Trustworthy Health Apps: What to Look For and What to Avoid

Summary: Health and wellness apps are super helpful for tracking things like your fitness goals, your period, or your daily water intake. But did you know that not all of these apps are safe or accurate? Before you download a new health app, it is important to do a little detective work.

First, check who made the app. You can usually trust apps created by universities, government health agencies, or hospitals. Watch out for major red flags, like apps that promise "miracle cures," apps that haven't been updated in months, or apps that ask for weird phone permissions—like wanting access to your camera or contacts when they only need to count your steps!

Also, keep in mind that most everyday wellness apps are not protected by HIPAA (the strict health privacy law), unless they are directly connected to your doctor or hospital. The FDA only checks apps that act like serious medical devices, such as insulin calculators. To protect your personal information, always read the privacy policy, turn on passwords or Face ID, and don't let apps track your location if they don't need to.

Source: Healthline URL: healthline.com/health/trustworthy-health-apps (opens in new tab)