# Grow your health app in the right category, with the right words.

> ASO for health and fitness apps includes the category choice and the declarations: Health & Fitness and Medical are separate categories on the App Store, and Google Play asks every app for a Health apps declaration and expects health apps that are not medical devices to say so in their description.

## What makes ASO different in this category?

- **Health & Fitness or Medical?**: On the App Store, Health & Fitness covers healthy living, stress management, fitness and recreation (yoga, workout tracking, running, meditation, weight loss). Medical covers medical education, health information management and reference for patients or healthcare professionals. Google Play also keeps Health and Fitness and Medical apart. [1] [2]
- **Measurement claims get extra scrutiny**: Under Guideline 1.4.1, medical apps that could give inaccurate data or be used for diagnosis or treatment are reviewed with greater scrutiny. Accuracy claims need disclosed data and methodology, and apps claiming to measure blood pressure, blood glucose or blood oxygen with the device sensors alone are not permitted. [3]
- **Health data never feeds ads**: Guideline 5.1.3 forbids using or sharing data gathered in the health, fitness and medical research context, including HealthKit, for advertising or marketing. Apps must not write false data into HealthKit or store personal health information in iCloud. [3]
- **A declaration and a disclaimer on Google Play**: Every published app completes the Health apps declaration on the App content page in Play Console, including apps with no health features. Health apps that are not regulated medical devices must state in their description that they are not a medical device and do not diagnose or treat any condition, and must list any external hardware or sensors they need. [4] [5]
- **The Challenge badge for events**: Apple's example for the Challenge in-app event badge is a fitness challenge in a workout app. A time-boxed goal can become an event card on your product page and in search. [6]

## Features that matter most

- [Listing audit](https://uptika.app/en/product/listing-audit): Flags hype, prices and other brand names in your listing as rejection risks, so you can check health claims before you submit.
- [Keyword radar](https://uptika.app/en/product/keyword-radar): Reads your rank daily for searches such as workout, sleep, steps or diet in the countries you pick.
- [Reviews and insights](https://uptika.app/en/product/reviews): Reads reviews every 6 hours and splits them into complaints, bugs, requests and praise, so sync or tracking problems surface early.
- [Competitor tracking](https://uptika.app/en/product/competitor-tracking): Shows rivals' listing changes, shared keywords and who leads which search, every day.

## Questions

### Does an app without health features need the Health apps declaration?

Yes. Google Play asks every published app to complete it; if you offer no health features, you say so in the form. System services and private apps are exempt.

### My app offers fitness and medical information. Which category do I choose?

Apple says the primary category should describe the main function of the app; use the secondary category for the other subject. The primary category decides where the app appears when people browse or filter search results.

## Sources

1. [Categories and discoverability (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/categories/)
2. [Choose a category and tags for your app or game (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859673)
3. [App Review Guidelines 1.4.1, 5.1.3 (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/)
4. [Provide information for the Health apps declaration form (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/14738291)
5. [Health Content and Services policy (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/16679511)
6. [In-App Event badges (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/in-app-events/in-app-event-badges)

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Uptika is an ASO and store-intelligence tool for the App Store and Google Play. https://uptika.app/en/categories/health-and-fitness · Last updated: 2026-11-05