According to Android Authority, a teardown of last month’s Android Canary release reveals Google is redesigning the main Health Connect settings page. The key change puts all connected health apps at the top of the page, instead of prioritizing those that most recently accessed data. Google has removed the dedicated “App permissions” menu item and the standalone “Browse health records” page, folding those functions into other sections like “See more health apps” and “Data and access.” A new “Recent access” option now lives under “Your health data” for checking history. The company also added an explanatory footnote for users who find the feature via notification. However, the update removed the icons that preceded each menu option, a visual change the source calls a “straight downgrade.”
The good, the bad, and the plain
So, what’s Google doing here? Basically, it’s trying to simplify. Putting your connected apps front and center makes sense. For most people, that’s the core function: seeing which apps are talking to each other. Hiding “App permissions” behind a “See more” button? That’s a classic Google move to declutter for the average user, even if it adds a tap for power users. The new footnote is pure onboarding help.
But why kill the icons?
Here’s the thing that bugs me. Removing the icons is a weird, arguably hostile change. Visual cues are incredibly important in settings menus. They help you scan and find what you need quickly. Replacing them with a wall of text labels makes the interface feel colder and less intuitive. It’s a small thing, but it speaks to a design philosophy that sometimes prioritizes minimalism over actual usability. Is a clean-looking list really better than a usable one?
health-data”>The bigger picture for health data
This tweak is a minor skirmish in Google’s larger war to make Android the central hub for your health data. Health Connect is their answer to Apple’s HealthKit, a pipeline that lets your Fitbit, your sleep app, and your glucose monitor share data securely. Streamlining the settings is about reducing friction to get more people using it. But there‘s a constant tension. They need to make it simple enough for everyone while still offering the control and transparency that health data absolutely demands. Burying permissions might help the first goal but hurts the second. It’s a tough balance, and I’m not sure this redesign fully nails it.
