Export wearable data before you need it, because most apps hand over your records only after a request and a wait. This guide covers Fitbit, Oura and Apple Health, the files you get back, and the California law behind your right to see your data.
Short version: each maker has a built-in export. Fitbit and Oura send you an email link. Apple Health builds a file on your phone. Ask for a full copy once a year and keep it somewhere safe.
Why you would export wearable data
A wearable keeps years of sleep, heart rate and activity numbers. That history lives on the maker's servers. If you switch brands, close an account or lose a login, it can be hard to get back. A copy on your own drive means you keep it.
A copy also lets you open the numbers in a spreadsheet, share them with a coach or doctor you trust, or just check what the company holds about you.
Source: Fitbit Help Center, "How do I export my Fitbit data?"; Oura Help, "Export & Share Your Oura Data."
Fitbit: two ways to download
Fitbit's help page says the steps depend on how you sign in. If you use a Google Account, you download your data through your Google Account instead, using the steps in Google's own help article.
If you sign in with a Fitbit login, open the Fitbit settings page on the web and choose Data Export. Under Export Your Account Archive, click Request Data. Fitbit emails you to confirm, then sends a second email with a download link. A large history can take a few days to build.
You can also export a shorter period. On the same page, pick the time range and data types, choose a file format, and click Download.
The archive can include steps, distance, heart rate, sleep stages, sleep scores, SpO2, skin temperature, food and weight logs, and profile details. GPS workouts export as a TCX file, which holds route data for activities that used GPS.
Source: Fitbit Help Center, "How do I export my Fitbit data?" (Google), page as archived November 13, 2025.
Oura: request your personal data
Oura offers three routes. The full one works for every Oura user, with or without a paid membership. Log in to the Membership Hub, choose Export data, then choose Request your data. Oura emails a reminder when the export is ready. Go back to the Membership Hub and tap the export to download it.
The second route is Trends. Sign in to Oura on the Web, open Trends, pick a date range and two metrics, then select Download Data. Oura lists this for Gen3 and Oura Ring 4 with an active membership.
The third route is Shareable Reports. It makes a PDF summary of sleep and daily movement that you can pass to a provider you trust. You cannot change the time range or data type it covers.
Oura says the main download is a CSV file. One quirk to know: time lengths come as total seconds, not hours and minutes. A sleep time of 24,030 seconds shows in the app as 6 hours 41 minutes.
Source: Oura Help, "Export & Share Your Oura Data," page as archived October 21, 2025.
Apple Health: one tap on your phone
Apple Health is the quickest. Open the Health app on your iPhone, tap Summary, then tap your picture or initials at the top right. Tap Export All Health Data and choose how to share the file.
Apple says the export is in XML format, a common format for moving data between apps. Apple lets you pick how to share the file. XML opens in a text editor, but a spreadsheet or a small script is easier for large files.
Treat the file as private, since it holds your health history. Keep it off shared drives and unsent in email drafts.
Source: Apple Support, iPhone User Guide, "Share your data in Health on iPhone," page as archived December 16, 2025.
Your right to see your data in California
If you live in California, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) gives you a right to know. You can ask a business to tell you what kinds of personal information it has gathered about you and which exact details it holds, where that data came from, why it is used, and who it is shared with.
You can make a request to know up to twice a year, free of charge. A business must answer within 45 calendar days. It can add 45 more days if it tells you why. The business may ask for extra details to confirm you are the person in the records.
The state's Attorney General says changes that took effect January 1, 2023 expanded the CCPA. Other states have their own laws, so check yours. When an in-app export is missing something, send a written request through the privacy contact listed in the company's privacy policy.
Source: California Attorney General, "California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)," page as archived December 23, 2025.
A quick checklist
- Request the full archive from each app you use, not just the recent export.
- Save the file to two places, such as a drive you own and an encrypted backup.
- Note the request date and watch your email, since some exports take days.
- Open the file once to confirm it is not empty.
- Repeat once a year, and before you cancel a membership or sell a device.
Menus and file types can change as makers update their apps, so confirm the steps in your own app before you start.
Sources
Fitbit Help Center, "How do I export my Fitbit data?" Oura Help, "Export & Share Your Oura Data." Apple Support, iPhone User Guide, "Share your data in Health on iPhone." California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, "California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)."