What is the Health Check?
The Health Check is a face scan feature in Strove that uses your phone's camera to estimate wellness signals like heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. These estimates feed into your Body domain within your Strove Score.
The Health Check is not a medical device. It is designed for wellbeing insights only and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or monitor any health condition. If you have any health concerns, consult a qualified healthcare professional.
How to access the Health Check
Open the Strove app and go to your Home dashboard.
Tap the purple + button in the bottom-right corner.
Select Perform health check from the menu.
You'll then see a privacy and disclaimer screen before the scan begins. It confirms that no images or video are recorded or stored — your scan is processed securely and privately on your device.
How to prepare for an accurate scan
Before starting, Strove will show you a preparation screen with the following guidance. Following these steps closely will give you the most accurate reading:
Sit still and relax for at least 2 minutes before starting
Avoid caffeine, smoking, or exercise for 2 hours beforehand
Avoid alcohol in the 12 hours before your scan
Skip the scan if you're feeling unwell
Use the bathroom beforehand if needed
Sit in a well-lit room — natural light works best
Keep a neutral expression, and don't talk or move during the scan
After this screen, you'll be asked a few short survey questions before the scan begins. These responses, along with your scan results, contribute to your Body and Mind domains.
What happens during the scan
Once the survey is complete, your camera will open and position your face within an on-screen frame. Keep your face centred in the frame and remain still — the scan reads subtle changes in your skin to estimate your heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate in real time.
You'll see live readings update on screen as the scan progresses, along with status messages (e.g. "Establishing good readings...") to confirm the scan is working correctly. Once enough data has been captured, you'll see a "You're good to go!" confirmation, and can continue to your results.
Understanding your results
Your results screen begins with an important reminder: these are scan-based wellness estimates for general awareness only. They are not medical measurements and should not be used for screening, diagnosis, treatment, or emergency decisions.
Your results include:
Heart rate (bpm) — with context on whether it falls in a typical range for rest
Heart rate variability (ms) — note that no single "normal" range exists for HRV; it varies by age, sex, fitness, and stress, and is most useful when you track your own trend over time
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) — estimates of arterial pressure during heartbeats and between them
Respiratory rate (breaths/min)
Hypertension risk — a categorical estimate (e.g. Low) of your risk of developing hypertension over the coming year
Each result includes a plain-language explanation and a status badge (e.g. Normal, Low) to help you understand what it means.
Troubleshooting
If your scan won't start, gets stuck, or doesn't produce a reading, try the following:
Make sure Strove has camera permission enabled in your phone's settings.
Move to a well-lit area — natural light gives the most reliable reading.
Keep your face centred in the on-screen frame and stay as still as possible.
Close and reopen the Strove app, then try the scan again.
Make sure you're not on a call or using the camera in another app at the same time.
If your scan still won't complete after trying these steps, please contact Strove Support with a description of what you're seeing (including at what point the scan stops or fails) so we can help resolve it.
Privacy
No images or video from your Health Check are ever recorded or stored. Your scan is processed securely and privately on your device.