Read Heart Rate and Send It to Server Samsung

For each of the last three years or so, I've started the review process of a Samsung GPS watch, all variants of either the Samsung Milky way line or Samsung Gear lineup. And each of those years I get a few workouts into it and remember what a complete nightmare it is to get data off of the darn watch.  Or more specifically, out of the Samsung app that accompanies the watch. This year with the Samsung Milky way Lookout Active, the story is no dissimilar.

See, while most companies make it relatively painless to download completed conditioning files – Samsung takes the opposite approach. They make information technology darn near impossible, depending on whether you're on iOS or Android. And even on Android getting a file with HR information included is tricky business besides. When I'm talking files, I'k specifically talking most something you tin download to your reckoner and then load onto various fitness apps/platforms. Common file formats like .FIT, .TCX, and fifty-fifty .GPX. While .CSV is considered a file format, it'due south not a fitness one. No worries, that'south non a concern here since Samsung doesn't use .CSV anyway for S Health.

Annotation that this post is definitely not a review of the Galaxy Lookout man Active (or S Health aka Samsung Health). Information technology's basically just a quick how-to guide on a single topic that seems to perplex many. My actual review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active will come tardily next week, subsequently I finish collecting a fleck more than data.

Now, a super cursory graphical overview of how the Samsung watches work from a fitness file standpoint.

Got all that? Good, we'll probably refer to it a few times.

If Paired to Android Phone:

Equally one might await, the Samsung watches generally have more features when paired to an Android telephone than not. In fact, that even gets taken a footstep further for Milky way phones vs a vanilla Android telephone in certain features. Simply for the purposes of exporting information out of the watch, it's equal.

You lot've got 2 and a half basic ways to go about information technology:

A) Use the .GPX consign option from within Samsung Health: This mostly works fine for doing it one file at a fourth dimension, except one catch: Information technology doesn't export your heart rate data. While the .GPX file format supports 60 minutes data just fine, Samsung elected not to put information technology in in that location. If yous don't care about that – and so by all means, utilize this pick.

B) Utilize 3rd party sync tools to export data from app to interwebs: There's two main options hither I'm aware of – FitnessSyncer and SyncMyTracks. Both practice basically the same thing: They become your data off of the telephone and upward to third party sites like Garmin Connect, Strava, Dropbox, and countless others. Once yous use these apps, your data is free as a bird. And it'll include HR data also (at to the lowest degree with FitnessSyncer that I've tried).

C) Sync to Strava (this is the half choice): In this option you can enable Strava sync for your workouts, and then download that file after the fact from Strava. Be enlightened that this only works for data synced directly from the watch to your Android telephone and then to Strava. If y'all're looking at this option from the perspective of an iPhone user, it won't work (more on that in a moment).

In addition to these methods, there's also the nuclear choice: GDPR. Samsung does permit y'all to submit a request for all your data that they have on their platform (synced to the Samsung Health Cloud). The challenge there is that once you lot stumble through their automated process, you get a ZIP file back with a crapton of generally useless JSON files. They aren't in a fitness format that any site would understand. So you'd have to write a parser to undo that state of affairs. Thus, like a nuclear bomb – it technically works but is also a consummate mess.

So, let's just do a quick run-through of those first iii options. Just for the fun of it.

Export as GPX: Showtime upwards, using the .GPX sport feature within a given conditioning. To do this yous'll go to the activity y'all desire to export and then open up it up. Slide all the way to the lesser and then select 'Export equally GPX file'.

After that, it'll ask you what you desire to practise with it. I'd just email it to yourself and then upload information technology manually to wherever you desire.

3rd Political party Sync- FitnessSyncer: In this scenario you need to create an account (it'southward gratuitous) for FitnessSyncer. This is a website that connects to basically every platform on earth. In the case of Samsung, they connect via the local Samsung Health app on your phone – rather than to Samsung'southward Deject – hence why yous demand to run the app on your telephone.  Once yous've got an business relationship created, get ahead and install the Android app (you tin can also create an business relationship from inside the app besides):

Then, on the options setup a sync entering from Samsung Health. You lot tin exercise this on the smartphone app or on the site. I like the site because I similar desktop web browsers. This will take the data from Samsung Wellness and brand it bachelor within FitnessSyncer's platform:

Next, you'll need to export that data somewhere. FitnessSyncer has basically two things information technology does in life: Pull information in, and push information out. You just tell it where to push and pull to.

Now here's the thing: I strongly recommend you don't get fancy here. Just export it out to one place for now. And don't set up multiple imports. The last time I did that my house of cards vicious downwards. Likely my fault, but just keep information technology unproblematic for now. And so later on when y'all go cocky you can break your own house and it won't be my fault.

In my case, I set information technology upwardly to sync to Dropbox, as that's super easy for me to manage my files there:

Y'all can add together filters and such for dates or titles or annihilation you want. Once more – keep it simple until you've got it working.

And with that, press that sync button and off it goes. And then press the sync button side by side to Dropbox besides:

A few moments later you've got a folder total of workout files to upload wherever you lot desire – inclusive of HR and GPS data:

Note that the Samsung watches don't natively connect to sensors, so that type of information export isn't really an result here.

Strava Sync: Finally, if you lot want to sync to Strava, that's quick and easy also. To enable that go into the '…' menu in the upper right corner, select Settings, and then select 'Connected Services', and so cull Strava. It'll ask you to authenticate once, after which new workouts will then be synced in that location:

Do note that there are some oddities however between the data from Samsung Health GPS consign versus that of using the Strava sync option, including distance/time/meridian, which does, in plough, affect some Strava try metrics.

Interestingly, there used to be manner more options for platforms Samsung sync'd to, merely they're all gone these days. It'due south just Strava, and only Strava. Either fashion, at least if you're on an Android phone you tin go your data out. Sometimes i escape road is ameliorate than none.

If Paired to an iPhone:

I'm going to exist the bearer of bad news hither – but the simple reality is that without an Android phone yous won't be able to download whatsoever conditioning data files from your device. At to the lowest degree if you recorded that activity using the native Samsung workout apps on the Milky way scout. That information goes into Samsung's Samsung Wellness app on your iPhone and and so up to Samsung Health cloud. However, there's no mechanism on the iOS app to download conditioning files (even partial ones).

In fact, unlike the Android app, you can't even connect the Samsung Health to Strava. It'south simply not an choice. But like there is no option to consign data as .GPX files like there is on Android. This has been this way for years, since the days of the Gear Sport and prior.

The *only* choice you've got that doesn't involve an Android phone is the GDPR request to request all your information. But as I outlined in more item up above in the Android section, that just gives y'all a pile of mostly useless not-fitness formatted JSON files. Sure, the data is in at that place, only good luck doing anything with information technology unless yous spend a agglomeration of time writing scripts to manually parsing that data. And if there'south annihilation I've learned in doing this more than a decade information technology's that when it comes to parsing fettle files: It'south really hard.

I've no doubt someone on GitHub probably has a parser somewhere for these files. Merely information technology frequently takes companies years of work to get their files perfect and compliant according to standards. It'due south the edge cases that kills them. Silly things like how to deal with data drop-outs in tunnels or weird 0,0 lat/long type bugs. Things that most DIY parsing scripts won't likely have handled properly. Which isn't a slam on them – it'south a slam on Samsung: Merely offer your .GPX export option on iOS. Or, get all mod and offer .TCX or .FIT like everyone else.

Your only hope – using a tertiary party app to record workouts: For iOS users, this is really the best bet. This allows you to tape a workout using an app similar Endomondo, which supports proper data syncing also as exporting via a desktop web browser. They sync to plenty of platforms, well beyond just Strava. The only downside here is that you won't get the data into Samsung Health as a cohesive workout picture. Only hey – it doesn't audio like you intendance nearly that anyhow.

I know that DesFit used Endomondo for the vast majority of his review he but released with actually good success. I'one thousand planning on using it for the remainder of my workouts for this review. Every bit an iOS user, using information technology or another fettle app is frankly your all-time option for file exporting.

Got an Android friend? Now, if you lot practice accept a friend on Android, there's some opportunity hither if y'all want to keep using the native workout app on the Samsung watches. Oh, and I mean, like, a really good friend.

See, the iPhone app syncs upwards to Samsung's Health deject automatically. So all your data is really in that location. Information technology'southward just that yous tin can't exercise anything with it equally an iOS user.

Even so, if your friend installs on their Android phone the Samsung Health app, and so you log in with your account – and so you can sync your workouts automatically downwards to that phone and export from at that place. Same goes for FitnessSyncer on the Android telephone after installing Due south Wellness.

In fact, that's mostly what I'm doing today. My Galaxy Picket Agile is paired to my iPhone, and and so information technology syncs via the cloud to my secondary Android phone, where I can and then export the information out via FitnessSyncer. It'southward hardly ideal, but information technology'southward an option – especially if you've got an older Android phone lying around (Fun tidbit though: Samsung Health app won't let you sign-in the first time without a SIM carte in the telephone on Android).

Lastly – y'all may be wondering why doesn't Samsung but offer an API on their website and permit apps to access it that way? Well, they practise in fact.

It's just that it's not viable cost-wise for companies to employ it. First, Samsung charges $10,000 for the initial API access, and then they charge on a per read basis for each transaction.  In talking to ane company looking at rolling it out, the cost for that pocket-sized app would likely exist over $1,200,000 per yr based on the load/demand they go. As you might imagine, that's well into non-starter territory. And I doubtable also the reason why we've seen every app but Strava disappear from South Health over the past vi months.

Got any other ways?

At present – if you lot've got whatsoever other ways to go the data out, particularly for iOS users, I'm all ears!

On one mitt, some might make an argument that 'Hey, at least Samsung allows you to connect their watches to iOS. What about Apple that doesn't allow y'all to exercise that to Android!'. And that'due south truthful. But it'southward also whataboutism. At the terminate of the twenty-four hours, Apple isn't selling their watches to Android users, and equally such, they aren't offering a crappy feel.

Given Samsung'southward spent money developing not 1, just two apps (Samsung Wellness and the Galaxy picket app) for iOS – they're showing an investment in catering across not but Samsung phones simply also beyond Android phones.  And while one might also fence that 'maybe Samsung volition add the export features soon', history illuminates that's simply not the case.  Stretching all the way back to 2017 this outcome has been present. In fact, it's gotten worse since then. Previously fifty-fifty on Android there were more data sync partners. Now only Strava is left.

In the meantime, I'll keep doing the two-phone and 3rd political party app tango to get my information out. Oh – and that final review? Don't worry, even so coming up next Friday equally promised. After I find a friend with a Samsung Milky way phone and fly to another land so I tin can install the previously e'er available Spotify app on my watch.

With that – thanks for reading!

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Source: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/03/export-data-samsung-watch-galaxy-health-app.html

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