10 Useful Apple Health Tips Every IPhone User Should Know.

Even if you’ve never opened the Apple Health app, if you have an iPhone, you’ve likely used apps that send information to its built-in database. Apple Health is a powerful tool for controlling access to your medical data, logging data in various ways, and even conducting at-home screening tests for specific health issues. Having an Apple Watch is great, but you don’t need one (or any other wearable device!) to take advantage of most of these 10 ways to get more out of the Apple Health app.

Restrict (or open) access to privacy settings.

Before we move on to other hacking methods, I’d like to discuss how private (or non-private) your data is in Apple Health. Apple provides its Health privacy policy here , and it states that your data is stored on your device and encrypted when your phone is locked. However, there are some exceptions you can enable or disable. Here are the main points you might want to consider:

• Individual apps may request permission to read data from Apple Health. (They will also need your permission to write data to the app.) You can manage permissions for each app in Settings. Or, for a specific data metric (such as “walking and running distance”), go to the relevant section of Apple Health and tap “Data sources and access.”

• You can back up your medical data via iCloud, which means it will be stored on Apple servers and accessible from any of your devices. The data is encrypted, so Apple can’t read it. You can manage this in iCloud settings (under “Settings” and under your name).

• You can share your health data with your doctor or with people you know, such as family members. To manage access, go to the Health app and tap the “Data Sharing” tab.

• While you’re working out, some of your workout data may appear in the Live Activity widget on your lock screen. To hide this data when your phone is locked, go to the Settings app, tap Face ID & Passcode , and then under Allow access when phone is locked, turn on Health data during workouts .

• Your Medical ID can be accessed even when your device is locked. (This prevents unauthorized individuals and emergency services personnel from accessing your emergency contact information or other information you’d like to keep private in an emergency.) To control access to this information, go to the Health app, find “Medical ID, ” and turn on “Show when locked.”

Set up medication tracking to ensure you never forget to take your medications.

The Health app includes a built-in medication tracker with a number of hidden features. Browse or search for the “Medications” section and customize tracking by adding a medication or anything else. You can enter the name or use the camera to scan the bottle label. (This also works for over-the-counter medications and supplements, for example, if you want to make sure you’re taking your vitamins every day.) I like that you can customize the pill-shaped icon to match the appearance of a pill.

Next, you can set up reminders. On this screen, you can tell the app when you plan to take your medication (if you take it regularly, not as needed). The Health app will notify you at this time. To get the most out of this feature, I recommend setting up follow-up reminders, which you’ll also find on another screen—more on that below.

Once you’ve set up your medications, scroll down the medication screen and tap “Pin to Summary.” Now, simply open the Health app and tap “Medications” to see a list of what you need to take today. You can also log medications through Siri, including batch logging, such as “Siri, log that I took my medication at 10 AM” so you don’t have to list each medication individually.

At the bottom of the Medications screen, you can tap “Options” and turn on “Follow-up Reminders,” which will send you an additional notification 30 minutes after your first medication if you haven’t recorded a dose. I use this feature all the time: the first reminder comes when I’m busy doing something else, so I end up taking the pill, and then a reminder to record the dose. If I get distracted along the way, I have a second chance to remember to take it.

Another handy feature is the “Export to PDF” button at the bottom of the page, which will allow you to print out a list of all your current medications so you can take it with you to your doctor’s appointment or anywhere else you need it.

Customize your home screen to quickly find any health information.

If you’re new to the Health app, it might seem like there’s not much to it—just a few items on the main screen. You can change that, but it takes a few steps. Instead of a minimalist app, Health offers so much functionality that Apple decided not to give you a large list to start with. Tap the magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner, and you’ll see a whole list of categories. You can search directly from this screen or browse categories.

Be sure to take a minute to review these features and see which ones might actually be useful to you. If you track your diet in an app connected to Apple Health, you’ll be able to see all the individual components here, like how much protein you ate today. Everything a wearable can track is here, including things you might not even know about. For example, I have a walking stability score.

Once you’ve identified which of these hundreds of metrics are truly useful, pin the data you’re interested in to the app’s main screen (called “Summary “). Find the card you need by searching or browsing, scroll down, and tap “Pin to Summary.” This way, when you open the app, you’ll see exactly what you need: things like step count, protein intake, and medications taken daily. (And a few other things you might want to add after you learn about them below…)

Track your menstrual cycle without compromising your privacy.

Many of us are wary of recording reproductive health data anywhere where it might not be confidential. I wrote that Euki is perhaps the best standalone privacy app, but you don’t need an app at all: tracking directly in Apple Health means your data is encrypted and stored on your phone, taking into account the privacy features described above.

To use the built-in tracker, go to the magnifying glass icon and tap (or search for) “Cycle Tracking.” The cycle tracker on this screen (which can be pinned to your summary) allows you to track your menstrual bleeding, as well as factors such as contraceptive use, pregnancy, and more.

In the “Settings” section at the bottom of the screen, you can enable menstrual cycle prediction, fertile window estimation, and more. I recommend enabling the symptom log if you want to track things like cramps and nausea. You can also decide whether you want Apple Health to use your temperature and heart rate data from your wearable to more accurately track your cycle.

Track your mental health over time.

Another unexpected use for manual logging in the Health app is the “Mental Wellbeing” section. This is a truly useful screen, as it collects data on factors that impact mental health, such as sleep, minutes of exercise, time spent in light, and more. Here, you can also customize the recording of emotions and mood. The app explains that it considers emotions to be how you’re feeling in the moment, while mood refers to how you felt overall throughout the day.

You can set reminders to record your mood. By default, recording occurs twice a day: once around midday and once at the end of the day. Scroll down the “Mental Well-Being” screen to set up a recording. Once set up, it will appear as “State of Mind “; you can pin it to your summary. You can even view graphs of your state of mind over time and see what other factors they relate to. A very helpful way to view it is to click “Show in Graphs” and then highlight “Life Factors” to see whether your moods align with the number of minutes of exercise or the number of hours of sleep.

Take a hearing test (if you have AirPods Pro 2 or 3).

The Health app also has a built-in hearing test, but it requires AirPods Pro 3 (or AirPods Pro 2). To find the hearing test, go to the “Hearing” section in the Health app, then “Get More from Health,” then “Take a Hearing Test.” This feature will only be available when you connect the appropriate type of headphones. Follow the instructions to take the test. Apple provides more information about this testhere . If the results seem concerning, you can export a PDF of the results to discuss with a professional.

Access your medical records without using the patient portal.

Accessing medical records through patient portals can be inconvenient. Instead, you can import your digital medical records directly into the Health app, giving you quick access to your medical history as needed. Apple provides a list of medical systems whose data it can access.

It’s also worth reviewingthe privacy policy for this feature, but the good news is that the data is transmitted over an encrypted connection between your phone and the healthcare provider, without Apple having any access to it. I’d recommend disabling the “Enhance Health Records” feature , which sends an anonymized version of your data to Apple; health records are detailed information about your body, but you can leave it enabled if you prefer. You can back up your health data to iCloud, as discussed above.

Monitor your blood pressure even if you don’t have a device that measures it.

As with menstrual cycle tracking, this can be useful for any health data directly in the app. In fact, you can do this with almost any metric: simply view this type of data and then tap the plus sign in the upper right corner. Think you walked about 1,000 steps when you took your watch off? Just tap the plus sign on the “Steps” screen and add them.

The most convenient way to use this feature is to track your blood pressure. Some wearables, like Whoop and the Samsung Galaxy Watch , measure your blood pressure approximately. But you don’t need one to record your readings: simply record your blood pressure readings at the doctor’s office, using a wrist cuff, or using one of the devices sometimes found in pharmacies. Open the Blood Pressure app , tap the plus sign, and then enter a new reading. You’ll be able to view your blood pressure history and even see graphs of your blood pressure changes over time.

Get a more accurate assessment of your cardiovascular health by listing the medications you’re taking.

Some medications affect your heart rate, especially beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. If you’re taking one of these, your heart rate won’t match Apple’s commonly used heart rate-based formulas for estimating your cardio fitness ( VO2max estimate). This will make it appear as if you have a higher cardio fitness level than you actually do.

To have Apple take this into account, go to your profile photo, tap “Health Details ,” tap “Edit” at the top of the page, and scroll down to the “Medications that affect heart rate” section . You can select calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, or both; these are the only categories of medications Apple can take into account.

Automatic transmission of medical information in emergency situations

Your phone has a “Medical ID” feature that can be accessed from the lock screen without even unlocking the phone. It’s a great place to store emergency contact information, but to make the most of it, it’s important that your loved ones know how to access it and what it contains.

I first learned about Medical ID while teaching. A student approached me to explain her medical condition and showed me how to access her Medical ID (it’s at the very bottom of the lock screen). Most importantly, she explained what information I could find there so I knew when and if I should access it in an emergency.

I would advise you to do the same if you want to be prepared. In addition to allergy and contact information, the “Medical Identifier” field allows you to indicate whether you’re pregnant, what medications you’re taking, any medical conditions you’d like to disclose, as well as your height, weight, and blood type. There’s also a notes field at the bottom where you can add any information you deem important.

Also consider enabling the “Share Information During an Emergency Call ” feature, which allows you to transmit this information to emergency services. You can also control whether your Medical ID appears on the lock screen using a separate toggle.

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