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Apple Health Integration

This guide explains how to use iOS Shortcuts to automatically send Apple Health data (such as steps, heart rate, calories, or sleep) to Telemetry Harbor. This allows you to monitor your health metrics, visualize trends, and correlate them with other telemetry in Grafana dashboards.

Shortcut Link: https://routinehub.co/shortcut/23264/

Prerequisites​

Before starting, ensure you have:

  • An iPhone running iOS 14 or later.
  • iOS Shortcuts app (pre-installed on modern iOS).
  • An active internet connection (WiFi or cellular).
  • Apple Health app enabled with the relevant permissions.
  • A Telemetry Harbor account (free tier available).
  • Basic knowledge of iOS Shortcuts configuration.

How it Works​

This integration uses iOS Shortcuts to fetch health data directly from the Apple Health app, package it into Telemetry Harbor’s General Data Model, and send it to your Harbor endpoint via HTTP POST.

Unlike single-purpose shortcuts, this one is fully customizable: you select which health metric (steps, heart rate, calories, etc.) to track. You can even duplicate the shortcut to send multiple types of health data in parallel.

Data is transmitted as a daily log of raw points (not aggregated totals). Each data point is only logged once — running the shortcut multiple times for the same period will not create duplicates.

Setup​

1. Create a Telemetry Harbor Account​

  1. Sign up at Telemetry Harbor
  2. Verify your email and log in
  3. Create a Harbor:
    • Click Create Harbor on your dashboard
    • Choose a name like "AppleHealth_Tracker" and select General as the type
    • Select the Free plan (or upgrade for more data capacity)
    • Click Create
  4. Retrieve your credentials:
    • After creation, go to View Details
    • Note down:
      • API Endpoint (single data point endpoint)
      • API Key
      • Grafana Endpoint
      • Grafana Username
      • Grafana Password

2. Install the Apple Health Shortcut​

  1. Download the shortcut:
    • On your iPhone, visit the RoutineHub link.
    • Tap Get Shortcut to download the automation.
    • When prompted, tap Add Shortcut to install it into your Shortcuts library.
  2. Configure the shortcut:
    • Open the Shortcuts app.
    • Find the "Telemetry Harbor - Apple Health Tracker" shortcut.
    • Tap the three dots (⋯) to edit the workflow.
  3. Select Health Metric:
    • In the shortcut actions, choose which Apple Health data type to export (steps, heart rate, sleep, etc.).
  4. Update API settings:
    • Find the Get Contents of URL action.
    • Update:
      • URL field: Replace https://ENDPOINT_HERE/ with your Harbor API endpoint.
      • Headers section: Replace API_KEY_HERE with your actual API key.

3. Configuration During Setup​

During setup, you’ll need to:

  1. Select the health metric:
    • Choose one Apple Health data type to export with this shortcut.
    • To track multiple metrics, duplicate the shortcut and configure each separately.
  2. Enter your Telemetry Harbor API details:
    • API Endpoint URL
    • API Key
  3. Grant permissions:
    • Allow access to Apple Health data when prompted.

Available Metrics​

The shortcut can export any supported Apple Health metric. Common examples:

MetricDescription
StepsNumber of steps taken per day
Heart RateRaw heart rate readings (all day log)
Active CaloriesCalories burned during activity
Resting Heart RateLowest sustained heart rate during rest
Sleep AnalysisSleep duration and phases
Cycling DistanceDistance traveled via cycling
Walking DistanceDistance traveled walking or running
Blood Oxygen (SpO₂)Oxygen saturation readings
Mindful MinutesMinutes spent in mindfulness exercises

(availability depends on iOS device sensors and permissions granted)

Managing Health Data Tracking​

Manual Health Data Logging​

  • Open the Shortcuts app.
  • Tap your configured health shortcut.
  • Grant Health permissions if prompted.
  • Verify success confirmation.

Automated Triggers​

You can schedule health data exports automatically:


Automation Options:

* Time-based triggers (e.g., every day at 12 AM)
* Activity-based triggers (e.g., after workout)
* Charging state triggers (e.g., when charging at night)
* NFC tag triggers

⚠️ If you run multiple duplicated shortcuts, make sure to leave a time gap between them. Running several at the same time may exceed your Telemetry Harbor plan’s rate limits.

Automation Setup Steps​

  1. Open Shortcuts app → Automation tab.
  2. Tap Create Personal Automation.
  3. Choose your trigger type.
  4. Configure trigger conditions.
  5. Add your health tracking shortcut as the action.
  6. Toggle "Ask Before Running" off for true automation.

Testing and Verification​

First Test Run​

  1. Ensure Apple Health permissions are enabled.
  2. Tap your configured shortcut.
  3. Confirm permission prompts for Health data.
  4. Watch for success confirmation.

Verify Data Transmission​

Check your Grafana dashboard:

  • Confirm entries with correct timestamps.
  • Verify the ship_id and cargo_id match your setup.
  • Confirm raw data points are visible (not daily sums).

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Shortcut not executing

  • Confirm Apple Health permissions are granted.
  • Test each action individually with debug mode.

API connection issues

  • Verify your API endpoint URL is correct.
  • Check API key formatting in request headers.

Data not appearing in Grafana

  • Adjust Grafana dashboard time range.
  • Confirm correct ship_id and cargo_id.
  • Ensure Telemetry Harbor quota is not exceeded.

Duplicate runs

  • Data points are only logged once. Running the same shortcut again for the same date range will not overwrite or duplicate logs.

Visualizing Data in Grafana​

Once your Apple Health data is flowing into Telemetry Harbor:

  1. Log in to Grafana using your Harbor credentials.
  2. Navigate to Dashboards → Comprehensive Telemetry Dashboard.
  3. Configure health visualization:
    • Select your Harbor as the data source.
    • Filter by your ship_id.
    • Filter by the cargo_id of the metric (e.g., Steps, HeartRate).
  4. Adjust time ranges to visualize trends.
  5. Combine with other telemetry (e.g., GPS or device health) for full insights.

Expanding Your Mobile Telemetry​

The iOS Shortcuts framework can export additional Apple Health or device metrics. Examples:

  • Blood oxygen levels
  • Workout summaries
  • Hydration logs
  • Menstrual cycle tracking

Custom Payload Structure​

{
  "time": "2024-11-18T19:24:00.948Z",
  "ship_id": "iPhone_Health",
  "cargo_id": "HeartRate",
  "value": 72
}