Before you type your medications into any app, spend five minutes on its privacy. Read the App Privacy section on the App Store listing, check whether it needs an account, find out where your data is stored, give Apple Health access only to what it needs and check that you can export and delete everything. If an app is vague on any of these, treat that as an answer.

A medication list is some of the most personal information you have. It can reveal conditions you may not have told anyone about. Most health apps handle it responsibly, but they do not all handle it the same way, and the differences are worth knowing before you start rather than after a year of history.

1. Read the App Privacy label

Every app on the App Store has an App Privacy section on its listing, filled in by the developer. Scroll down to find it. It has up to three groups:

  • Data Used to Track You: data linked with other companies' data for advertising, or shared with data brokers.
  • Data Linked to You: data the app collects and connects to your identity, such as an account.
  • Data Not Linked to You: data collected without being tied to your identity, such as anonymous crash reports.

An app may instead say Data Not Collected, meaning the developer says it does not collect data from the app at all.

For a medication app, look carefully at whether Health & Fitness data appears under "Linked to You" or "Used to Track You". The label is the developer's own statement, so read the privacy policy too.

2. Does it need an account?

An account means your data probably lives on the company's servers, connected to your email address. That can be useful, for example for syncing across devices or sharing with a carer through the app. But it also means:

  • Your data exists somewhere other than your phone.
  • It is tied to your identity.
  • It is subject to the company's security and policies, which can change.

A reminder app does not technically need an account to work. If one insists on it before you can set your first reminder, ask what the account is for.

3. Where is the data stored?

There are a few common models:

  • On your device only. Your data stays on your phone. Nothing is sent to the developer.
  • Your own iCloud. Data syncs through Apple's iCloud under your Apple Account. The developer generally cannot see it.
  • The company's servers. Data is uploaded to the developer or a cloud provider they use.

The privacy policy should say which. Look for plain wording such as "stored on your device" or "we store your data on our servers in...". If you cannot tell, email the developer and ask.

4. Check Apple Health permissions

If an app connects to Apple Health, iPhone asks you which data types it can read and which it can write, one by one. You can allow some and not others. Give it only what you will actually use.

You can review these at any time in the Health app: tap your profile picture, then Apps (or Apps and Services), then choose the app. Switch off anything you no longer want to share.

Apple's rules for App Store developers restrict how data from Apple Health can be used, including for advertising. That is a useful protection, but it covers the Health data itself, not everything else an app might collect, so the earlier checks still matter.

5. Look for ads and trackers

Ads in a health app are not automatically a problem, but they raise questions: which advertising companies are involved, and what do they learn? The App Privacy label and privacy policy should tell you. An app that shows no ads and does not track you across other apps has less to explain.

Your iPhone's Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking lets you stop apps asking to track you.

6. Can you get your data out?

You should be able to export your history in a readable form, such as a PDF or a spreadsheet file. This matters if you change apps, see a new doctor or simply want a copy. Check before you build up months of history.

7. Can you delete it?

Deleting an app from your phone removes the data stored on the phone. If the app also stores data on its servers, deleting the app does not delete that. Look in the app's settings or privacy policy for how to delete your account and data, and how long it takes.

8. Who else can see it on your phone?

Privacy also happens on the device:

  • Lock Screen notifications can show medication names. In Settings > Notifications, you can set previews to show only when your phone is unlocked.
  • Lock Screen widgets are visible without unlocking. Choose ones that show what you are comfortable with.
  • Shared devices. If someone else uses your iPad or knows your passcode, they can open your apps.

9. Sharing with family or carers

If you share your medication information, make sure it is you who decides what and when. A summary you send yourself is easier to control than an automatic feed. Our guide to family medication check-ins has ideas.

How Cadence handles privacy

Cadence is designed to keep your data on your phone. There is no account, no ads and no tracking, and your medications and dose history are stored on your device. When you connect Apple Health, you choose what to share in Apple's permission screen, and data read from Health stays on your phone. You can export your data, and the PDF report in Cadence Pro is created on your phone and shared only when you choose. Caregiver updates are summaries you send yourself. Read the App Privacy section on our App Store listing and our privacy policy for the details.

Frequently asked questions

Is an app with an account less private?

Not necessarily, but your data is likely stored off your phone and tied to your identity. Read the policy to see how it is protected.

Does Apple see my medications?

Data in the Health app is encrypted on your device. If you use iCloud to sync Health data, Apple describes it as end-to-end encrypted when you use two-factor authentication and a passcode. See Apple's own privacy pages for current details.

What should I do if a policy is unclear?

Email the developer and ask. A clear answer is a good sign.

Cadence is a free medication reminder app for iPhone and Apple Watch. It is not medical software and does not give medical advice. Cadence Pro is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.