Health & Fitness

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Explore the technical aspects of health and fitness features, including sensor data acquisition, health data processing, and integration with the HealthKit framework.

Health & Fitness Documentation

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Extremely persistent HealthKit read permissions issue
Overview of Issue My implementation of HealthKit is no longer able to read values due to authorization issues (ex. "HealthKitService: Not authorized to read HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeight. Status: 0"). I have been through every conceivable debugging step including building a minimal project that just requests HealthKit data and the issue has persisted. I've tried my personal as well as Organizational developer teams. My MacOS and Mac Mini. Simulator and personal device. Rechecked entitlements, reprovisioned certificates. This makes no sense. And I have been unable to find anything similar in the Developer forums or documentation. The problem occurs during the onboarding flow when the app requests HealthKit permissions. Even when the user grants permission in the HealthKit authorization sheet, the authorizationStatus for characteristic data types (like Biological s3x and Date of Birth) and quantity data types (like Height and Weight) consistently returns as .sharingDenied. This prevents the app from pre-filling the user's profile with their HealthKit data, forcing them to enter it manually. The issue seems to be environmental rather than a specific code bug, as it has been reproduced in a minimal test case app and persists despite extensive troubleshooting. Minimal test project: https://github.com/ChristopherJones72521/HealthKitTestApp** STEPS TO REPRODUCE Build app, attempt to sign in. No data is imported into the respective fields in the main app. Console logs confirm. PLATFORM AND VERSION iOS Development environment: Xcode Version 16.4 (16F6), macOS 15.5 (24F74) Run-time configuration: iOS 18.5 Relevant Code Snippets Here are the key pieces of code that illustrate the implementation and the problem: 1. Requesting HealthKit Permissions (HealthKitService.swift) This function is called to request authorization for the required HealthKit data types. The typesToRead and typesToWrite are defined in a centralized HealthKitTypes struct. // HealthKitService.swift func requestPermissions(completion: @escaping (Bool, Error?) -> Void) { guard HKHealthStore.isHealthDataAvailable() else { completion(false, HealthKitError.notAvailable) return } let typesToRead: Set<HKObjectType> = [ HKObjectType.characteristicType(forIdentifier: .dateOfBirth)!, HKObjectType.characteristicType(forIdentifier: .biologicals3x)!, HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .height)!, HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .bodyMass)! ] let typesToWrite: Set<HKSampleType> = [ HKObjectType.workoutType(), HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .activeEnergyBurned)! ] healthStore.requestAuthorization(toShare: typesToWrite, read: typesToRead) { success, error in DispatchQueue.main.async { if let error = error { print("HealthKitService: Error requesting authorization: \(error.localizedDescription)") completion(false, error) } else { print("HealthKitService: Authorization request completed. Success: \(success)") completion(success, nil) } } } } 2. Reading Biological s3x (HealthKitService.swift) This function attempts to read the user's biological s3x. The print statements are included to show the authorization status check, which is where the issue is observed. // HealthKitService.swift func readBiologicals3x() async throws -> HKBiologicals3xObject? { guard HKHealthStore.isHealthDataAvailable() else { throw HealthKitError.notAvailable } let s3xAuthStatus = healthStore.authorizationStatus(for: HKObjectType.characteristicType(forIdentifier: .biologicals3x)!) print("HealthKitService: Auth status for Biological s3x: \(s3xAuthStatus.rawValue)") guard s3xAuthStatus == .sharingAuthorized else { print("HealthKitService: Not authorized to read Biological s3x.") throw HealthKitError.notAuthorized } do { return try healthStore.biologicals3x() } catch { print("HealthKitService: Error executing biologicals3x query: \(error.localizedDescription)") throw HealthKitError.queryFailed(error) } } 3. Calling HealthKit Functions During Onboarding (OnboardingFlowView.swift) This is how the HealthKitService is used within the onboarding flow. The requestHealthKitAndPrefillData function is called after the user signs in, and it attempts to read the data to pre-fill the profile form. // OnboardingFlowView.swift func readHealthKitDataAsync() async { print("Attempting to read HealthKit data async...") // ... (calls to HealthKitService.shared.readDateOfBirth(), readHeight(), etc.) do { if let biologicals3xObject = try await HealthKitService.shared.readBiologicals3x() { if self.selectedGender == nil { switch biologicals3xObject.biologicals3x { case .female: self.selectedGender = .female case .male: self.selectedGender = .male case .other: self.selectedGender = .other default: break } } } } catch { print("OnboardingFlowView: Error reading Biological s3x: (error.localizedDescription)") } print("OnboardingFlowView: Finished HealthKit data processing.") } Console Logs Attempting to read HealthKit data async... HealthKitService: Reading Date of Birth... HealthKitService: Current auth status for DOB (during read attempt): 0 HealthKitService: Not authorized to read Date of Birth. Status: 0 OnboardingFlowView: Error reading Date of Birth: The operation couldn’t be completed. (Strike_Force.HealthKitError error 2.) HealthKitService: Reading Height... HealthKitService: Current auth status for HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeight (during read attempt): 0 HealthKitService: Not authorized to read HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeight. Status: 0 OnboardingFlowView: Error reading Height: The operation couldn’t be completed. (Strike_Force.HealthKitError error 2.) HealthKitService: Reading Weight (Body Mass)... HealthKitService: Current auth status for HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyMass (during read attempt): 0 HealthKitService: Not authorized to read HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyMass. Status: 0 OnboardingFlowView: Error reading Weight: The operation couldn’t be completed. (Strike_Force.HealthKitError error 2.) HealthKitService: Pre-read check for Biologicals3x auth status: 1 (Denied) HealthKitService: Reading Biological s3x... HealthKitService: Current auth status for Biological s3x (during read attempt): 1 HealthKitService: Not authorized to read Biological s3x. Status: 1 OnboardingFlowView: Error reading Biological s3x: The operation couldn’t be completed. (Strike_Force.HealthKitError error 2.)
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246
Sep ’25
Old HealthKit samples from WatchOS getting deleted and recreated years later
I have recently come across a couple of odd HealthKit step samples from WatchOS. They represent step data measured in 2022 by my Apple Watch, but they have a creation date ("Date Added to Health") within the past couple of days. These odd samples show a "View All Quantities" button at the bottom of the sample Details page in the Health app on iOS 26 (which I've never seen before); the button leads to a list of many small step quantities, almost as if some older, smaller samples were consolidated into these newer samples. Even weirder is that at least some of these samples seem to be getting re-created repeatedly. For example, I've seen the same sample with a "Date Added to Health" of 9/5/25, then 9/8/25, twice on 9/9/25, and twice on 9/10/25. These samples were originally created by WatchOS 9, and are not being deleted/recreated by any apps on my device. I have only observed it since I updated to the iOS 26 beta (and now the RC); my watch was still running iOS 18 the first time it happened, but it has also happened since my watch was updated to WatchOS 26 beta. I did some debug printing of the odd samples and the normal samples surrounding them for comparison. Here's a normal sample: Sample: 80AC5AC5-CBD7-4581-B275-0C2ACA35B7B4 6 count 80AC5AC5-CBD7-4581-B275-0C2ACA35B7B4, (9.0), "Watch6,1" (9.0) "Apple Watch" (2022-09-15 16:20:14 -0500 - 2022-09-15 16:20:16 -0500) Device: <<HKDevice: 0x10591eee0>, name:Apple Watch, manufacturer:Apple Inc., model:Watch, hardware:Watch6,1, software:9.0, creation date:2022-08-25 18:22:26 +0000> Source revision: <HKSourceRevision name:My Apple Watch, bundle:com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, version:9.0, productType:Watch6,1, operatingSystemVersion:9.0> Source: <HKSource:0x110588690 "My Apple Watch", bundle identifier: com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, localDeviceSource: 0, modification date: 2024-01-31 05:49:18 +0000> Date added: 2022-09-15 21:20:16 +0000 Days between end and add: 0 And here's one of the odd samples: Sample: 4982487F-1189-4F16-AB00-61E37818A66D 676 count 4982487F-1189-4F16-AB00-61E37818A66D, (9.0), "iPhone12,1" (16.2) "Apple Watch" metadata: { HKMetadataKeySyncIdentifier = "6:38082859-D9C8-466A-8882-53443B2A2D94:684969619.25569:684970205.31182:119"; HKMetadataKeySyncVersion = 1; } (2022-09-15 16:20:19 -0500 - 2022-09-15 16:30:05 -0500) Device: <<HKDevice: 0x10591ce40>, name:Apple Watch, manufacturer:Apple Inc., model:Watch, hardware:Watch6,1, software:9.0, creation date:2022-08-25 18:22:26 +0000> Source revision: <HKSourceRevision name:My Apple Watch, bundle:com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, version:9.0, productType:iPhone12,1, operatingSystemVersion:16.2> Source: <HKSource:0x110588640 "My Apple Watch", bundle identifier: com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, localDeviceSource: 0, modification date: 2024-01-31 05:49:18 +0000> Date added: 2025-09-08 21:11:12 +0000 Days between end and add: 1088 Here's that same odd sample a day later, apparently recreated: Sample: 9E8B12FC-048D-4ECD-BE5B-D387AADE5130 676 count 9E8B12FC-048D-4ECD-BE5B-D387AADE5130, (9.0), "iPhone12,1" (16.2) "Apple Watch" metadata: { HKMetadataKeySyncIdentifier = "6:38082859-D9C8-466A-8882-53443B2A2D94:684969619.25569:684970205.31182:119"; HKMetadataKeySyncVersion = 1; } (2022-09-15 16:20:19 -0500 - 2022-09-15 16:30:05 -0500) Device: <<HKDevice: 0x12f01c4e0>, name:Apple Watch, manufacturer:Apple Inc., model:Watch, hardware:Watch6,1, software:9.0, creation date:2022-08-25 18:22:26 +0000> Source revision: <HKSourceRevision name:My Apple Watch, bundle:com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, version:9.0, productType:iPhone12,1, operatingSystemVersion:16.2> Source: <HKSource:0x12f0f8230 "My Apple Watch", bundle identifier: com.apple.health.EE83959D-D009-4BA0-83A5-2E5A1CC05FE6, localDeviceSource: 0, modification date: 2024-01-31 05:49:18 +0000> Date added: 2025-09-09 20:53:18 +0000 Days between end and add: 1089 It's worth pointing out some differences between the "normal" and "odd" samples (besides the "View All Quantities" button in the Health app). The recreated "odd" samples have a different Source Revision - the "productType" and "operatingSystemVersion" refer to my iPhone, not the Apple Watch device that actually captured the samples. The odd samples also have metadata keys that don't exist in the other samples - HKMetadataKeySyncIdentifier and HKMetadataKeySyncVersion. Questions I'm hoping someone can help with: What are these samples? Why/how do they have a "View All Quantities" button that shows sub-samples? Is this new to iOS 26? Why are some of the samples getting recreated multiple times?
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155
Sep ’25
Icon Composer - Icon not visible in Fitness App
Hi everyone, we’re developing an app that lets users export selected bike rides to the HealthKit ecosystem. We created our app icon using the Apple Icon Composer and referenced the composer file in Xcode. Everything works fine, except that the logo doesn’t appear correctly in the Fitness app. Has anyone experienced this issue or knows how to fix it?
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294
Nov ’25
HKLiveWorkoutBuilder begincollection freezes in WatchOS simulator
The second time i start a workout session, the beginCollection instance method on HKLiveWorkoutBuilder freezes. To recreate run the Apple Sample Project Building a multidevice workout app. It looks like a bug with the HealthKit SDK and not the code but i could be wrong. The only workaround i found was erasing the simulator and reinstalling the app.
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158
Dec ’25
Perfect month award fitness app on iPhone
Hi! I have over 800 days strike in closing my move circle. However oerfect month badge is not popping up for November, we have now mid of Dec and still no update. I updated iOS to 26, did multiple resets and hard resets and still no badge. I checked many forums and post but any of given tips is working in my case. i know it sounds funny, but it’s frustrating that I’m not getting this little gold medal to keep me motivated 😅 does anyone know how to deal with it? Is it common issue?
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142
Dec ’25
Bug apple Health
Hello everyone, I’m experiencing a visual issue when dismissing a sheet on iOS 26. I’m using the same implementation shown in the official Apple documentation. While testing, I noticed that some apps do not exhibit this behavior. However, when running this code on iOS 26, the issue consistently occurs. Issue description: The sheet dismisses abruptly A white screen briefly appears for a few milliseconds and then disappears This results in a noticeable visual glitch and a poor user experience I tested the exact same code on iOS 18, where the sheet dismisses smoothly and behaves as expected, without any visual artifacts. Has anyone else encountered this issue on iOS 26? Is this a known bug, or is there a recommended workaround? Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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340
Dec ’25
How to detect when Apple Watch is removed from wrist during active workout session?
I'm currently collecting real-time heart rate data using HKWorkoutSession. I want to track when the Apple Watch is physically removed from the user's wrist during an active workout. However, I've noticed that workoutBuilder(_:didCollectDataOf:) continues to be called even after the watch is removed from the wrist. Is there a way to detect when the Apple Watch is removed from the wrist during an active HKWorkoutSession? Or is this tracking not possible through the HealthKit framework? Any guidance or alternative approaches would be appreciated.
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179
Jan ’26
Treadmill integration and weighted vest with HealthKit
I don't understand why elevation data is not stored in the sample using a standard length unit. Why is it stored in HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.flightsClimbed (which is 10 feet)? Surely it is not a memory usage issue. Treadmill GATT provides elevation in meters. Using HKMetadataKeyElevationAscended for the total elevation gain throws away a lot of data. Why is there no support for weighted vest or backpack? Changing body weight is not the same and provides incorrect energy. Users want to compare workouts with different weights. I don't see any metadata key for carried weight.
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100
Jan ’26
HKObserverQuery not working in background
I'm developing a single target watchOS app that obtains HealthKit information. I have the "Background Delivery" option checked under "Signing &amp; Capabilities" for the watch target. The app does HKObserverQueries in the foreground that work as I would expect. But when I click the Digital Crown to return to clock face, the HKObserverQuery activity stops. I'm using Xcode 15.4, on Mac 14.5 and a Apple Watch Series 4 running 10.5.
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860
Mar ’25
incomplete route data in Apple Health
When we upload workout data to HealthKit the route information with the workout detailed data is incomplete: just a few dots. When we select "Show all workout routes" the route data for the same workout shows correctly. We use the HKWorkoutBuilder to store the workout data, and add the location data with the HKWorkoutRouteBuilder to the workout with Is this an Apple Health issue, or do we have to change something in the way we store the location data to the workout?
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Recording a HeartbeatSeries
I need to be able to create and store a HeartbeatSeries for a given time-period from an Apple Watch, to then retrieve that data from HealthKit to be processed. I have working code which allows me to begin a workout session, which is being used to determine how long a session has been running for. I also have working code for retrieving HeartbeatSeries data from HealthKit. The issue is that no HeartbeatSeries data is being stored into HealthKit as a result of the workout session running. Whether that session is running for as little as 30 seconds or as long as 20 minutes, nothing is stored. However, when I use the the Apple "Meditation" app (formerly known as "Breathe"), I can query HealthKit afterwards and retrieve a list of individual heartbeat timings during that 2 minute period. Therefore, it IS possible to store a HeartbeatSeries from within an app on the Apple Watch. What I would like to know is, how can I use the pulse sensor built-in to the Apple Watch to be able to record a HeartbeatSeries similar to how the Meditation app does it.
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150
Mar ’25
How to run HKWorkoutSession on watch without affecting activity rings?
My research group is using watch sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) to track wrist motion to detect and measure eating. https://cecas.clemson.edu/ahoover/bite-counter/ We are running an HKWorkoutSession on the watch so that the app can run for an extended period of time (up to 12 hr) and continue to sense and process motion data. Our app is adding to the activity rings, making it look like the user is exercising the entire time our app is running. Is there a method to prevent our app from contributing to the activity ring measures?
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199
Apr ’25
HealthKit Authorization Requests Immediately Denied in iOS 18.5 - No Permission Dialog Shown
I am experiencing a critical issue with HealthKit authorization in iOS 18.5 where requestAuthorization() calls are immediately denied without showing the user permission dialog. Problem Description: HealthKit authorization requests immediately return .sharingDenied status No system permission dialog is displayed to the user Authorization status changes from .notDetermined to .sharingDenied in <0.1 seconds This occurs for all HealthKit data types (step count, heart rate, sleep analysis, etc.) Technical Details: iOS Version: 18.5 (22F76) Xcode Version: 16F6 Device: iPhone (tested on both simulator and physical device) Bundle IDs tested: com.hereforyou.test2024, com.hereforyou.app Entitlements: com.apple.developer.healthkit = true Code Implementation: let healthStore = HKHealthStore() let stepType = HKObjectType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .stepCount)! // Status before request: .notDetermined try await healthStore.requestAuthorization(toShare: [], read: [stepType]) // Status after request: .sharingDenied (immediate, <0.1 seconds) Evidence this is not a code issue: Other HealthKit apps from App Store work correctly on the same device Proper entitlements are configured and verified HKHealthStore.isHealthDataAvailable() returns true Same code worked in previous iOS versions Multiple Bundle IDs tested with same result Expected Behavior: System should display HealthKit permission dialog allowing user to grant/deny access Actual Behavior: Authorization is immediately denied without user interaction Steps to Reproduce: Create new iOS app with HealthKit entitlements Call requestAuthorization() for any HealthKit data type Observe immediate denial without permission dialog Is this a known issue in iOS 18.5? Are there any workarounds or timeline for a fix? Best regards
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137
Jun ’25
HealthKit on macOS
HealthKit is currently not supported on macOS nor tvOS, despite being supported by visionOS. Support for macOS was last asked about[1] here in 2018. My goal is to display interactive data visualisations over workouts collected in HealthKit on macOS. Will this be possible to do in the near future using HealthKit directly? If not, can I somehow read the information from an iPhone and display it on the mac? Cheers, Rodrigo [1] https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/94937
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498
Nov ’25
Sleep Score API access
New in iOS 26 and WatchOS 26 is a Sleep Score calculation for users based on Duration, Bedtime and Interruptions. Unfortunately I can't find any APIs for developers to tap into this metric. Yes, in theory it's all created off the same Sleep Analysis data already available with HealthKit but that makes it very hard to recreate in our apps. If the numbers don't match up exactly, users will understandably complain. Can anyone confirm that this is the case and I've not missed a Sleep Score API? I'll then file feedback. Hopefully this doesn't go the way of Heart Rate Zones where the Apple Watch iPhone app has generated them for years and provided no way for third party apps to access these values (yes many feedbacks provided previously).
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379
Sep ’25
How to accurately query HKWorkout segment data
Hello, In my application, I need to obtain precise workout segment data from HKWorkout in order to calculate per-kilometer metrics such as heart rate and pace. My current approach is: 1.Use HKWorkout to fetch the associated HKWorkoutEvents. 2.Take the end time of one event as the start time of the next event to derive per-kilometer segment ranges. The issue I’m facing: •If a user sets Apple Watch to notify every 5 kilometers, then at 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, etc., I see overlapping event times. •From the HKWorkoutEvents data alone, I cannot distinguish between events that represent “per-kilometer splits” and those that represent “5-kilometer notifications.” •As a result, my per-kilometer heart rate and pace calculations can be inaccurate. My question is: Is there a recommended way to reliably differentiate per-kilometer splits from custom distance notifications and ensure accurate segment data retrieval? For example, should I instead reconstruct segments using HKWorkoutRoute and distance samples, rather than relying on HKWorkoutEvents? STEPS TO REPRODUCE 1.On Apple Watch, start an Outdoor Run using the Workout app. 2.In workout notifications, set distance alerts to every 5 kilometers. 3.During the run, when reaching 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, etc., the watch triggers notifications. 4.Query the corresponding HKWorkout from HealthKit and inspect its HKWorkoutEvents. 5.Notice that some event start times are duplicated, and it is unclear which events represent “per-kilometer splits” and which represent “5-kilometer notifications.” Expected Result: Be able to differentiate between per-kilometer splits and custom distance alerts, so that heart rate and pace per kilometer can be calculated accurately. Actual Result: The HKWorkoutEvents data contains duplicated event times without a way to distinguish event types, leading to inaccurate per-kilometer statistics.
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168
Oct ’25
Apple Watch Ultra exercise app and activity rings won’t connect after charging
Since upgrading to iOS 26 beta on my Apple Watch Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max, my exercise app and activity rings have sporadically not connected after charging. Several recent mornings, when I’ve put my watch on, the activity rings are grayed out and when I click on them, they will show no activity, even though I have been active. Similarly, when I attempt to select the activity app, it will open, but when I select an activity, it will not start the workout. I’ve tried starting and restarting the watch and phone. I’ve checked permissions, and both the watch and phone are running the latest iOS. The only fix seems to be unpairing and repairing the watch and phone which is an absolute pain. Any assistance on how to permanently fix this would be greatly appreciated.
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159
Oct ’25
HKObserverQuery and BackgroundDelivery Are Highly Unstable on watchOS 26
We are developing a health app that relies on HKObserverQuery and BackgroundDelivery to monitor Heart Rate data. On watchOS 10.6 and 11.6 , these data updates are typically delivered reliably every 8–12 minutes, occasionally exceeding 12 minutes, but generally not longer than 15 minutes. This frequency has been sufficient for the real-time data requirements of our app. However, after adapting our app to watchOS 26, we noticed that HKObserverQuery triggers much less frequently, with longer and very inconsistent intervals. This issue has had a major impact on our product: data collection for essential features is unreliable, resulting in a greatly diminished user experience on watchOS 26 and making the app essentially useless from the user’s perspective. Observed Behavior: HKObserverQuery and BackgroundDelivery are extremely unstable, with trigger intervals frequently exceeding 15 minutes, and sometimes even 20 minutes. When the user is sedentary, intervals become even longer; there are cases where no heart rate or active energy updates are delivered for 30 minutes, or even over 1 hour. Request for Support and Guidance: Have there been any changes to the HKObserverQuery background delivery mechanism on watchOS 26, specifically for Heart Rate and Active Energy data? If these changes are intentional system optimizations, could you provide guidance or recommended practices to ensure our app can reliably retrieve updates and maintain a smooth experience for users? Thank you for your support.
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