How to Setup and Use S Health App in Samsung Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge

There is an abundance of fitness trackers and step counting bands in the market already, but if you are someone considering to purchase a flagship device and not inclined towards buying one of those bands for tracking your fitness, some of the recent good smartphones have enough to get you started with a healthier lifestyle. S Health is an app in Samsung flagship devices, and the recent version of it, in the Samsung Galaxy S6, has got in a lot of improvement.

For you to become a pro user of it, and to take full advantage of the app, you will have to set it up properly. Here’s how to do that. The first important point to note is – Sign up for a Samsung account, or log in to your Samsung account if you want the stats to be kept saved and synced properly. Local data can be lost when you choose to reset your device some day, but the syncing part is what will help in the long run.

Once you log into the account, you’ll see a section of “Be more active” on the top, and step counter below it, followed by Running “start” button. But the interface is not limited to it. The “Manage Items” button just beside to it, has a few programmers to add to the interface, and a section named Trackers will help you track more than just running.

Unlike some of the dedicated fitness trackers, you won’t see the app doing a great job in tracking whether you were running, cycling, hiking, or doing something else, unless you ask the device to start tracking when you start a particular session. The only feature that works without your prompt, is the step counter.

Setting up your S Health Profile

The app might be a little confusing, thus you need to tap on every corner to see what shows up. Here, the profile section would show when you tap on the top left corner face, and that is a one-time setup where you can change the Name, Gender, Birthday, Height, Weight, and Activity level.

How to measure Heart Rate and stress using S Health

The main screen of S Health doesn’t come with option of checking heart rate using the Heart Rate Monitor that is included on the back of the Galaxy S6. To have that as a direct option, go to “More” on the top right of the screen and in the dropdown list, select “Manage items”. Here, you’ll find the option of Heart Rate. Toggle that ON, and you’ll now see a Heart Rate Measure button on the main screen of the app.

Tap on the Measure button and you will be guided with instructions on how to place your finger on the sensor for a proper measurement of heart rate. The same thing applies for measuring stress.

Note: Try to keep your hand at chest level, with not a very acute angle, so as to keep the blood flow normal.

How to track Running, Cycling session on S Health

While the steps are counted without you having to do much, you will need to just have the Running, Cycling, Hiking, Sports toggle on the screen, just like you chose the Heart Rate button above. Before starting your run, tap on Start and you will see the following options:

• Pace Target
• Distance Target
• Duration Target
• Burnt Calorie Target
• Training Effect Target
• Basic workout

Select one based on how you want to track the activity. I personally would go with either a distance or a duration target, set at 3km, or 30 minute run. There are options to even play music before you hit the Start button. Once you are done with it, you can Stop and check in Trends section on how you are doing on regular basis.

How to set activity goals on S Health

Setting activity goals in the S Health of Galaxy S6 is based on two things: No. of steps, and Active minutes per day. To change the goal of number of steps, you will need to tap on the Step counter box, and in the next page, tap on More to see a dropdown list, having an option “Set target”.

To change the goal for activity based on number of minutes, you’ll have to go to “Manage Items” section from the app main screen, and here, the first one “Be more active” is what you need to check. Activity in this will be checked from steps, and other activities like walking, running, etc.

How to count calorie intake in the app

Not really helpful, if I should be frank. There is a feature that lets you enter the food you had, and it counts the calorie intake. Samsung recommends to have 2800 kcal as a recommended goal, though that isn’t something I’d suggest. It depends on a lot of factors. Though, if you are someone who still wants to just calculate how much is the calorie intake, you need to go to Manage Items and a name “Eat healthier” is to be tapped and set up to keep a log.

Moreover, you can also have a widget on the home screen of your Galaxy S6, to check the steps without having to go to the application always. The S Health app is quite improved, and includes a lot to do this time, and if you are someone using a Galaxy S6/S6 Edge, this app is a must-use to help you keep a track of your fitness and activity levels.