Automations Overview Guide

Automations allow you to automatically export and sync your Apple Health data to various destinations without manual intervention. This guide provides an overview of the automations feature and links to detailed guides for each automation type.

Overview

Automations are configured workflows that automatically export your health data to external services, cloud storage, or other destinations. Once configured, automations can run automatically in the background.

Benefits:

• Automatic data backup and synchronization
• No manual intervention required
• Configurable sync frequency
• Multiple automation types for different use cases
• Background operation (app doesn't need to be open)

Use Cases:

• Automatic cloud backups
• Integration with home automation systems
• API integrations for custom applications
• Data analysis and visualization platforms
• Sharing health data with healthcare providers

Limitations:

• Health Data Access: Apps are not allowed to access health data while iPhone is locked. Automations will only run during periods when your device is unlocked. This is a limitation imposed by Apple which cannot be circumvented. More information
• Background Processing: iOS limits background processing to preserve battery life. Automations rely on Background App Refresh and may not run immediately if:
  • Background App Refresh is disabled for the app
  • The device is in Low Power Mode
  • The device has been inactive for extended periods
  • System resources are constrained
  • Multiple apps are competing for background execution time
• Scheduling: Related to background processing, iOS also does not allow apps to run in the background at a specified time. This means even when you set a particular sync cadence, automations are not guaranteed to run precisely at the specified time. Your device must be unlocked and iOS will determine when the automation runs in the background. Automations can also be triggered manually via the following methods:
  • Automations widget: tap the widget icon to trigger the automation
  • Shortcuts — Run Automation: use the Run Automation action to trigger a configured automation (see Schedule An Automation Using Shortcuts)
  • Trigger manually in-app: Go to the automation in Health Auto Export, then perform a Manual Export
• Foreground syncing: While Health Auto Export is open in the foreground, eligible automations may run again on a regular cadence (about every 60 seconds). The device stays awake during foreground use so syncing can continue. The foreground loop pauses only when the device reaches critical thermal state; warmer (non-critical) conditions can still allow foreground sync. Background scheduling limitations above still apply when the app is not in the foreground.

Performance

Keep in mind that iOS is optimized for short-running tasks on a mobile device with very tight performance constraints. Background tasks will typically need to complete within 30 seconds and are limited in how much memory they can consume. Health Auto Export allows a large degree of flexibility and customizability, and this in turn requires taking time to understand how certain configurations will affect app performance and outcomes.

• Configuration: Automations that produce large amounts of data can cause the system to kill the process and result in automations not running in the background. The following configurations can produce large amounts of data:
  • Automations configured to export all health metrics.
    • Recommendation: only select health metrics that have saved data in Apple Health and only select data you actually plan to use. Even empty data types will have a performance impact. You can also consider splitting selected health metrics across multiple automations, which makes it easier for the system to handle.
  • Automations using time groupings in seconds or minutes, or with data summarization off. Such fine-grained queries can take a long time to run and clash with system limitations.
    • Recommendation: while it may seem ideal to have the most detailed data possible, consider whether that level of detail is necessary for each metric or data type. Consider multiple automations with different settings.
  • When exporting outdoor workouts, such as cycling, running, hiking, etc with route data, GPS and associated health metrics data can produce large payloads.
• Payload size: Especially when using REST API export, consider that large payloads can cause server errors. Make sure your backend is configured to handle payloads of possibly several hundred megabytes to avoid errors.
• Sync frequency: Add the Automations widget to your Home Screen to help ensure automations run successfully in the background (see Automations Widget Setup Guide).

Available Automation Types

Health Auto Export supports several automation types, each designed for specific use cases:

REST API

Send health data to any web service that accepts HTTP POST requests. Ideal for custom backends, webhooks, and third-party APIs.

Guide: REST API Automation Guide

Home Assistant

Sync health metrics to Home Assistant as sensor states. Perfect for integrating health data into your smart home automations.

Guide: Home Assistant Automation Guide

MQTT

Publish health data to an MQTT broker. Great for IoT platforms and MQTT-based systems.

Guide: MQTT Automation Guide

Dropbox

Automatically backup health data to Dropbox. Files are organized in folders and can be accessed from any device.

Guide: Dropbox Automation Guide

Google Drive

Automatically backup health data to Google Drive. CSV files can be converted to Google Sheets for easy viewing.

Guide: Google Drive Automation Guide

iCloud Drive

Save health data directly to iCloud Drive. Simple setup with no authentication required.

Guide: iCloud Drive Automation Guide

Calendar

Create calendar events based on your health data. Visualize workouts, health milestones, and other events in your calendar.

Guide: Calendar Automation Guide

Creating Your First Automation

1. Navigate to the Automated Exports screen from the main navigation
2. Tap "New Automation"
3. Select an Automation Type
4. Configure the automation-specific settings (see individual guides)
5. Configure common settings (data type, sync cadence, etc.)
6. Tap "Update" to save
7. Enable the automation

Backing Up & Restoring Your Automations

Health Auto Export can back up your automation settings to iCloud Drive so you can restore them on a new device or after reinstalling the app. This is separate from the health data your automations export.

• Where backups live: Your automation settings are saved as JSON files in iCloud Drive, in the Auto Export/Automations folder (visible in the Files app).
• When backups happen: Each time you save an automation (tapping Update, or leaving the edit screen), that automation is backed up automatically.
• Turning it on or off: Open an automation list and go to Automation Settings, then use Back up to iCloud Drive. It is on by default. If you turn it off, you'll be asked whether to delete the existing backup files from iCloud Drive — your automations stay on your device either way.

Restoring

If you open Automated Exports and have no automations yet but backups are available in iCloud Drive, a Restore from iCloud Drive button appears. Tapping it brings your automations back.

A few things to know after restoring:

• Reconnect your accounts: For your privacy, sign-in tokens for services like Dropbox and Google Drive are not included in backups. After restoring, reconnect those services in each automation.
• Re-enable automations: Restored automations start disabled so nothing runs unexpectedly with out-of-date settings. Review each one and enable it when you're ready.
• Partial restores: If some automations can't be restored (for example a file isn't downloaded yet, the encryption key isn't available yet, or it was created by a newer version of the app), the rest are still restored and you'll see which ones were skipped.

Note: Request headers and credentials you typed into an automation (such as an MQTT password) are encrypted in iCloud Drive backup files. Restore on a new device requires iCloud Keychain so the app can decrypt them. Manual share/export files remain unencrypted plain JSON.

Activity Logs

Each automation has Activity Logs for its run history.

1. Open the automation and tap View Activity Logs.
2. Events are grouped by run (newest runs first). Expand a run to see individual events.
3. Warnings (for example, slow health data query) mean the run completed but a step took longer than expected. Errors mean a step failed (upload, HealthKit read, authentication, and similar).
4. Clear (toolbar) removes only that automation’s activity history, not app-wide diagnostic logs.
5. Share (toolbar) exports the full App Event Logs diagnostic ZIP—the same bundle as Settings → Advanced → Export Event Logs. See the App Event Logs Guide.

Slow queries in Activity Logs

• If an automation takes a long time to fetch health data, Activity Logs may show slow health data query warnings, not errors.
• To speed up runs: select fewer health metrics, use a shorter date range, turn on Summarize Data, and choose a larger Time Grouping (hours, days, or weeks).
• Real-time automations use finer grouping by design and may log slow-query warnings more often.

Export settings warning

When configuring a health metrics automation (not Home Assistant), you may see a footer under Export Settings if the configuration may be slow:

• Summarize Data is off, or time grouping is minutes or seconds, and
• More than 10 health metrics are selected

The footer suggests fewer metrics, a shorter date range, Summarize Data, or coarser time grouping. It links to this guide. Slow-query warnings in Activity Logs are separate and appear after a run when queries exceed thresholds.

Best Practices

1. Automatic Syncing:

• Charge your device and use iPhone Mirroring
  • When your device is being charged iOS places less restrictions on device performance, so data can sync more frequently
  • By using iPhone Mirroring, your device behaves in the same way as if it were unlocked. This means health data is accessible by Health Auto Export in order to run automated actions

2. Sync Frequency:

• Balance between data freshness and resource usage
• Daily syncs work well for most use cases
• More frequent syncs for real-time needs
• Less frequent syncs for summary data

3. Data Selection:

• Select only the metrics you need
• Reduces processing time and data size
• Consider separate automations for different metric groups

4. Testing:

• Run a manual export
• Verify data appears at destination
• Check Activity Logs for errors
• Monitor initial syncs closely

5. Monitoring:

• Review Activity Logs regularly
• Check automation status indicators
• Set up notifications for important automations
• Monitor destination for received data

6. Security:

• Use secure authentication methods
• Keep credentials updated
• Use HTTPS/TLS when available
• Review privacy settings

7. Performance:

• Use appropriate time grouping
• Consider date range settings for cloud storage
• Monitor battery and data usage
• Review Activity Logs for slow-query warnings

8. Backup Strategy:

• Use multiple automation types for redundancy
• Combine cloud storage with API integrations
• Keep local backups when possible
• Test restore procedures

9. Troubleshooting:

• Check Activity Logs first
• Verify network connectivity
• Check authentication credentials
• Review individual automation guides for specific issues

Automation Widget

Add the "Automations" Widget to your Home Screen to:

• Monitor automation status at a glance
• Manually trigger automations
• Optimize background uploads

Getting Help

If you need help with a specific automation type:

1. Refer to the individual automation guide
2. Check Activity Logs for error messages
3. Review troubleshooting sections
4. Contact support if issues persist