Health Connect in Android 16 adds medical records, symptoms, and alcohol tracking

Google is steadily evolving Health Connect, moving it from a simple fitness-data conduit to a broader health management platform. Insider Mishaal Rahman, citing Android Canary test builds, reports that future Android releases will add medical records, symptom tracking, and alcohol intake logging.

Launched in 2022, Health Connect set out to fix one of Android’s long-standing headaches: scattered health data. Fitness apps previously lived in silos, each demanding separate permissions and making oversight messy. Health Connect pulled those threads into one place, letting apps securely read and write information with user consent. At launch, the platform supported about 40 types of activity and health metrics.

The latest Android 16 builds suggest Google plans to widen the scope. System-level support is coming for medical information, including allergies, vaccinations, and lab results. New activity types, such as yoga and meditation, are on the list. And in Android 16 QPR2, built-in step tracking has already appeared — the first time Google is collecting health data directly rather than relying on third-party apps.

One of the standout additions is alcohol consumption logging, alongside a broader catalog of symptoms. Users will be able to note different kinds of pain as well as issues related to digestion, breathing, sleep, and the cardiovascular system. Taken together, these changes edge Health Connect toward a centralized health record rather than a mere fitness middleman.

The interface is also set to get simpler. In upcoming Android versions, the settings page will surface connected apps first, and permissions will be managed by data categories instead of individual parameters. In practice, that means Google is folding scattered screens and navigation elements into a single, clearer control panel — a small but important usability fix.

Even with that momentum, Apple Health still leads the field. It has been a default iPhone app for more than a decade and is tightly integrated with Apple Watch, healthcare providers, and insurers. Still, the expansion of Health Connect signals that Google is serious about closing the gap and positioning Android as a full-fledged health platform.