Please note that we strongly recommend participants sync their steps from an app OTHER than Samsung Health as the Samsung Health app is slow at updating and can be unreliable. Google Fit, in our experience, provides a much better syncing experience. Google Fit is available from the Play Store for free. Fitbit has also proved reliable, and can be used without a device. There are many others, but we have experience with these two. Feel free to reach out to us if you find a step tracking app you love!
To get your steps and workouts from Samsung Health to Sworkit you will need to use Health Connect as a bridge. Once you've downloaded Samsung Health and Health Connect on your phone, do the following:
In Samsung Health, tap the 3 dots in the upper right corner
Select Settings
Toggle ON Auto-Detect Workouts
Tap Health Connect and toggle ON Allow All
Now you must enable permissions on your Samsung Phone. Scroll down in the settings to the Consents and enable the Consent to the Processing of Health and Wellness Data. After enabling this, restart your phone, and you should start seeing Samsung Health reading and writing to Health Connect.
Next, sync Health Connect to Sworkit following the instructions here.
Verify that your steps are going from Samsung Health to Health Connect
1. Open up the Health Connect app. Go to Sworkit menu (☰) Settings => Health Connect (connected) => Manage Data and Access on your Android device.
2. If you see a section for Activity with Steps listed, select that.
3. Samsung Health should be shown as one of the Steps entries.
If you are not seeing Steps here, or Samsung Health is not listed as a source, Health Connect is not receiving steps from Samsung Health yet. You can retry the connection steps above to reconnect Samsung Health to Health Connect, or use an alternative Step app (Google Fit, Fitbit, etc.). You can also contact Samsung Health support for more information. https://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/app/samsung-health
Advanced Troubleshooting: Syncing Samsung Health with Sworkit
If you have connected Samsung Health to Sworkit via Health Connect but your steps still show as 0, or if your past data is missing, follow these advanced steps.
Important Note on Past Data: Health Connect is primarily a "forward-looking" service. While these steps may recover some recent history, results for past data are mixed. These steps are guaranteed, however, to fix your sync from today going forward.
1. The "Privacy Consent" Reset
In newer Samsung Health updates, a specific legal consent can "freeze," blocking data from leaving the app.
Open Samsung Health > Settings (3 dots) > Privacy.
Tap Consent to the Processing of Health and Wellness Data.
The Fix: If it’s ON, turn it OFF, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back ON. This re-authorizes the "handshake" between Samsung and Android.
2. Grant "Physical Activity" Permissions
Android requires a specific system permission to "read" your movement before it can share it.
Go to your phone Settings > Apps > Samsung Health.
Tap Permissions > Physical Activity.
Ensure it is set to "Allow." If it was already on, toggle it off and on again to refresh it.
3. Remove Battery Restrictions
Android's battery saver often "puts to sleep" the process that sends steps to Sworkit.
Go to phone Settings > Apps > Samsung Health.
Tap Battery.
Select Unrestricted. This ensures your steps sync even when the app is closed.
4. Set "Data Priority" in Health Connect
If you have multiple apps (like a Fitbit or a phone pedometer) connected to Health Connect, Android may be confused about which one is the "source of truth."
Go to Settings > Security & Privacy > More Privacy Settings > Health Connect.
Tap Data and access > Activity > Steps.
Tap Data sources & priority.
Tap Edit and drag Samsung Health to the top of the list. This tells Sworkit to prioritize Samsung’s data over other sources.
5. Troubleshooting Past Data (History)
Health Connect generally only sees data from the moment you enable it. To try and "force" previous days to appear:
The "Manual View" Nudge: Open Samsung Health, tap the Steps card, and manually swipe back through the last 7 days of graphs. Watching the graphs load can sometimes trigger the app to "push" those old days to the hub.
Check Historical Permissions: In Settings > Health Connect > App permissions > Sworkit, scroll to the bottom. If you see an "Access past data" toggle, ensure it is turned ON.
6. The "Final Step" Checklist
If you've done the above and still see 0:
Take 50 steps: Movement often triggers the first "sync" of the day.
Manual Sync: In Samsung Health Settings, tap Sync with Samsung account > Sync now.
Restart your phone: This is crucial to finalize permission changes on Android.
Still having trouble? Reach out to our Support Heroes with a screenshot of your Health Connect > Data and access > Steps screen so we can see where the data is getting stuck!
If you still require assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Customer Success heroes through our in-app Help Center for quick assistance or by emailing support@sworkit.com.