Apple’s continuing focus on health and wellness has given iOS users the truly valuable Apple Health app. As well as the facility to track and monitor your health through its built-in functions, Apple also allows third-party apps to share information with Apple Health.
This gives you even more flexibility in how you interact with your health data on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Here’s how you can view and change the apps that can share data with Apple Health.
How to View the Apps That Can Share Data With Apple Health
Numerous apps can now share data with Apple Health, and when you first install an app with this facility, you’ll be asked whether you want to enable data sharing. Whether you allow sharing or not at this stage, you can adjust everything later via the Health app's settings.
It’s easy to view which apps you’ve entrusted to share information with Apple Health. Simply open the Health app and tap the Sharing button at the bottom of the screen. Select Apps from the available options, and you’ll see every app with sharing permissions listed. Any app that requests permission to update your Health data is automatically added to this list.
To get further information about which data any individual app is sharing, simply select it.
How to Change the Data That Apps Share With Apple Health
Within the Apps section, select the app that you’re interested in to see data specific to that program. This will vary depending on the particular functions of the app and the permissions you’ve granted. Typically, for workout apps, you’ll see two categories. There’s the data the app can read and the data it can write.
The type of information an app can read may include essential details about your date of birth, sex, weight, and height. This will enable workout data to be more accurate. Other metrics apps may read or write include:
- Active energy
- Cardio fitness
- Exercise minutes
- Heart rate
- Resting heart rate
- Stand hours
- Type of workout
- Workout route
- Distance covered while walking, running, cycling, or swimming
- Running metrics such as power, speed, stride length, and ground contact time
- Swimming metrics such as strokes and distance
To change the information you wish to share, simply toggle the green switch next to each category. Alternatively, you can select Turn Off All at the top of the screen to revoke access entirely.
Like all Apple Health features, you have complete control over everything you wish to share. You should also consider taking a moment to set up Medical ID on your iPhone and check that your details are up-to-date. Apple ensures that all of your health data is encrypted and secure.
Take Control of Your Health Information With Apple Health
Being able to share your health data between Apple Health and your preferred wellness and exercise apps is a wonderful feature. It allows your user experience on any health-related app to be more streamlined and personalized. And by recording and sharing key data from your workouts with the Health app, you'll gain insights that will allow you to set realistic exercise goals without risking your health.
Still, it is essential that you are in control of your health information at all times, so it’s vital that you know exactly what you’re sharing and how to change it. Fortunately, with Apple’s Health app, that's an easy process.