Samsung Health: at a glance
Summary based on publicly available vendor documentation. Vendor terms, endpoints and limits change; we verify them against current documentation at the start of every project.
- Integration methods
- Samsung Health Data SDK (Android, on-device; successor to the deprecated Samsung Health SDK for Android)
- Android Health Connect, to which Samsung Health syncs many data types
- Samsung Health Sensor SDK for Galaxy Watch apps on Wear OS
- Your own backend receiving data uploaded by your Android app
- Data types
- Steps, activity and exercise sessions
- Heart rate and sleep
- Blood oxygen (SpO2)
- Weight and body composition
- Blood glucose (manually entered or from connected meters)
- Watch sensor signals such as PPG, accelerometer, ECG and BIA (Sensor SDK)
- Authorization requirements
- User grants read permissions per data type in Samsung Health or Health Connect
- Android runtime permissions in your app
- Watch sensor access requires user consent on the Galaxy Watch
- Users can revoke permissions at any time; apps must handle loss of access
- Developer approval & agreements
- Samsung Health Data SDK: testing in developer mode; distribution requires Samsung partner approval
- Samsung Health Sensor SDK: partnership approval required for distribution
- Health Connect: Google Play declarations and policy review for health permissions
- Requirements verified against current Samsung and Google documentation at project start
- API limitations
- No server-to-server access; data reaches your backend only through your app
- Blood pressure and ECG from the Samsung Health Monitor app may not be exposed to third parties
- Feature availability varies by country, device model and software version
- Background sync behaviour depends on Android battery and process limits
- Health Connect coverage depends on which types Samsung Health chooses to sync
- Healthcare use cases
- Remote patient monitoring on Android
- Chronic condition programs using weight and activity trends
- Post-discharge activity and sleep follow-up
- Clinical research using Galaxy Watch sensor data
- Diabetes programs combining glucose logs with activity
Supported integration methods
There are three practical routes to Samsung Health data, and many projects combine two of them. All three run inside an app on the user's phone or watch; your app then sends data to your own backend under your own consent and security model.
For apps that need broad Android coverage beyond Galaxy devices, reading from Health Connect is often the most practical path, because the same code also covers other apps that write to it. See our Google Health Connect integration page for how that layer works.
Samsung Health Data SDK
An on-device Android SDK that reads, and for some types writes, Samsung Health data with user permission. It replaces the deprecated Samsung Health SDK for Android. You can develop and test in developer mode, but distributing an app that uses it requires approval through Samsung's partner process.
Android Health Connect
Samsung Health syncs many data types to Health Connect when the user enables it. Your app requests Health Connect permissions and reads standardized records, without a Samsung-specific SDK. Coverage and sync timing depend on Samsung Health settings.
Samsung Health Sensor SDK
For Galaxy Watch apps on Wear OS, this SDK exposes raw or processed sensor data such as PPG, accelerometer, ECG and bioelectrical impedance. It suits research and specialised monitoring, and distribution requires partnership approval from Samsung.
Data types and what is actually available
Samsung Health records steps, exercise sessions, heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen, weight, body composition and blood glucose. Glucose values are usually manually entered or come from meters connected to the app, so they should be labeled by source in your data model.
Blood pressure and ECG are measured through the Samsung Health Monitor app on supported devices and in supported countries. These readings may not be available to third-party apps through the SDK or Health Connect, so we confirm availability before any clinical workflow depends on them.
- Map each data type to its source app and device where possible
- Store units, time zones and sampling intervals with every record
- Flag manually entered values separately from device measurements
API limitations to plan around
Because there is no cloud API, data only reaches your servers when your app runs and syncs. Android background execution limits, battery optimisation settings and manufacturer power management all affect how fresh the data is, so dashboards should show the last sync time rather than implying real-time data.
Samsung's SDKs, supported data types and partner terms change between releases. We verify endpoints, SDK versions and policies against current Samsung documentation at project start and recheck them before each release.
Healthcare use cases
Samsung Health data commonly supports remote patient monitoring on Android, weight and activity tracking for chronic condition programs, and sleep and activity follow-up after hospital discharge. Galaxy Watch sensor data can support research protocols that need raw signals.
Consumer device data is not a substitute for clinical-grade measurement unless it has been validated for the intended use. We help teams label data provenance clearly and route it into clinical systems through EHR integration only where the workflow has been reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
Does Samsung Health have a cloud API we can call from our server?
Samsung does not offer a general public cloud REST API for Samsung Health user data. Integrations run in an Android app using the Samsung Health Data SDK or Health Connect, and that app sends data to your backend.
Do we need Samsung approval to use the Samsung Health Data SDK?
You can develop and test in developer mode, but distributing an app that uses the SDK requires approval through Samsung's partner process. We confirm the current process with Samsung's documentation at project start.
Is Health Connect enough instead of a Samsung SDK?
Often it is. Samsung Health syncs many data types to Health Connect, and reading from Health Connect also covers other Android apps. Some Samsung-specific data may only be available through Samsung's own SDKs.
Can we read blood pressure and ECG from Samsung Health Monitor?
These readings depend on country and device availability, and they may not be exposed to third-party apps. We check current availability before planning any workflow that relies on them.
Can we access raw Galaxy Watch sensor data?
The Samsung Health Sensor SDK provides PPG, accelerometer, ECG, BIA and other sensor data to Wear OS apps on Galaxy Watch. Distribution requires partnership approval from Samsung.