Guide
Garmin Body Battery and Health Connect: which data actually gets through (and which doesn't)
Body Battery isn't data Garmin shares with Health Connect, and FitMesh has no direct Garmin connection today. Here's what actually gets through, and from where.
TL;DR
- Body Battery doesn't reach Health Connect because Garmin treats it as proprietary data and doesn't export it.
- All other Garmin data (steps, heart rate, sleep, calories) flows regularly via Health Connect if you enable the integration in Garmin Connect settings.
- FitMesh has no direct connection to Garmin today: it only reads what Garmin writes to Health Connect.
- Body Battery is not a Health Connect standard: it's an indicator calculated internally by Garmin using a proprietary algorithm.
- The same goes for Garmin's stress score and VO2 max: none of the three (Body Battery, stress, VO2 max) reach FitMesh today, from any source.
If you have a Garmin watch and try to see Body Battery in Health Connect or any other Android app, you always find zero. Steps, heart rate, sleep, calories: they all arrive. Body Battery: nothing. It's not a configuration problem. Garmin deliberately doesn't export it, and there's a reason for that.
Why Body Battery doesn't reach Health Connect
Body Battery is a recovery score that Garmin calculates internally by combining HRV, stress, sleep quality, and activity. It's not a raw metric like steps or heart rate: it's processed data using an algorithm that Garmin hasn't publicly documented. As a result, there's no 'Body Battery' data type in the official Health Connect catalog. Health Connect can only host data types that Google has standardized: steps, calories, heart rate, sleep, SpO2 and others. A score calculated internally by a manufacturer doesn't fit into any of those categories.
What works: the Garmin data that does reach Health Connect
Before focusing on what's missing, it's worth knowing what works well. Garmin Connect regularly exports to Health Connect: daily steps, distance, active and total calories, heart rate (average, resting, intraday if the device supports it), sleep data (total duration and stages if the watch detects them), SpO2 and workout data. All of this reaches Health Connect, and from there to any app with read permissions, including FitMesh Sync.
A one-way flow, and it needs an up-to-date Android
The Garmin-Health Connect connection works in one direction only: Garmin Connect writes data to Health Connect, and apps like FitMesh read it from there. Garmin doesn't read anything back from Health Connect: it's not a two-way flow. Health Connect is also built natively into Android starting with Android 14; on earlier versions (Android 9-13) it's available as a separate app you install from the Play Store. If your phone runs an Android version older than 14 and Health Connect isn't preinstalled, install it manually before setting up the Garmin Connect integration.
How to enable the Garmin-Health Connect integration
- Open Garmin Connect on your phone.
- Tap the top-left menu, then go to Settings (gear icon, top right).
- Look for the Health connections or Integrations section (the name varies slightly between versions). Select Health Connect.
- If the entry doesn't appear, update Garmin Connect to the latest version available on the Play Store.
- Enable the toggle and grant the requested permissions. Garmin will start writing your data to Health Connect with each sync.
- To force a first upload, open Garmin Connect, go to your profile and tap Sync. Data will appear in Health Connect within a few minutes.
On iPhone: Garmin Connect and Apple Health
On iPhone, the path is different: there's no Health Connect, since it's an Android-only API. Garmin Connect for iOS can write steps, heart rate, sleep, calories, and workouts to Apple Health, if you grant permissions during setup. FitMesh on iPhone reads from Apple Health using the same generic mechanism it uses for any other device: if Garmin Connect wrote the data to Apple Health, FitMesh sees it. Body Battery, stress, and VO2 max remain unavailable on iPhone too, for the same reason explained above: Garmin doesn't export them to either Health Connect or Apple Health, and FitMesh has no direct connection to the Garmin account on either platform.
Body Battery, stress, and VO2 max: what FitMesh does today
FitMesh has no direct connection to your Garmin account today: there is no Garmin OAuth integration in FitMesh, and none in FitMesh Pro either. FitMesh only reads what reaches Health Connect, so it does not receive Body Battery, stress, or VO2 max: Garmin doesn't export them to Health Connect, for the reasons explained above. If FitMesh adds a direct Garmin connection in the future, this page will be updated with the date and app version it becomes available in.
| Metric | Available in Garmin | Exported to Health Connect | Received by FitMesh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steps, heart rate, sleep, calories, SpO2, workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Body Battery | Yes | No | No |
| Stress score | Yes | No | No |
| VO2 max | Yes | No | No |
This page is based on Garmin's official 'Health Connect data sharing' documentation, Garmin's support documentation for Body Battery, and the data type lists published by Google for Health Connect and by Apple for Apple Health. Always check the official sources for the latest updates, since Garmin, Google, and Apple can all change what they export or support.
Frequently asked questions
Will Body Battery ever come to Health Connect?+
There's no public announcement in that direction. Body Battery is a metric calculated internally with an undocumented algorithm: to export it to Health Connect, Garmin would need to either publish the calculation method or work with Google to add a new standard data type. Neither has happened so far.
Do other Garmin scores (stress, VO2 max) have the same problem as Body Battery?+
Yes, same situation. Garmin's stress score and VO2 max are also internally calculated metrics that Garmin doesn't export to Health Connect. Neither is available in FitMesh today: FitMesh has no direct Garmin connection for any of the three.
Do I need to uninstall Garmin Connect to use FitMesh?+
No, absolutely not. Garmin Connect must stay installed: it's the app that syncs data from your watch to your phone and writes it to Health Connect. FitMesh reads from Health Connect. The two coexist without issues.
Why does my Garmin data arrive late in Health Connect?+
Garmin Connect writes to Health Connect only when it actively syncs with the watch. If you keep the watch away from your phone for hours, data will arrive in bulk when you reopen Garmin Connect within Bluetooth range. For fresher data, manually force a Garmin Connect sync or keep your phone and watch nearby.
Disclaimer
FitMesh Sync is an independent product. Garmin is a trademark of their respective owners. This article implies no affiliation or sponsorship.
Medical disclaimer
The information in this article is for informational purposes only and does not replace advice from your physician, pharmacist or healthcare professional. FitMesh Sync is a fitness/wellness app, not a medical device, and does not diagnose or treat any conditions. For symptoms, clinical questions or treatment decisions always consult your primary care physician.
Written by
Matteo Pizzi
Founder & Solo Dev, FitMesh Sync · Fosforonero
Italian software developer. I built FitMesh Sync to fill the gap between my smartwatch and a real personal dashboard. Privacy-first, indie, EU servers.
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