Connecting Smart Devices to WeightBuddy

If you wear a smart watch, step on a smart scale, or track workouts with another app, you can sync that data straight into WeightBuddy. This FAQ walks you through how the connection works, how to set it up, and how to fix the most common hiccups.

On an iPhone? This guide is for Android devices, which use Health Connect. On iOS, WeightBuddy connects to Apple's built-in HealthKit instead — your iPhone and Apple Watch already sync data there. You can grant WeightBuddy access to HealthKit during signup, or turn it on later from Profile > Preferences. The rest of this article doesn't apply to iOS.

How does WeightBuddy get data from my smart device?

WeightBuddy reads your health data from Health Connect, the official health data hub on Android. Health Connect lives on your phone (you can find it in your phone settings, or install it from the Play Store on older devices) and acts as a shared inbox: your fitness apps put data in, and WeightBuddy reads it from there.

You can enable the Health Connect integration during signup, or turn it on later anytime from Profile > Preferences. Either way works — the setup steps are the same.

You stay in control the whole time. Health Connect handles permissions separately from the rest of your phone, so you can decide exactly what WeightBuddy is allowed to see.

Do I need to install or update Health Connect?

It depends on which version of Android your phone is running.

• Android 14 and above: Health Connect is already built into the system — there's nothing to install or update from the Play Store. Open your phone's Settings and search for "Health Connect" to find it. Updates arrive automatically through your normal Android system updates.
• Android 9 through Android 13: Health Connect isn't built in. Install it from the Play Store as a separate app called Health Connect, and keep it up to date from there. Once installed, it works the same way as the built-in version.
• Android 8 and below: Health Connect isn't available on these versions, so WeightBuddy can't sync from a smart device on this phone. You'd need to upgrade to a newer Android device to use the integration.

If you installed Health Connect from the Play Store, it's worth checking the Play Store every now and then and updating Health Connect to the latest version. Like any app, it gets bug fixes and improvements over time, and an outdated version is a common cause of odd sync issues.

What data does WeightBuddy read?

Right now WeightBuddy reads three types of data from Health Connect:

• Steps — your daily step count
• Weight — readings from your smart scale or manual entries
• Workouts — your activity sessions, including burnt calories when you allow that permission

Once your devices are connected, this data flows into your daily log automatically and contributes to your progress and calorie totals.

How do I connect my smart watch, scale, or fitness app?

Every smart device comes with its own companion app — for example, Garmin Connect for Garmin watches, Zepp Life or Mi Fitness for Xiaomi devices, the Strava app for Strava activities, and so on. That companion app is where your device sends its data first, so the connection always starts there.

Open your device's companion app and look for its integration settings. You'll usually find one of these three options:

• Direct Health Connect support — turn it on and you're done. Your data will flow straight into Health Connect, and WeightBuddy can read it.
• Google Fit support only — turn on the Google Fit integration. You'll then need one extra step to bridge Google Fit and Health Connect (see the next question).
• Neither — unfortunately, that device can't sync with WeightBuddy. This is rare; most popular brands support at least Google Fit.

If you use more than one device or app (say, a Xiaomi watch and Strava), repeat this for each one. Each companion app needs its own integration set up.

My companion app only supports Google Fit. What do I do?

Plenty of companion apps — Zepp Life is a common example — only sync with Google Fit, not directly with Health Connect. The good news is that Google Fit can pass that data along to Health Connect, so WeightBuddy still picks it up. Here's how to bridge them:

1. Install the Google Fit app from the Play Store.
2. Sign in with the same Google account you use in your device's companion app.
3. In Google Fit, open Settings > Health Connect > Sync Fit with Health Connect and turn it on.

Once you've done that, your Google Fit data will start showing up in Health Connect, and WeightBuddy will read it from there.

Where do I manage what WeightBuddy is allowed to see?

You have two easy ways to reach Health Connect's settings:

• From your phone: open Settings > Privacy > Health Connect.
• From WeightBuddy: open the Profile tab, then Preferences > Health Connect Access > Manage in settings.

Inside Health Connect, you can see every app that's connected, turn individual permissions on or off, and review the data each app has read or written.

Can I let WeightBuddy read some data but not others?

Yes. WeightBuddy supports granular permissions, so you can mix and match. If you'd rather not share burnt calories, for example, you can deny that one and keep workouts and steps on — WeightBuddy will still track your workouts, it just won't show the calorie estimate for them.

If you change your mind later and grant a permission you'd previously denied, WeightBuddy will catch up automatically and pull in the last 30 days of that data type.

Why are my step counts slightly different from my watch or fitness app?

This usually happens when more than one source is tracking your steps at the same time — for instance, your phone and your smart watch. Health Connect merges these sources by default, but you can fine-tune which one it trusts:

1. Open Health Connect settings.
2. Go to Manage Data > Data sources and priority.
3. Under the Activity tab (which covers both steps and workouts), reorder the sources so your most accurate one is at the top.

If you wear a dedicated fitness tracker like a smart watch, we recommend turning off your phone as a step source and letting your watch be the single source of truth. Your numbers will line up much more closely between apps.

How often does WeightBuddy sync my data?

WeightBuddy syncs every time you open the app, and again when you bring it back from the background. It pulls in the most recent days of data so that anything your device reported late — or any edits you made in another app — get picked up and updated.

If you want to make sure something is up to date, just open WeightBuddy and head to the Home or Progress screen.

I set everything up but I still don't see my data. What's wrong?

If your data isn't appearing in WeightBuddy, walk through this checklist:

• Open your device's companion app and confirm the Health Connect (or Google Fit) integration is switched on.
• If you're using Google Fit as a bridge, confirm the Sync Fit with Health Connect option is enabled and that you're signed into the same Google account in both places.
• In Health Connect, check that the data type (steps, weight, or workouts) is actually populated. If Health Connect itself is empty, the data hasn't reached it yet.
• In WeightBuddy, open Profile > Preferences > Health Connect Access and make sure you've granted permission for the data types you want to see.
• Give it a moment — companion apps don't always sync to Health Connect instantly, especially right after a workout.