Our smartphones can be valuable tools, not only for communicating, but also for tracking our schedules and even staying on top of our health. Modern smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra can help you track your sleep, stress levels, as well as your energy scores, heart health and much more. Having all this information accessible is convenient and Samsung is constantly updating its Samsung Health app with new and useful features. However, a report from Android Authority suggests that Samsung has decided to make a controversial decision by forcing users to choose between agreeing to have the company train the AI using their health data, or having their health data deleted entirely – at least that seemed to be the case when the feature first arrived.
In July 2026, Samsung Health users began receiving a new notice when opening the Health app, asking them to consent to Samsung using health and wellness data, check-ins, menstrual cycle tracking, and other health tracking metrics to train AI models. This notice also added a new toggle under the Privacy section of the app settings called “Consent to Use Health Data for AI Training and Modeling.”
Although the toggle can be turned off, doing so when first launching the feature would bring up another notice informing you that opting out would delete all your health data and remove the ability to sync health data with your Samsung account. The wording made it seem like you wouldn’t be able to sync your data at all, but Samsung has since clarified that’s not the case and that data syncing will continue with your Samsung account even if you turn off AI training.
Confusing wording, but Samsung says it’s working on it
It is not yet clear whether the data captured by Samsung Health and used to train the AI can be reconnected to individual users in any way. This is perhaps one of the biggest concerns with handing over your health data to AI, especially when you start talking about information as sensitive as medication records, health records, and even menstrual cycle tracking. Once this information leaves your device, it becomes much more likely to be exposed.
Not everyone wants to transmit their data to an AI, but they still want to take advantage of the health features of their smartphone. The good news is that it looks like you can still continue to use Samsung Health to sync your data. Despite the wording in the original notification that you would not be able to do this, Samsung clarified to SamMobile, after online backlash regarding the decision, that it would not delete synced data for users who opted out. Instead, the data he was referring to was only that which had been collected for AI training. The company also said it would update the wording of the notification; however, at the time of publication of this article, the original wording remains.
Unfortunately, without more details on exactly how it plans to use your data or how secure it is, this move from Samsung seems a bit hostile toward consumers with the current wording. It’s good to know that’s not the plan – although it’s hard to tell if Samsung is changing its plans purely due to backlash, or if it always intended for the deleted data to be used for AI training. If you choose to move away from Samsung Health completely, you can still export your data before deleting it by following the instructions on the Samsung website.
Why Samsung wants to train AI with your data
Ultimately, the decision to train its AI models with user data appears to be linked to Samsung’s continued expansion into AI-based features. In 2025, details about the company’s planned AI-based health coaching projects began to surface. The data collected by Samsung will likely be used in conjunction with other advancements to improve these models and provide deeper AI-based insights to Samsung users.
The company shared plans to offer even deeper AI coaching through AI-recommended workout plans, as well as new features on Samsung devices that will allow AI to keep you updated on your vital signs, fitness index, and more. AI would also help provide deeper, healthier nutritional guidance to your diet. However, to do all of this effectively, AI needs to not only examine the data, but also train it so it knows what to look for.
Samsung has already shared details of its plan to offer its devices as a powerful AI assistant for life, providing deeper insights into personal care, family care and even your pet’s care through its apps and experiences such as Samsung Health and SmartThings. Whether you decide to trust Samsung with all the data needed to make these features work is another question, however.
