Health Connect steps not syncing: a fix-it guide

The 5-step checklist (fixes most cases)

On Android, TempoLife reads steps through Google Health Connect — it does not count steps itself, it reads what another app has written there. So a sync problem is a plumbing problem between three parties: the source app (Samsung Health, Mi Fitness, Fitbit…), Health Connect in the middle, and the reading app. Work through these in order:

1. Confirm the source app writes to Health Connect. Open Samsung Health / Mi Fitness / Fitbit and find its Health Connect setting — sharing has to be turned on there, or nothing reaches the middle.
2. Confirm the reading app can read steps. In Health Connect (Settings → Security & privacy → More privacy settings → Health Connect, or the standalone app), open App permissions, pick TempoLife, and make sure Steps read access is on.
3. Check battery optimisation. Aggressive battery settings kill background sync — this is the single most common cause. Exempt the source app (see per-brand steps below).
4. Open the source app to force a flush. Many watch and band apps only write to Health Connect when you open them. Open the app, wait a few seconds, then re-check.
5. Reboot once. A plain restart clears a surprising share of "stuck" Health Connect states before you spend longer on it.

Samsung (Galaxy phones + Samsung Health)

Samsung is the most common setup and has two specific traps:

1. Turn on Samsung Health → Health Connect sharing. Samsung Health does not share with Health Connect by default. Open Samsung Health → menu → Settings → look for Health Connect (sometimes under "Connected services") and enable data sharing, including Steps.

2. Take Samsung Health out of "Sleeping apps". Samsung's battery manager parks background apps, which stops the write. Settings → Battery → Background usage limits → Sleeping apps / Deep sleeping apps — remove Samsung Health (and the reading app) from those lists, and set both to "unrestricted" battery usage.

Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO (MIUI + Mi Fitness / Zepp Life)

MIUI is the most aggressive Android skin about killing background apps, so Xiaomi needs the most attention:

1. Enable Health Connect in Mi Fitness (or Zepp Life). Open the app that talks to your band and find its Health Connect / data-sharing toggle; turn on Steps.

2. Turn on Autostart for both the source app and the reading app (Settings → Apps → Manage apps → the app → Autostart).

3. Set battery to "No restrictions". Same Manage apps screen → Battery saver → No restrictions. MIUI's default "Battery saver" will silently suspend the sync.

4. Lock the app in Recents. Open Recents, pull the app card down (or long-press) and tap the lock icon so MIUI stops clearing it.

Google Pixel (+ Fitbit)

Pixel is the gentlest about background apps, so problems here are usually a plain permission gap:

1. In the Fitbit app, turn on Health Connect sync. Fitbit → You / profile → app settings → Health Connect → enable, and include Steps.

2. Confirm reading permission in Health Connect → App permissions → the reading app → Steps on.

Because Pixel rarely throttles background sync, if steps still do not appear the cause is almost always one of those two toggles rather than battery settings.

Still stuck?

If the checklist and your brand section did not fix it: (1) open Health Connect and check whether the steps data is even there — if Health Connect itself shows no steps, the problem is upstream, in the source app, not in the reading app. (2) In Health Connect, revoke and re-grant the reading app's Steps permission — a fresh grant often re-triggers a full read. (3) Make sure only one source app is writing steps; two sources (phone counter + watch) can disagree and some readers pick the lower one. (4) As a last resort, remove and re-add the connection in the reading app.

Menu names shift between Android and app versions, so treat the exact paths above as a strong guide rather than a fixed map — the order (source writes → Health Connect holds → reader reads, with battery settings guarding the background) is what stays true.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Health Connect show my steps but TempoLife does not?

That points to a read-permission gap: the data reached Health Connect, but the reading app is not allowed to read Steps. Open Health Connect → App permissions → the app → turn Steps read access on. Revoking and re-granting it often forces a fresh read.

Why do my steps sync late instead of in real time?

Many watch and band apps only write to Health Connect when you open them or on a periodic schedule, and battery optimisation can delay it further. Opening the source app forces an immediate flush; exempting it from battery restrictions keeps background writes on time.

Does TempoLife count steps itself?

On Android it reads steps from Google Health Connect rather than counting them, so whatever writes into Health Connect (your phone's own counter, Samsung Health, a Fitbit or a band app) is the real source. Fixing sync means fixing that source and its permissions.

Two apps write steps and the number looks wrong — what now?

Multiple sources can double-count or disagree. Pick one source (the phone counter or the watch, not both), turn off Health Connect writing in the other, and the reader will stop seeing conflicting totals.