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Walking as a workout type on HealthKit, Health Connect, Wear OS and the Google Health API

4 platforms · 2 facts from the sources beyond the names · read 2026-10-18

Walking has a constant on all four platforms: HKWorkoutActivityType.walking, ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING (79), ExerciseType.WALKING (79) and WALKING. The names match once the EXERCISE_TYPE_ prefix, case and separators are removed, and the Health Connect and Wear OS numbers are equal; none of the Apple and Google pages read for this reference maps them to each other. Apple says: “HealthKit provides optimized calorie calculations for this activity based on the data from Apple Watch’s sensors.” A Health Connect session of type EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING accepts EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_WALKING segments, besides the 5 segment types every session accepts.

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The constant on each platform

These share a row because their names match under the crosswalk rule. None of the Apple and Google pages read for this reference maps them to each other.

PlatformConstantNumberWhat the source says
Apple HealthKitHKWorkoutActivityType.walkingnone printedThe constant for walking.iOS 8.0, watchOS 2.0 · Exercise and fitness
Android Health ConnectExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING79Google’s Jetpack reference gives no description.Platform API: EXERCISE_SESSION_TYPE_WALKING = 53 · “Use this type for the walking session.” · API level 34
Wear OS Health ServicesExerciseType.WALKING79Google’s ExerciseType reference gives no description.
Google Health APIWALKINGthe string itself“Walking type.”

Health Connect’s EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING and Wear OS’s ExerciseType.WALKING both print 79. Every pair that differs.

What the sources say about walking beyond its names

Quoted from the sources as read on 2026-10-18. These are what give this row a page of its own under the page rule.

Apple’s discussion of the HealthKit case

On walking, from Apple's page for each HKWorkoutActivityType case (84 JSON documents), read 2026-10-18

HealthKit provides optimized calorie calculations for this activity based on the data from Apple Watch’s sensors.

The segment types Health Connect accepts in this session type

On EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING, from ExerciseSegment.kt (androidx source), read 2026-10-18

ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING to setOf(EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_WALKING)

A Health Connect session of type EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING accepts EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_WALKING segments, besides the 5 segment types every session accepts.

Every session also accepts OTHER_WORKOUT, PAUSE, REST, STRETCHING, UNKNOWN.

Where each platform’s list lives on this site

Other activities side by side

Questions

What is the Health Connect constant for HKWorkoutActivityType.walking?

ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING, value 79. The two names match once the EXERCISE_TYPE_ prefix, case and separators are removed; none of the Apple and Google pages read for this reference maps one to the other, so this is a name match, not a documented equivalence.

Is the Wear OS ExerciseType.WALKING id the same number as Health Connect's EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING?

Yes, both are 79: Health Connect's Jetpack reference prints 79 and the androidx ExerciseType.kt source passes 79. Google does not say the numberings are shared, and 6 other same-name pairs differ.

Which exercise segment types can a Health Connect walking session contain?

A Health Connect session of type EXERCISE_TYPE_WALKING accepts EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_WALKING segments, besides the 5 segment types every session accepts. The universal ones are EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_OTHER_WORKOUT, EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_PAUSE, EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_REST, EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_STRETCHING and EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_UNKNOWN. ExerciseSegment.isSegmentTypeCompatibleWithSessionType() answers the question in code, and on devices where the record is not handed to the platform API the ExerciseSessionRecord constructor fails with “segmentType and sessionType is not compatible.”

How does HealthKit estimate calories for a walking workout?

Apple's documentation for HKWorkoutActivityType.walking says: “HealthKit provides optimized calorie calculations for this activity based on the data from Apple Watch’s sensors.”

Sources (13)