Health Connect apps collect health and fitness data, which may contain personal and sensitive data. This article addresses some of the frequently asked questions about the Health Connect policy and access requirements.
We are improving how developers request access to Health Connect permissions, as well as how these requests are reviewed. From August 31, 2024, developers requesting access to Health Connect permissions can declare their use of these permissions by completing the Health Connect declaration form on the App content page (Policy > App content) in Play Console. The form previously used for this purpose will be deprecated.
This change affects developers as follows:- Existing Health Connect developers must complete and submit the new Health Connect questions as part of the Health apps declaration by January 22, 2025, and are subject to the same requirements as before.
- New Health Connect developers that request access for the first time must complete and submit the new Health Connect questions as part of the Health apps declaration in Play Console.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the approved use cases for Health Connect permissions?
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Fitness and Wellness Applications that allow users to track their fitness / wellness and progress to their goals using phone sensors, manual journalling or participating in digital classes and guided sessions. |
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Rewards Applications that encourage users to adopt and maintain healthy habits in exchange for financial rewards. |
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Fitness Coaching Applications that feature virtual human fitness coaching helping users to achieve a health or fitness goal. Human coaches have access to user data to check on progress and provide guidance and support. |
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Corporate Wellness Enterprise focused platforms that enable wellness managers to distribute and manage wellness programs for employees. |
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Medical Care Applications that help users receive and manage clinical care. These applications may provide services that exchange health and fitness data with clinical teams, such as condition management apps focused on medical conditions like diabetes or hypertension. Health Connect is a general purpose data sharing platform that allows users to aggregate health and fitness data from various sources on-device and share it with third parties at their election. The data does not necessarily originate with Google or any Google affiliates and has not been reviewed by Google. It is your responsibility to assess whether Health Connect is appropriate for your intended use and to investigate and vet the source and quality of any data from Health Connect in connection with any purpose, and, in particular, for research, health, or medical uses. |
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Human Subjects Research Applications give users the opportunity to donate their data for health research studies. These studies are typically approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee (EC) and collect user consent for conducting health research. Apps conducting health-related human subject research using data obtained through Health Connect must obtain consent from participants or, in the case of minors, their parent or guardian. Such consent must include the (a) nature, purpose, and duration of the research; (b) procedures, risks, and benefits to the participant; (c) information about confidentiality and handling of data (including any sharing with third parties); (d) a point of contact for participant questions; and (e) the withdrawal process. Apps conducting health-related human subject research using data obtained through Health Connect must receive approval from an independent board whose aim is 1) to protect the rights, safety, and well-being of participants and 2) with the authority to scrutinize, modify, and approve human subjects research. Proof of such approval must be provided upon request. |
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Game Applications where a user’s progress in a game is influenced or impacted by their fitness and/or wellness. These are games that collect a user’s activity data as a way to advance game play. |
How do I access data through Health Connect?
To request access to Health Connect data types, include the relevant permissions in your app’s manifest and complete the Health Connect questions as part of the Health apps declaration.
Keep the following in mind when completing the declaration:
- If your app does not require access to specific data types, then you must not request access to these data types.
- Be as detailed as possible in your app description documenting the purpose for your access requests.
- Request the minimum data types needed and provide a valid use case for each request.