Wheelchair Use

Wheelchair Use is the current user-entered Health profile characteristic indicating whether the user uses a wheelchair. An authorized app reads it through HKHealthStore.wheelchairUse(). Apps cannot write the characteristic.

It describes profile information. It does not mean the user was using a wheelchair at a particular timestamp, and does not specify a diagnosis, mobility level, chair type or assistance needs.

Keep notSet separate from no. A result unavailable to an app cannot establish that the user does not use a wheelchair. These category codes are labels, not an activity count or mobility score.

No. Push Count records counted pushes, while Wheelchair Distance records distance. Those are timestamped quantities; the characteristic is a profile setting.

A missing push or distance record does not establish a profile setting. Likewise, a yes setting does not prove how far the user traveled on a particular day, or whether every movement was made using a wheelchair. Compare separately recorded activity only when its source and coverage support the question.

HealthKit's getter provides the current value, without dated samples or a revision history. Applying that value to every older workout would assume the setting was unchanged, which the getter does not demonstrate. If an app needs historical context, it needs separately retained information about when the profile was read or changed.

PulsHealth's current sample sync catalog and profile schema do not store this characteristic. This is a storage limitation, rather than evidence about what is configured in the user's Health profile.

Step Count and wheelchair activity can reflect different forms of movement. Neither should be used to guess this setting from a quiet day. Activity Move Mode determines the Move ring's metric; it is another distinct setting, rather than a wheelchair-use code.