Garmin to add Apple Health Support to connect.
Source: @JohnW, thank you
I reported on this site last month that Garmin Connect was about to be linked up with Google Health Connect. This is a low-key but essential move for the company, as it continues to shift its focus toward Health and Medical data, rather than sports data. It’s just one more sign of a strategic pivot at the Olathe HQ. In a nutshell, you can’t be a credible Smartwatch if your ecosystem doesn’t link and sync with all the key metrics of Health, and it’s naive to think that one company (Garmin) will be the source of all its customers’ wellness data points.
Today’s News – Apple Health
Thus, it’s no surprise that I recently received direct confirmation that Garmin is planning to deepen its links to the Apple ecosystem within the next two months, specifically with Apple Health.
Garmin Connect and Strava (RUNNA) – new link to Google Health Connect
Types of Data Health Can already Sync
Firstly, it’s important to note that Garmin will limit the number of metrics that can be synced with Health; I don’t have the information yet on which ones. Garmin will further limit which syncs are one-way and which are two-way. Within those parameters, you have the choice to enable or disable the syncs Garmin allows.
Generally speaking, Garmin will likely seek to limit the sending of more advanced data and will restrict the receipt of certain types of competitive data it wants you to obtain from its devices. Thus, an illustrative example is that you will likely still be unable to send Garmin Recovery Data or receive non-Garmin workout data.
Existing link to Apple Health
Source: Garmin
Garmin Connect pushes data to Apple Health but doesn’t currently pull (read) data from an Apple Watch or Apple Health. The following are sent to Health.
- Active Energy, Resting Energy
- Body Fat Percentage, Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure
- Flights Climbed, Steps, Walking + Running Distance
- Heart Rate – Garmin syncs all-day heart rate to Apple Health, but only sends high and low heart rate values for timed activities.
- Sleep Analysis
- Water, Weight
- Workouts (activities uploaded to Garmin Connect – associated GPS track are not written to Apple Health)
Take Out
Don’t get excited about suddenly being able to put non-Garmin workout data into Garmin Connect automatically. That almost certainly won’t happen. Garmin will tightly control the direction and type of data transfer.
It will be interesting to see which data Garmin chooses to take from Health, and also if and how it plans to link with medical records data.
Key metrics will probably be sleep related, because otherwise iOS wouldn’t understand why the dedicated sleep tracker they bought from Garmin didn’t save the info in Apple Health.
The rest will probably stay more or less the same, generic activity tracking.
“….as it continues to shift its focus toward Health and Medical data, rather than sports data”
My impression is quite the opposite at least recently. With the exception of the Index Sleep the recent releases (Hardware & Software features) seem more aimed towards professional athletes:
– Triathlon Coach
– HRM 600 specific metrics
– Race features (Timing gates, auto-stop)
– High frequency tracking
Sure, theres ECG, flashlight, mic/speaker and skin temperature but those have all been available in some form before. And what really annoys me that skin temperature is still hidden in the app and not available on the watch (what happend to the leaked screenshot)
I have one problem with current state of play – Connect can be setup as a source for all health related metrics it records, but cannot be setup as a target for metrics provided by other sources. That is not a limitation set by Apple – this is Garmin’s design choice. I believe the idea behind it is to force Garmin users to stay within Garmin’s ecosystem with all the gear. For instance I use Withings smart scale and blood pressure monitor. Withings takes different approach – it is syncing data both ways with Apple Health and can read metrics provided by Garmin I the user would allow it. Garmin wants me to buy Index gear – that is the only way for my Connect account to see my weight and BP. Currently I just enter my readings manually from time to time, which I find silly.
So – is Garmin going to change it now? Will Connect finally start reading health data? I don’t see where Garmin could improve on providing more data as a source – pretty much everything is available already.
FYI you can sync weight from Withings to Connect via MyFitnessPal, which is what I do, so it updates automatically.
Cool stuff. Thanks for the tip!
idk the details but i suspect more data to be accessed both ways. so yes it looks like garmin is going to change it
garmin could improve by better supporting medica record access
Any updates on this? (edited)
Besides Epix 2 Pro not getting the F8 features, the Connect/Health integration is my biggest issue with Garmin. If they solve one of two, then I am closer to happy 🙂
some other sites are just startign to reports on some leaks of the data types that will be synced.
i’ve not digested the info fully
but it’s not looking too good for anyone esxpecting significantly increased access/scope.