Unable to Deploy GPX File to Watch Ultra via Samsung Health

[Sproggit]

I'm new to Samsung and new to Android, being in the middle of a switch from Apple/iPhone. Last Saturday I took delivery of an S25 Ultra and a Watch Ultra. I'm having some difficulty getting a GPX walking route downloaded in to my watch. Here's what I've been able to do:-

1. Create and download a GPX route from "https://www.onthegomap.com/"

2. Transfer the GPX route file from my PC to the "Downloads" folder of my S25.

3. Open the S25 File Manager, navigate to and tap on the GPX file, at which point I can see that I'm given three application choices:-

Samsung Health
Garmin Explore
Walkmaster

[the Garmin and Walkmaster apps being two I've installed as I've used them before on my iPhone].

4. Select "Walkmaster" - I don't yet have my mapping files integrated with Explorer - and see that the moment I do so, Walkmaster opens, brings up the default display, showing my local area with the GPX route represented on it, perfectly, as I would expect.

However, when I try to use Samsung Health, things go a bit sideways...

5. Tap on the "Samsung Health" application, instead of "Walkmaster"...

6. See a new window open. At the top of the screen I get a block of text which reads, "Select photos and videos that you allow this app to access" Immediately beneath the text there is a close "x", then two buttons, "Photos" and "Albums", with the "Photos" content showing [I see 4 wallpapers I have manually added, along with the album cover art for some music I've downloaded]. Then, at the bottom of the display, I have another button which contains the text, "Allo..ne".

7. OK, that makes *absolutely no sense*, but if I then pick an image file at random and tap the "Allo...ne" button, the screen clears and at the bottom I get a block of text which reads, "To use this function, you need to always allow Samsung Health to access all photos and videos in Settings."

But why? Why should a *health* application need to access photos? And why "all the time"? All I want to do is push a GPX file to my Watch Ultra. These permission demands make absolutely zero sense and have undermined any trust I might have had for Samsung and their respect for my data.

I went looking, to see if anyone else had hit this issue and found quite a few examples, such as this thread, with the same question and a possible answer...

https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/mobile-apps-services/samsung-health-gpx-import/m-p/1219461#M1595

However, when I follow the instructions there and try to copy my GPX file to this location:-

\Phone\Android\data\com.sec.android.app.shealth\files

Nothing happens. It is difficult to say precisely what has happened or why - I suspect it might be a file system permissions issue, but I'm trying to do this from Windows 11 and I probably need to try again from my Linux build.

I'll put some details of the software stack of my two devices below for reference - but I would be extremely grateful if someone can explain how I might go about getting GPX files on to my watch please. And maybe help me understand why it isn't as simple as the "drag and drop simplicity" of the Walkmaster app?

Thanks in advance for any you suggestions or help you can share.

Phone
OneUI version: 7.0
Android version: 15
Google Play system updatre: 1 October 2024
Android Security Patch Level: 1 December 2024

Watch
OneUI Version: 6.0 Watch
Software Version: L705FXXU1AXL1
Google Play Services: 25.02.34
System Version: 14
WearOS Version: 5.0
Wear Core Services: 1.21.108.686056245
Security Software Version: ASKS v7.8 Release 20230714
Android Security Patch Level: 1 November 2024

[Sproggit]

Here's a partial update and a self-answered question. I went back to my handset settings and I granted Samsung Health the "permanent" access to photos and videos... and I was immediately able to transfer the GPX file to my Watch Ultra.

So in other words, Samsung have added an artificial dependency in the Health app to prevent you from using its full functionality - or use it in conjunction with your watch - unless you are willing to grant access permissions that, seriously, the Health App should not need to have.  I suspect the solution here will be to sell the Watch Ultra and buy a Garmin.

[Saffy2]

Hi Sproggit

I've got GPX files sitting in my samsung health that I want to see on my watch while running (and hear) so that I know where I'm going!  I've looked at your fix above but can't seem to change the permissions to 'permanent' in samsung health - they are 'optional' and I can't see how to change them.

Could you explain how you changed to permanent please - thanks so much!

[Sproggit]

Hi Saffy...

Happy to share what worked for me...

1. Launch the "Settings" app for your phone

2. Scroll down to "Apps", which, on my S25, is in a block of 3 apps that also includes "Digital Wellbeing and parental controls" and "Device care" and tap to enter...

3. In my case I'm told that I have 129 installed applications... and they're all listed in alphabetical order. Scroll down to "Samsung Health" and tap there.

4. You should see an initial option entitled "Samsung Health settings" and then a larger block entitled "Privacy", with 4 entries in it: "Notifications", "Permissions", "Screen time" and "Manage app if unused". You want to tap on "Permissions"...

5. Inside this portion of the configuration settings, you'll see the display has been broken down in to two discrete blocks, the first group being "allowed" and the second "Not allowed". You want to search these two groups to find, "Photos and videos"... which in my case, as I look right this moment, are showing "Not allowed" [because I don't leave the permission active when I don't need it].

6. Tap on "Photos and videos" and you should see a selection of 3 options with "radio button" selectors to their left. The 3 options should be, "Always allow all", "Allow limited access" and "Don't allow". By default I have this set to "Don't allow", but in order to transfer a GPX file from my phone to my watch, I had to change the setting for Samsung Health to "Always allow all".

7. Change this value to "Always allow all" - it is the only option that will allow the GPX transfer to work. Save/Quit all the way back out, then launch Samsung Health and you should be able to transfer the GPX file to your Samsung Galaxy Watch.

8. The moment you have the GPX file copied across, go back in to the setting and disable it again. Because there is NO VALID REASON why a HEALTH application should need ANY access to your picture library at any time.

Seriously, I made a purchase of an S25 and a Galaxy watch this year knowing in advance that both Android and Samsung operate a business model of deeply intrusive personal surveillance... but I've been really, REALLY disappointed with just how bad it is.

If you haven't already done so, can I STRONGLY recommend that you get yourself NetGuard firewall. There are two versions available, one offered via Google Play and one via F-Droid I chose to use the F-Droid version when I discovered that Google impose certain restrictions on the version offered via Google Play and I then made a 10 Euro donation to the developer in order to get the "full feature" version. NetGuard allows you to control the level of access given to every application on your handset in terms of whether it is permitted to access WiFi or Cellular networks... and you will find it truly shocking to see how many applications on your handset are talking without your knowledge.

I hope this helps... There's honestly not much more to say than this... but this is what enabled me to get GPX files downloaded to my Galaxy watch.