By J, founder of Her Almanac. Last reviewed .
The short answer: you can find out yourself, on your own phone, without trusting anyone's word. Six checks below, from the quickest to the most telling. None needs any technical skill.
Why it matters: the US Federal Trade Commission has taken action against a fertility app that told users their health data was private while sharing it with analytics and advertising companies (FTC). Cycle dates, symptoms and moods are some of the most personal things you can type into a phone. It is fair to want proof.
1. Read the privacy label in the store
On iPhone, open the app's page in the App Store and scroll to App Privacy. On Android, open the app's page in Google Play and tap Data safety. Look for whether health data is "collected" or "shared", and with whom.
What this tells you: what the company says it does. It is a good start, but the company fills it in itself, so keep going.
2. Check whether you need an account
If an app asks for your email, a password or a sign-in before you can use it, your record is tied to your name on someone's server. An app that works with no account at all has nothing to tie your record to.
3. Look at the app's permissions (Android)
In Google Play, open the app's page, tap About this app, scroll to App permissions and tap See more. Look for have full network access. That permission is what lets an app reach the internet on its own. An app without it cannot send anything anywhere, whatever its policy says.
4. Turn on Airplane Mode
Turn on Airplane Mode with Wi-Fi off, then use the app normally: add an entry, open your history, change a setting. If everything still works, the app does not need the internet to do its job.
What this does not tell you: an app can work offline and still send data later, once you are back online. Checks 5 and 6 catch that.
5. Open the App Privacy Report (iPhone)
Go to Settings, then Privacy & Security, then App Privacy Report, and tap Turn On App Privacy Report (Apple). Use your phone as usual for a few days, then come back. Under App Network Activity you can see every website each app has contacted. An app that keeps your data on your phone should not appear there at all.
6. Check the app's data usage (Android)
Go to Settings, then Network & internet (on Samsung, Connections), then Data usage, and look at the app's mobile data and Wi-Fi use. The menu names change a little by phone. An app that never connects shows 0 B, week after week.
Then read the privacy policy, once
Search it for four words: share, third parties, advertising and analytics. Each place they appear tells you who else may see your record. A short policy with none of them is a good sign. A long one full of them is worth taking seriously.
If an app passes all six checks, its privacy is a fact of how it is built, not a promise you have to take on trust.
How Her Almanac does on the six checks
I built Her Almanac to pass every one of these, so here are its answers.
| Check | Her Almanac |
|---|---|
| 1. Privacy label | Google Play: no data collected or shared |
| 2. Account | None. There is no sign-in, ever |
| 3. Network permission | Her Almanac does not have the full network access permission on Android, so it cannot connect to the internet |
| 4. Airplane Mode | Everything works, because nothing ever needed the internet |
| 5. App Privacy Report | The iPhone version is coming soon. When it is out, you can run this check yourself |
| 6. Data usage | 0 B, on mobile data and Wi-Fi |
Your record stays on your phone, encrypted. Backups are files you make and keep yourself. You can see every claim we make, and how to check it, on our audit page.
Her Almanac is not a medical device and does not give medical advice.