Samsung Health users face an awkward choice over AI training

Samsung Health is introducing a switch that lets the company use your health data to train its AI. The catch is that turning it off may also stop Samsung account syncing and could lead to your stored health data being deleted.

The AI toggle comes with a heavy warning

As first reported by How-To-Geek, the setting appears inside Samsung Health’s privacy controls under the label “Consent to the use of health data for AI training and modeling.” It sits alongside separate permissions covering other data. Some Samsung Health users are finding the AI training consent switched on after accepting the app’s latest privacy notice.

On the surface, this looks like a normal opt-in control. Users can move the switch off when they do not want their health information used to develop Samsung’s AI systems.

The next screen changes the picture. After the consent is withdrawn, Samsung Health displays a warning saying the user will no longer be able to sync health data with their Samsung account!

It also states that health data will be deleted unless Samsung must retain it under applicable law. Any legally retained information will then be erased when the required retention period ends.

So this is not really just a simple AI toggle. You can say no to Samsung using your data for AI training, but you may also lose cloud syncing and some of your stored health history. Not good.

The exact process may depend on where you live and which privacy rules apply. Users in other regions may see different wording, a separate consent process or no AI training switch at all. Samsung does not make those regional differences particularly clear inside the app.

Some important details remain unclear

The warning is still pretty vague. It does not say whether only data stored on Samsung’s servers will be deleted or whether anything saved locally in Samsung Health could disappear too. It also leaves open the question of which tracking features still work without account sync.

That is not a small detail for long-time Galaxy Watch users. Samsung Health can hold years of activity, sleep, heart rate and body composition data, along with medication details, health records and cycle tracking information.

Samsung’s US consumer health privacy statement says users can withdraw consent where the law allows it. Once they do, Samsung should stop the related collection, use and sharing of their health data. The app also includes options to download or erase personal information.

Downloading data first looks sensible

Anyone planning to withdraw consent should download a copy of their Samsung Health information before confirming the change. The option appears in Samsung Health under Settings, followed by Download personal data.

The downloaded archive gives users some protection if the withdrawal process removes their synced history. It also provides a clearer picture of what Samsung Health has stored before the account connection changes.

The larger problem is not that Samsung asks for permission to train AI. A separate toggle is better than hiding that use inside a general privacy policy.

The problem is the apparent connection between declining AI training and losing cloud syncing or stored data. Consent can technically remain optional while still becoming difficult to refuse in practice.

The timing is handy, with Galaxy Unpacked set for July 22. Samsung is expected to show off new Galaxy Watches and more health AI, so this privacy question may soon get even bigger.