← Back to all guidesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Every year or two a fitness platform is sold, rebranded, or shut down. And people lose years of personal data. Google's handling of Fitbit since the 2021 acquisition is the most cited example, but it is not the only one. Under Armour sold MyFitnessPal in 2020. Pebble was shut down in 2016 and users lost their step history overnight. Runkeeper, Moves, and countless other apps have similarly been absorbed or sunset. Health data is uniquely exposed because it is the most personal data any of us generate. And the most commonly locked inside accounts we do not control.
Written by Charles
What counts as health data?
- Sleep stages and HRV: light, deep, REM, awake, plus heart rate variability measured during sleep
- Continuous heart rate: every reading, every workout, every resting-heart-rate trend
- Steps, floors, intensity minutes. Daily activity summaries and minute-level granularity
- Body composition: weight, body fat, BMI, and per-muscle measurements (when paired with a smart scale)
- GPS activities: runs, rides, swims, hikes with full per-second GPS, elevation, and cadence
- Workouts: strength sets, yoga, HIIT, Pilates sessions
- Nutrition: every food, every gram, every calorie, plus any notes you typed in
- Reproductive health: cycle tracking, basal body temperature, cervical mucus notes (Apple Health, Oura, Natural Cycles, etc.)
- Stress and recovery metrics: Body Battery, Readiness, HRV status, recovery scores
- Skin temperature trends: Oura, Apple Watch, Fitbit Sense
- Pulse-ox / SpO2 overnight readings
The Google Fitbit precedent
When Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, the company promised regulators that Fitbit user data would be kept separate from Google ad systems, that the API would remain open, and that users would have continuous access to their data.
Five years later, the situation is more nuanced. Fitbit accounts are still active, but the app has been rebranded and parts of its feature set have been consolidated into Google Fit and Health Connect. Some users have reported missing workout history after forced app migrations. New device launches have slowed. The platform's export policy is still strong. The data is still yours. But the path to get it has changed under users' feet without announcement.
- The acquisition closed in 2021: early Fitbit export paths were modified in 2023 and 2024
- Some Fitbit Sense and Versa features are now Google-ecosystem-only. Pushing users toward newer Google devices
- Independent health-data investigators have raised concerns about which fields are exportable and which are now split across multiple Google accounts
- Export your Fitbit data regularly: at least annually. Even if you do not plan to leave the platform
Other sunset-and-consolidation events worth knowing
Fitbit is the highest-profile case but not the only one. Each of these represents a meaningful chunk of fitness history that disappeared for users.
- Under Armour sold MyFitnessPal to Francisco Partners in 2020. Export stability dropped during the transition
- Pebble smartwatches shut down in 2016 after Fitbit acquired the IP. Users' step history did not transfer
- Runkeeper was sold to ASICS in 2016 and again to a private equity firm in 2022. Policies have shifted twice
- Google Fit was deprecated as a consumer app in 2026 in favour of Health Connect. Android users had to manually migrate
- Moves, Argus, and dozens of smaller fitness apps have been shut down entirely
- Strava was in acquisition talks with multiple buyers in 2016–2018. Held out, but the risk was real
Four reasons to back up: even if you trust the platform
- Longevity: any company is one acquisition away from sunset, even the most-loved indie
- Ownership: your data is your data; portable files guarantee you keep it
- Portability: switching platforms is faster when you already have the export in hand; otherwise you face a 30-day Garmin wait
- Privacy: leaving a copy on a corporate server means trusting their retention policies; an encrypted local copy is yours alone
The quick action plan: five minutes per platform
If you use any of these platforms, do this today. Most exports take five minutes to start; some platforms (Garmin, Samsung) make you wait, so start them now.
- Garmin: request the bulk export at garmin.com/account/datamanagement/ (waits 24h–30d)
- Strava: go to Settings > My Account > Download your archive (instant)
- Fitbit: go to takeout.google.com > Deselect all > Fitbit > Create export (waits hours–days)
- MyFitnessPal: go to myfitnesspal.com > Settings > Privacy & Security > Request Data Export (waits 24–48h)
- Apple Health: encrypted iTunes backup + Health Auto Export (manual, ~30 minutes)
- Oura: Oura app > Profile > Export data (instant)
- Whoop: Whoop web app > Settings > Request data (waits 7+ days)
- Samsung Health: Settings > Account > Download your data (waits 24–48h)
Where to store what you download
- Local encrypted SSD: fastest to access, fastest to lose in a fire
- Off-site encrypted cloud: ProtonDrive (ProtonDrive) or pCloud (pCloud)
- A separate offline backup on a second encrypted drive stored in a different physical location. The 3-2-1 rule
- Full <a href="/guides/backup-your-exports">3-2-1 backup pattern</a>. Three copies, two media types, one off-site
Treat it like a tax return: schedule it twice a year
Digital Takeout Day happens twice a year: May 8 and November 8. Pick one date and run the full backup routine. Most exports only need to be done annually; the twice-yearly cadence accounts for the few platforms (Garmin, Whoop, Samsung) with longer wait times and gives you a safety net for the rest.
- Mark May 8 and November 8 in your calendar: Digital Takeout Day
- Run the action-plan checklist above for every fitness platform you use
- Apply 3-2-1 storage immediately, before you move on
- Annual cadence is the floor: twice-yearly is the right habit
Sources consulted
The acquisition and consolidation claims in this guide come from regulatory filings, major tech-news coverage, and US federal health-data portability guidance.
- FTC press release: Google/Fitbit acquisition (final approval 2020, closed 2021). Https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/08/ftc-gives-final-approval-googles-acquisition-fitbit-after-reaching. Primary US regulatory source for the deal and its conditions on Fitbit user data
- European Commission press release: Google/Fitbit acquisition. Https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2485. EU regulatory decision with separate Fitbit-data commitments
- Pebble post-shutdown coverage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_(watch). Secondary reference documenting the 2016 shutdown and the loss of step-history access for users
- ONC (US Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT). Https://www.healthit.gov/. Federal source on patient health-data access rights and portability
- HHS Office for Civil Rights: The HIPAA Right of Access. Https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/access-right/index.html. The US federal framework that grants individuals the right to obtain copies of their health data, applicable by analogy to consumer health platforms
FAQ
Why is the Google Fitbit acquisition relevant to my health data?
Because it shows that even a major platform with strong export promises can change those promises after an acquisition. Fitbit's data is still yours, but the path to get it has shifted multiple times since 2021. And some users have reported data gaps after forced app migrations.
Do I really need to back up sleep data?
Yes: sleep stages are some of the most regenerative personal data you generate. Losing 5+ years of longitudinal sleep data because a platform changed its export path is irreversible.
How long does it take to back up all my fitness platforms?
Five minutes to trigger the exports, but some (Garmin, Whoop, Samsung) have long wait times. Start them today.
Is the data actually mine if I export it?
Yes: once downloaded, the file is yours. The platform cannot revoke access to a file you have locally.
What if I do not want to use a third-party cloud like ProtonDrive?
Use an encrypted external SSD stored in a separate physical location (a safe deposit box, a family member's house). The 3-2-1 rule still works without cloud storage. See our backup guide.
Should I back up data even if I am not leaving the platform?
Yes: exporting at least annually protects you against platform sunset, silent export-policy changes, and silent data deletion. Treat it like a tax return even when you trust the institution.