5 minute read

Samsung Health and Google Health Connect are not competing apps. Samsung Health is the app where you view and log your data. Health Connect is a store on the phone that lets apps share health data through one set of permissions. This comparison covers what each does, how the two sync, and what the sync does not do.

What each one is

Samsung Health is Samsung’s health app on Galaxy devices. Samsung’s support pages say your data is stored on the phone or tablet, in the app and on Samsung Health servers, and that you can download or erase it from the app’s settings.

Health Connect is not a fitness app with its own dashboards. Android’s documentation describes it as on-device storage for health and fitness data, encrypted, and device-centric rather than tied to a Google account. It standardizes the data format and centralizes permissions control, per Android’s Health Connect FAQ, and the same codelab says users get granular controls over which apps request access. It does include a screen for managing permissions and an overview of recorded data, but it is not built to replace a fitness dashboard.

Where you find it depends on your Android version. It is part of the Android system from Android 14, and a Play Store app on Android 13 and lower. Android says the Play Store app launched on November 11, 2022. On Android 14, open Settings, then Security and privacy, then Privacy, then Health Connect.

Google Fit is the older route. Google says the Google Fit APIs will be deprecated in 2026, that developers could not sign up for them after May 1, 2024, and that it recommends moving to Health Connect and Android’s other health APIs.

Side by side

  Samsung Health Health Connect
Role The app where you view and log data The store apps read from and write to
Where data lives On the phone, in the app and on Samsung Health servers On the device, encrypted, not tied to a Google account
Access control Samsung Health settings and your Samsung account Per-app, per-data-type permissions
Dashboard Yes A permissions and data-overview screen only
Backup Samsung Cloud backup and a data download, per Samsung Stored on the device, so not a cloud backup

How the two sync

Samsung’s developer documentation says Samsung Health synchronizes with Health Connect in both directions. When Samsung Health has new or updated data, it writes it to Health Connect. When Health Connect has updated data, Samsung Health retrieves it.

To turn it on, open Samsung Health, go to Settings, then Health Connect, and grant the permissions it asks for. The same page lists Sync with Samsung Cloud turned on as part of the sync settings. It is from 2025, so labels may differ on your phone. The page also contains a table that maps Samsung Health data to Health Connect data types, which is the place to check whether a specific metric is shared.

In practice this means a workout app that writes to Health Connect can have its entries show up in Samsung Health, and Samsung Health data can be read by other apps that you allow.

What the sync leaves out

  • A new app does not get your whole history. Android’s documentation says an app can read data from up to 30 days before it was first granted permission, unless it requests a separate history permission. If you switch apps, your older Samsung Health records may not be visible there.
  • It is not a backup. Health Connect data stays on the device. If you are leaving Samsung or deleting your account, use the backup guide before you rely on any sync.
  • Mixed hardware can behave differently. This comparison did not test sync between brands, and user-reported problems are not included here because they could not be verified.

Which to use

  • You only use Samsung Health: you do not need to do anything with Health Connect.
  • You use other health apps on Android: turn on the Samsung Health to Health Connect sync and choose which data types to share.
  • You are leaving Samsung: download your data first and read the backup guide, since sync alone does not carry your full history.

Checked October 15, 2026 against Samsung and Android documentation.

Questions readers ask

Is Health Connect a replacement for Samsung Health? No. Samsung Health is the app where you view and log your data, and Health Connect is a store on the phone that lets apps share health data through one set of permissions. It has a screen for permissions and an overview of recorded data, but it is not built to replace a fitness dashboard.

Where do I find Health Connect? On Android 14 it is part of the system: open Settings, then Security and privacy, then Privacy, then Health Connect. On Android 13 and lower it is a Play Store app.

How do I sync Samsung Health with Health Connect? Open Samsung Health, go to Settings, then Health Connect, and grant the permissions it asks for. The page describing this is from 2025, so labels may differ on your phone.

Does Health Connect back up my data? No. Its data stays on the device, so it is not a cloud backup. If you are leaving Samsung or deleting your account, use our backup guide first.

Why can’t a new app see my old data? Android’s documentation says an app can read data from up to 30 days before it was first granted permission, unless it requests a separate history permission.

What happens to Google Fit? Google says the Google Fit APIs will be deprecated in 2026, that developers could not sign up for them after May 1, 2024, and that it recommends moving to Health Connect.

Update log

  • October 15, 2026: checked against Samsung and Android documentation.
  • November 3, 2026: added the readers’ questions above. No facts were changed.

Sources:

Want the full picture? See our overview: Samsung Health Data: Backup, Export, and Health Connect Guide

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