Even if you’ve never opened the Apple Health app, if you have an iPhone, you’ve probably used apps that send information to its on-phone database. Apple Health is a powerful tool for controlling who gets access to your health data, logging data in different ways, and even taking at-home screening tests for certain health issues. If you have an Apple Watch, that’s great, but you don’t need one (or any wearable!) to take advantage of most of these 10 hacks to get more out of the Apple Health app.
Before we get into the other hacks, I’d like to discuss just how private your Apple Health data is (or isn’t). Apple provides its Health privacy policy here, and it says that your data lives on your own device and is encrypted when your phone is locked. There are some exceptions, though, which you can turn on or off. Here are the main things you may want to check on:
Individual apps can ask for permission to read data from Apple Health. (They also need your permission to write data to it.) You can control per-app permissions in Settings. Or, for a specific data point (like “walking and running distance”), go to that area of Apple Health and tap Data Sources and Access.
You can back up your health data via iCloud, which means it will live on Apple’s servers so you can access it from any of your devices. It is encrypted so Apple cannot read it. Manage this from your iCloud settings (in Settings, under your name).
You can share health data with your doctor or with people you know, like family members. To manage who has access, go to the Health app and tap the Sharing tab.
During workouts, some data from your workout may appear in a Live Activity widget on your lock screen. To hide this data while your phone is locked, go to the Settings app, tap Face ID & Passcode, and then under Allow Access When Locked, toggle Workout Health Data.
Your Medical ID may be available when your device is locked. (This is how bystanders and first responders can access your emergency contact or other information you’d like to remain available in emergencies.) To control access to this, go to the Health app, find Medical ID, and toggle Show When Locked.
The Health app includes a built-in medication tracker with a number of hidden features. Browse or search for Medications, and set up tracking by adding a medication, or anything else. You can type in the name, or use your camera to scan the bottle’s label. (This also works for over-the-counter meds and supplements, like if you want to be sure to take a vitamin every day.) I like that you can customize a pill-shaped icon to match a pill’s appearance.
Next, you can set up reminders. From this screen, you can tell the app when you plan to take your medication (if it’s one you take regularly, rather than as needed). The Health app will notify you at that time. To make the most of this feature, I recommend setting up follow-up reminders, which you’ll find on a different screen as well—more about that below.
After you set up your medications, scroll to the bottom of the medications screen and tap Pin to Summary. Now you just have to open the Health app and tap Medications to see a list of what you need to take today. You can also log via Siri, including batched logging like “Siri, log that I took my 10 a.m. meds” so you don’t have to list each one.
At the bottom of the Medications screen, you can tap Options and turn on Follow Up Reminders, which will give you an extra notification 30 minutes after the first one if you haven’t logged a dose. I use this feature all the time myself: I get the first reminder while I’m in the middle of doing something, eventually take the pill, then the follow-up reminds me to log it. If I got distracted along the way, I have a second chance to not miss a dose.
Another handy feature here is the Export PDF button at the bottom of the page, which will print out a list of all your current medications so you can bring it to your medical appointments or anywhere else you need to.
If you’re not familiar with the Health app, you might not think there’s much there—just a few things on the home screen. You can change that, but it takes a few steps. You see, rather than being a minimalist app, there’s so much available in Health that Apple figures it’s not worth giving you a big list to start off. Tap the magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner, and you’ll see a whole list of categories. You can search from this screen, or browse the categories.
Definitely take a minute to browse through these and see what features you might actually use. If you track what you eat in an Apple Health-connected app, you’ll be able to see all the individual components here: how much protein you’ve gotten today, for instance. Anything that a wearable can track is on here, including things you probably didn’t realize. I have a grade for my walking steadiness, for example.
Once you’ve figured out which of these hundreds of data points are actually useful, put the ones you care about on the main app screen (called Summary). Find a relevant card by searching or browsing, scroll to the bottom, and tap Pin to Summary. This way you can see exactly what you want when you open the app: say, your steps, protein intake, and the day’s medications. (Plus a few things you may want to add after you learn about them below…)
