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Fix Pacer ↔ Google Fit Sync Issues

Pacer Support
  • Updated

Problem: Steps or activities from Google Fit are not appearing in Pacer or seem inconsistent.

 

Scope: This article is for Android users who have selected Google Fit as their primary step source in Pacer. If you use Apple Health, Apple Watch, Fitbit or Garmin instead, please refer to those specific articles.

 

1) Understand what Google Fit syncing does – and doesn’t do

  • Pacer can import steps and manually‑logged activities from Google Fit, but it cannot import calories, active time or distance. Pacer calculates those metrics itself based on your steps. 
  • When you first connect, Pacer only pulls the previous seven days of data. Older data won’t sync automatically. 
  • Google has stopped maintaining the Google Fit app and plans to end the service in 2026; on Android 13 and later this may cause unstable syncing. You may need to refresh the connection more often. 
  • If Google Fit is your primary source, Pacer still records GPS activities, but your daily totals will come from Google Fit. This can lead to discrepancies between your Pacer workout totals and the numbers displayed on your home screen.

 

2) Make sure the correct account is connected

  1. Open Pacer. Tap your profile avatar (top‑left) or the ⚙️ settings icon. 
  2. Go to Steps Data Source or Step Counter Settings. 
  3. Select Save Power with Google Fit and tap Activate. 
  4. Choose the Google account you use with Google Fit and grant Pacer all requested permissions. 
  5. Confirm that Google Fit – In Use is displayed in the data‑source list.

 

If you don’t see the settings icon, open your avatar menu, choose Steps Data Source, and connect Google Fit from there.

 

3) Refresh the connection

Connections sometimes stall. Try these steps:

  1. Close and reopen Pacer. 
  2. Disconnect and reconnect Google Fit via Steps Data Source. 
  3. Restart your phone. 
  4. After reconnecting, open Pacer’s home screen and wait a minute; Pacer re‑imports the last seven days of data.

 

4) Check system‑level Google Fit syncing

If data is still missing, verify that Google Fit is syncing with your Google account and that Pacer has the necessary permissions:

  1. Enable account sync. Go to Phone Settings → Accounts, select the Google account used with Google Fit, then Account sync and make sure Google Fit data is enabled. 
  2. Verify app permissions. Open Google Fit, tap your profile picture → Settings → Manage Connected Apps, ensure Pacer appears and has access to your activity data. 
  3. Grant Physical Activity permission. Go to Phone Settings → Security & Privacy → Permissions Manager → Physical Activity, find Pacer and set it to Allow. 
  4. Manually trigger a sync. In Google Fit, open Profile → Settings and use the sync option. Return to Pacer and wait; Google Fit may take up to an hour to provide fresh data.

 

5) Update apps and clear caches

  • Update Pacer, Google Fit and Google Play Services to the latest versions. 
  • If problems persist, reset Google Fit: 
    1. Go to Settings → Apps → Google Fit. 
    2. Tap Disable, then open Storage & cache and tap Clear cache and Clear storage. 
    3. Uninstall Google Fit, restart your phone, reinstall Google Fit from the Play Store and sign in. 
    4. Turn on Track activity metrics in Google Fit’s settings and reconnect it to Pacer. 

 

6) Disable battery optimization and background restrictions

Pacer needs to run in the background to read Google Fit data. If steps only update when Pacer is open, disable battery‑saver restrictions:

  • Per‑app settings: Settings → Apps → Pacer → Battery. Set to Unrestricted or Allow background activity. 
  • Global optimization list: Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization, switch to All apps, find Pacer and set to Don’t optimize. 
  • On Xiaomi/Redmi phones, also enable Auto Start for Pacer. 
  • Ensure Notifications for Pacer are allowed to keep its foreground service alive.

 

7) Open Pacer regularly

Google Fit syncs data in batches rather than continuously. Opening Pacer at least once a day keeps the app active in memory and prompts a sync. Also open Google Fit to refresh its data.

 

8) Consider switching to another step source

Because Google is discontinuing the Google Fit app and only steps sync reliably, you may get more detailed and stable data by switching back to Pacer’s Phone sensor or connecting another wearable (Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung Health). To switch, open Steps Data Source and select a different source.

 

9) Still stuck? Contact us

If you still see zero or incorrect steps after following all steps, tap Pacer → Settings → Feedback and send your phone model, Android version and Pacer version. Our support team will help investigate.

 

By following these instructions and understanding Google Fit’s limitations, you should be able to restore syncing between Pacer and Google Fit.