Request Exception for Google Fit API (fitness.activity.read) for University Step Challenge

[adamprudhomme]

Hello Google Cloud Community,

I am developing an application called Uppsala Systemvetare Stegutmaning, which is used for a university step-counting challenge at Uppsala University. The app will help students track their daily step counts within the two-week competition using Google Fit and displays a leaderboard to encourage physical activity.

However, when trying to submit my OAuth consent screen for verification, I received the following error:

Please remove the following scopes from your app as they are not available for external usage:
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/fitness.activity.read

I understand that this scope is restricted for external apps, but I would like to request an exception based on the following:

Educational & Non-Commercial Purpose: The app is strictly for a student competition and is not monetized in any way.
User Consent & Data Privacy: Users explicitly authorize access to their Google Fit step data and can revoke permissions at any time.
Alternative Scopes Do Not Work: Our app requires step count data, and no other available scopes provide this functionality.
Limited Audience: The app is only intended for students participating in our university challenge.

I have already reviewed Google's OAuth policies, but I am unsure how to proceed. Would it be possible to request an exception for this scope, or is there an alternative approach to access Google Fit data for this use case?

I have created a demo video as well.

Any guidance on how to move forward would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Best regards,
Adam Prud’homme