It only updates when I open the app
What you are seeing: Your steps are stuck, you open Samsung Health or Fitbit, and suddenly everything catches up.
What is happening
That catch-up is the tell. Your step app is recording fine, but Android is suspending it whenever it is not on screen, so it never gets a chance to write into Health Connect in the background.
Fix it
Two apps need to be allowed to run in the background: your step app and Health Connect itself. Exempting only one is the usual reason a fix does not stick.
- Open Settings, then Battery.
- Find your step app — Samsung Health, Fitbit, Zepp, whichever you use.
- Set it to Unrestricted or Do not optimise.
- Repeat for Health Connect.
| Phone | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Samsung | Settings, Battery, Background usage limits, remove the app from Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps |
| Pixel | Settings, Apps, pick the app, Battery, Unrestricted |
| Xiaomi | Settings, Apps, Manage apps, pick the app, Battery saver, No restrictions, plus Autostart on |
| OnePlus | Settings, Battery, Battery optimisation, pick the app, Do not optimise |
| Oppo and Realme | Settings, Battery, App battery usage, pick the app, Allow background activity |
| Vivo | Settings, Battery, Background power consumption management, allow the app |
Also worth checking
Battery saver mode. While it is on, Android restricts background activity for everything regardless of per-app settings. If your phone drops into battery saver at a low percentage, syncing will stall every time it does.
Adaptive Battery. On Pixel and stock Android this learns to restrict apps you open rarely — which describes a step app that is meant to work silently. Setting the app to Unrestricted overrides it.
How to confirm it worked
Set the exemptions, then leave your phone alone for an hour while carrying it. Open The Ismaili app without opening your step app first. If the steps are current, it is fixed.