Garmin launched its Health Connect integration in July 2025, giving Android users a way to push Garmin data into Google’s centralised health platform. If you use a Garmin Forerunner, Venu, Fenix, or Enduro with an Android phone, this connection lets fitness apps like ScoreVitals access your workout and daily health data. Here’s the exact setup and what you need to know about data limitations.
How Do You Connect Garmin Connect to Health Connect?
You need Android 14 or later and Garmin Connect version 5.14.1 or later. Update both before starting.
Step 1: Open Garmin Connect on your Android phone. Tap the More menu (≡) at the bottom.
Step 2: Tap Settings, then scroll to Connected Apps. Tap Health Connect.
Step 3: Garmin Connect opens Health Connect’s permissions screen. Toggle on write permissions for every data category available: steps, heart rate, sleep, workouts, calories, distance, weight, and body composition.
Step 4: Tap Allow to confirm. Sync begins automatically the next time your Garmin watch syncs to the Garmin Connect app via Bluetooth.
Step 5: To verify, open your phone’s Settings → Security and Privacy → Health Connect (path varies by phone manufacturer). Garmin Connect should appear in the list of connected apps with active write permissions.
Sync happens automatically each time your watch transfers data to Garmin Connect. There’s no manual “Sync Now” button for Health Connect — the push is triggered by the watch-to-app Bluetooth sync.
What Garmin Data Transfers to Health Connect?
The integration covers daily basics: steps, heart rate (all-day with high/low values for activities), sleep duration and stages, workout sessions (duration, type, calories, average heart rate), active and resting calories, distance, flights climbed, weight, body fat percentage, and BMI.
Garmin withholds its proprietary metrics from Health Connect — the same data it withholds from Apple Health. The missing list includes: HRV Status, Body Battery, stress scores, VO² max, blood oxygen (SpO²), respiration rate, Training Load, Training Effect, Recovery Time, Intensity Minutes, running dynamics, running power, lactate threshold, and GPS route data.
For ScoreVitals users, the workout heart rate data is sufficient for accurate TRIMP session scoring and ACWR injury prevention monitoring. Sleep stage data feeds the sleep pillar. The HRV gap means the recovery pillar relies on resting heart rate trends rather than HRV analysis.
How Do You Troubleshoot Garmin Health Connect Sync?
Confirm your Garmin Connect version. Open the Play Store → search Garmin Connect → check that you’re on version 5.14.1 or later. Earlier versions don’t support Health Connect.
Check Android version. Health Connect requires Android 14 or later for built-in support. On Android 13, you need the standalone Health Connect app from the Play Store — and Garmin Connect may not recognise it reliably.
Historical data does not backfill. Only data generated after you enable the connection transfers to Health Connect. Your existing workout history from before the connection won’t retroactively appear.
Disable battery optimisation for Garmin Connect. Many Android manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus) aggressively kill background processes. Go to Settings → Battery → App Battery Management and set Garmin Connect to Unrestricted. Without this, the Bluetooth sync that triggers Health Connect writes may be interrupted.
If data stops syncing after a phone update, disconnect and reconnect. Go to Garmin Connect → Settings → Connected Apps → Health Connect → remove the connection. Then re-add it and re-grant permissions.
Open Garmin Connect daily. While background sync should work automatically, opening the app at least once per day ensures your watch data has been pulled and pushed to Health Connect reliably.
Your Garmin captures excellent workout data — Health Connect gets it to the apps that need it. Download ScoreVitals and let your Garmin workouts contribute to a daily readiness score.