Altitude: the Google Health API altitude data type
Read from Google’s documentation on 2026-10-17 · discovery document revision 20261014 · Google’s data-types page last updated 2026-10-06
Altitude (altitude) is an Interval data type in the Google Health API. Google's data-types table lists list, reconcile, rollup and dailyRollup for it under the .activity_and_fitness.readonly and .activity_and_fitness.writeonly scopes, with a storage resolution of 1 minute. The table marks it with webhook support and true-zeros support. Google's Fitbit migration table maps the Fitbit Web API's Elevation data to it.
Altitude at a glance
From the Altitude row of Google’s data-types table, joined to the discovery document’s DataPoint schema.
- Display name
- Altitude
- dataType (in endpoint URLs)
altitude- filter parameter
altitudeGoogle: “The identifier separated by underscores (for example,active_minutes) used as the value for thedataTypefilter parameter in daily rollup and rollup requests.”- Record type
- Interval — Google: “Represents measurements recorded over a duration.”
- Storage resolution
- 1 minute
- Webhook support
- Yes · automatic-subscription token WEBHOOK_DATA_TYPE_ALTITUDE
- True zeros support
- Yes
- Channel
- v4
- DataPoint field
DataPoint.altitude→AltitudeIts description: “Optional. Data for points in thealtitudeinterval data type collection.”- Compatible devices
- 0 in Google’s table
Operations and request paths
The operations Google’s table lists for altitude, each matched to its users.dataTypes.dataPoints method in the discovery document. The path is the documented path template (the method’s flatPath on https://health.googleapis.com/) with {dataTypesId} filled in as altitude. Google on {user}: “The {user} can be either the alias me or the authenticated user's numeric Health User ID (retrieved via GetIdentity).”
| Table lists | Method | Documented path template |
|---|---|---|
list | list | GET https://health.googleapis.com/v4/users/{usersId}/dataTypes/altitude/dataPoints |
reconcile | reconcile | GET https://health.googleapis.com/v4/users/{usersId}/dataTypes/altitude/dataPoints:reconcile |
rollup | rollUpsame name, different case | POST https://health.googleapis.com/v4/users/{usersId}/dataTypes/altitude/dataPoints:rollUp |
dailyRollup | dailyRollUpsame name, different case | POST https://health.googleapis.com/v4/users/{usersId}/dataTypes/altitude/dataPoints:dailyRollUp |
Every method, and how many of the data types list it: the methods overview.
Scopes
The scopes Google’s table lists for altitude, as full URLs, with the consent text Google’s Scopes page gives each. Every Google Health API scope.
| Scope | Access | Google’s permission text |
|---|---|---|
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/googlehealth.activity_and_fitness.readonly | read | See your Google Health activity and fitness data. |
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/googlehealth.activity_and_fitness.writeonly | write | Add activity and fitness data to Google Health, and edit or delete the data it adds. |
Fields of Altitude
The schema the discovery document gives DataPoint.altitude, required fields first. Types are as the discovery document states them; the label is the word Google’s description opens with. The schemas its fields refer to follow, one level deep.
Altitude — Google: “Captures the altitude gain (i.e. deltas), and not level above sea, for a user in millimeters.”
| Field | Type | Google’s description |
|---|---|---|
gainMillimetersRequired | string/int64 | Required. Altitude gain in millimeters over the observed interval. Must be in the range [-1000000000, 1000000000]. |
intervalRequired | ObservationTimeInterval | Required. Observed interval. |
ObservationTimeInterval
Google: “Represents a time interval of an observed data point.”
| Field | Type | Google’s description |
|---|---|---|
endTimeRequired | string/google-datetime | Required. Observed interval end time. |
endUtcOffsetRequired | string/google-duration | Required. The offset of the user's local time at the end of the observation relative to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). |
startTimeRequired | string/google-datetime | Required. Observed interval start time. |
startUtcOffsetRequired | string/google-duration | Required. The offset of the user's local time at the start of the observation relative to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). |
civilEndTimeOutput only | CivilDateTime | Output only. Observed interval end time in civil time in the timezone the subject is in at the end of the observed interval |
civilStartTimeOutput only | CivilDateTime | Output only. Observed interval start time in civil time in the timezone the subject is in at the start of the observed interval |
Rollup fields
rollUp returns RollupDataPoint.altitude
The discovery document: “Returned by default when rolling up data points from the altitude data type, or when requested explicitly using the altitude rollup type identifier.”
AltitudeRollupValue — Google: “Represents the result of the rollup of the user's altitude.”
| Field | Type | Google’s description |
|---|---|---|
gainMillimetersSum | string/int64 | Sum of the altitude gain in millimeters. |
dailyRollUp returns DailyRollupDataPoint.altitude
The discovery document: “Returned by default when rolling up data points from the altitude data type, or when requested explicitly using the altitude rollup type identifier.”
The same AltitudeRollupValue as the rollUp result above.
Fitbit Web API predecessor
Google’s Fitbit Web API → Google Health API data-type table maps Elevation to altitude.
Fitbit Web API scopes Google maps to altitude’s scopes: activity, cardio_fitness.
Google’s full Fitbit Web API mapping tables · the migration playbook
Google’s documentation
Related on this site
- Floors Climbed and Elevation API: Floors, Elevation Gain and Altitude — the metric on every platform this site covers, each type quoted in its platform's own words
- Google Health API webhooks
- Verification and rate limits
- The Fitbit Web API turn-off
Questions
Which OAuth scopes does the Google Health API altitude data type need?
Google's data-types table (read 2026-10-17) lists https://www.googleapis.com/auth/googlehealth.activity_and_fitness.readonly and https://www.googleapis.com/auth/googlehealth.activity_and_fitness.writeonly for altitude. The Scopes page's consent text: .activity_and_fitness.readonly, "See your Google Health activity and fitness data."; .activity_and_fitness.writeonly, "Add activity and fitness data to Google Health, and edit or delete the data it adds."
Can apps write altitude data to the Google Health API?
Not according to Google's data-types table, read 2026-10-17: it lists only list, reconcile, rollup and dailyRollup for altitude, and no create, update or batchDelete operation.
How do you aggregate altitude data with the Google Health API?
With the rollup methods Google's table lists for it. rollUp (POST https://health.googleapis.com/v4/users/{usersId}/dataTypes/altitude/dataPoints:rollUp) returns RollupDataPoint.altitude, a AltitudeRollupValue with gainMillimetersSum; dailyRollUp (POST https://health.googleapis.com/v4/users/{usersId}/dataTypes/altitude/dataPoints:dailyRollUp) returns DailyRollupDataPoint.altitude, a AltitudeRollupValue with gainMillimetersSum. Each field is described on this page as the discovery document describes it.
What did the Google Health API altitude data type replace in the Fitbit Web API?
Google's Fitbit Web API migration table maps the Fitbit Web API's "Elevation" to altitude. The Fitbit Web API scopes Google maps to its scopes: activity and cardio_fitness.
Other activity and fitness data types
Sources checked
- Google Health API data types — last updated 2026-10-06 · read 2026-10-17
- Google Health API discovery document (v4) — revision 20261014 · read 2026-10-17
- Scopes — last updated 2026-10-09 · read 2026-10-17
- API specifications — last updated 2026-09-22 · read 2026-10-17
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