Android 17 Code Hints Health Connect May Support Multiple User Profiles

Health Connect is a built-in Android tool that lets supported fitness and health apps read, write and share data while keeping the data secure and on the device, according to Android Authority. It currently supports only one user, so its features are not available on other user profiles.

Android user profiles are designed to let people share a device while keeping personal data private. Storage, apps and accounts are sandboxed, and one profile’s data is inaccessible to another, Android Authority reported. The publication said enabling Health Connect access for user profiles makes sense because the profiles already provide a secure environment.

If the feature is implemented, each person using a shared device could control permissions for individual apps and manage, view or delete stored health data from the same device, according to the report. The code string found by Android Authority indicates that support is in the works, but the publication said it had no visuals showing how the feature would work.

The report said Google will need to ensure adequate privacy protections before enabling Health Connect support for user profiles because the feature would involve critical health data from multiple apps. Android Authority classified the addition as work in progress, meaning it may be some distance from implementation.

Android Authority also said it is too early to say whether Google will proceed with the plan. At present, the evidence is limited to code that references Health Connect adding support for multiple user profiles. The publication said that given the utility of such a feature, it hopes it sees the light of day sooner rather than later.