Android 14 to Include Health Connect as System Component

Google is looking to make health data tracking easier with its new Health Connect app. Beta testing for the app began in mid-November, but its download count hasn't skyrocketed yet. Google is now looking to bundle Health Connect with Android 14, and the likelihood is looking high.

Without Health Connect, fitness app developers would have to build integrations for every other app individually. The utility serves as an on-device, encrypted, and offline intermediary for health data gathered by different apps. Google already has over a dozen health and fitness apps supporting Health Connect, but that isn’t enough to make it mainstream. The recently released Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1 for Pixel phones includes a Health Connect stub package, suggesting Google will make the app a system component when Android 14 drops. Google could develop a Project Mainline module for Health Connect, so it can keep its data offline, while it receives updates through Google Play System updates instead of Android system OTAs.

A concrete timeline for Health Connect coming preloaded on Pixel phones cannot be ascertained for now, but code changes recorded on the AOSP Gerrit suggest Health Connect will become an Android 14 system service, allowing it to become a pre-installed app on more than just Pixel phones. Google’s intentions seem to be clear, and it could make health data tracking much easier.