built into Android 14 and available on devices running Android 9+. Integration is 40% faster than Google Fit due to a unified interface for over 40 data types. Health Connect also supports incremental sync via changesToken — an analog of HKAnchoredObjectQuery in HealthKit. This makes background updates 3 times faster and reduces battery load by 30%.

What Changed with the Arrival of Health Connect Instead of Google Fit?

Google Fit is a legacy API with limited support and a complex authorization procedure. Compare: in Health Connect, permissions are requested through the system PermissionController, not via OAuth. Integration time is cut by 40% thanks to a unified interface for over 40 data types. Health Connect also supports incremental sync via changesToken — an analog of HKAnchoredObjectQuery in HealthKit. This makes background updates 3 times faster and reduces battery load.

How to Set Up Health Connect Permissions?

First step: add the library to your build.gradle:

implementation("androidx.health.connect:connect-client:1.1.0") 

Minimum version: minSdk = 26. Health Connect works on Android 9+ (on 9–13 it requires installation from Play Store). Check availability and request permissions:

val healthConnectClient = HealthConnectClient.getOrCreate(context) when (HealthConnectClient.getSdkStatus(context)) { HealthConnectClient.SDK_AVAILABLE -> { /* proceed */ } HealthConnectClient.SDK_UNAVAILABLE_PROVIDER_UPDATE_REQUIRED -> { val intent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW).apply { data = Uri.parse("market://details?id=com.google.android.apps.healthdata") } startActivity(intent) } HealthConnectClient.SDK_UNAVAILABLE -> { /* Android < 9 */ } } val permissions = setOf( HealthPermission.getReadPermission(StepsRecord::class), HealthPermission.getReadPermission(HeartRateRecord::class), HealthPermission.getWritePermission(ExerciseSessionRecord::class) ) val requestPermissions = registerForActivityResult( PermissionController.createRequestPermissionResultContract() ) { granted -> if (granted.containsAll(permissions)) { /* all obtained */ } } val granted = healthConnectClient.permissionController.getGrantedPermissions() if (!granted.containsAll(permissions)) { requestPermissions.launch(permissions) } 

Google imposes strict requirements: your app must sign a Health Connect Permissions Policy and provide a privacy policy screen. Violation risks blocking in Play Market. We help you pass the review before release, including document preparation.

Reading and Writing Data via Health Connect API Android

Each data type is a separate Record class. Reading steps for a period is done via ReadRecordsRequest. Aggregation with daily breakdown uses AggregateGroupByPeriodRequest:

// Reading steps val response = healthConnectClient.readRecords( ReadRecordsRequest( recordType = StepsRecord::class, timeRangeFilter = TimeRangeFilter.between(startTime, endTime) ) ) val totalSteps = response.records.sumOf { it.count } // Daily aggregation val aggregateRequest = AggregateGroupByPeriodRequest( metrics = setOf(StepsRecord.COUNT_TOTAL), timeRangeFilter = TimeRangeFilter.between(startTime, endTime), timeRangeSlicer = Period.ofDays(1) ) val result = healthConnectClient.aggregateGroupByPeriod(aggregateRequest) 

Writing workouts: create ExerciseSessionRecord and DistanceRecord, then call insertRecords:

val exerciseSession = ExerciseSessionRecord( startTime = workoutStart, startZoneOffset = ZoneOffset.UTC, endTime = workoutEnd, endZoneOffset = ZoneOffset.UTC, exerciseType = ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_RUNNING, title = "Morning Run" ) val distanceRecord = DistanceRecord( startTime = workoutStart, startZoneOffset = ZoneOffset.UTC, endTime = workoutEnd, endZoneOffset = ZoneOffset.UTC, distance = Length.meters(5200.0) ) healthConnectClient.insertRecords(listOf(exerciseSession, distanceRecord)) 

Migrating from Google Fit: How Not to Lose Data

If your app previously used the Google Fit API, simply swapping calls isn't enough. Health Connect does not import history — the user must manually enable sync in settings. We recommend:

• Show a dialog with instructions to activate sync.
• Keep the Google Fit access token for reading old data.
• Write new data to Health Connect, and load old data on demand.

Incremental updates are tracked via changesToken:

val token = healthConnectClient.getChangesToken( ChangesTokenRequest(setOf(StepsRecord::class)) ) val changes = healthConnectClient.getChanges(token) val newToken = changes.nextChangesToken 

What’s Included in Health Connect Integration Work

All packages include:

• Preparation and submission of Health Connect Permissions Policy.
• Implementation of reading and writing for selected data types.
• Setup of incremental sync via changesToken.
• Error handling and fallback when Health Connect is unavailable.
• Testing on 5+ devices with different Android versions.
• Integration documentation and user instructions.
• 30 days of support after deployment.

Comparison: Health Connect vs Google Fit

Health Connect processes requests 3 times faster than Google Fit during background sync, confirmed by load tests (up to 5000 requests per hour).

Typical Integration Mistakes

• Requesting permissions without checking availability — leads to IllegalStateException. Always check SDK_AVAILABLE.
• Ignoring token changes — you lose updates. Use changesToken for background reading.
• Incorrect time zone handling — always pass timestamps with ZoneOffset.
• Too frequent requests — Health Connect limits frequency (about 10 requests per minute). Use caching.

Our Experience and Guarantees

We have been developing Android apps for 8 years, with 200+ successful integrations and a 4.9/5 client satisfaction rating. Over 50 Health Connect integrations for fitness, medicine, and insurance clients, all passing Google Play review without issues. Contact us for a consultation. Order Health Connect integration today and free your team from the headache of data fragmentation.