What Health Connect is

Health Connect is Google's health data hub for Android. Apps write data into it, and other apps read data out of it. The Ismaili app reads from it, and never writes to it.

This is the part almost everyone misses

Health Connect does not count your steps. It is a filing cabinet, not a pedometer.

If no app is putting steps into it, there is nothing for us to read, and your dashboard will show zero even when your permissions are perfectly set up.

Do you already have it?

It depends on your Android version. Open Settings, then About phone, to check.

Your Android version	Where Health Connect lives
14 or newer	Built in. Open Settings and search for Health Connect.
8 to 13	A separate app you install from the Play Store.
7.1 or older	Not available, and ACTIVE cannot work. See unsupported devices.

Installing it on Android 8 to 13

1. Open Health Connect on Google Play, or search for Health Connect in the Play Store.
2. Tap Install, and wait for it to finish.
3. Go back to The Ismaili app and open ACTIVE again.

The app may say update when you have nothing to update

On many Android 13 phones, the app says Health Connect needs updating even if you have never installed it. Your phone reports the same status either way, so the app genuinely cannot tell the difference.

Following the steps above still works. The Play Store listing shows the correct Install or Update button for your phone.

What permissions we ask for

We ask to read three things, and we need all three:

• Steps
• Distance
• Active calories burned

All three rows must appear. Fewer than three means something is wrong.

Good to know

If your permission screen lists fewer than three rows, please tell us — that should not happen and we want to know about it.

What writes data into it

You need at least one app or watch recording your steps:

• Samsung phones — Samsung Health
• Pixel and most others — Fitbit or Google Fit
• A watch — Garmin, Amazfit and others

Checking whether anything is writing data

1. Open Health Connect.
2. Tap Data and access, then Activity, then Steps.
3. Look under Can write steps.

If that list is empty, that is your problem, and my dashboard shows zero explains what to do.

Turning our access off

Open Health Connect, tap App permissions, then The Ismaili, and turn the permissions off. ACTIVE stops working, and nothing else in the app is affected.