Published 2026-11-03
Checked 2026-11-03
DATA SHEET · 2026-11-03
What should you check about an ADHD app's privacy before you install it?
Open the app's privacy section on the App Store or Google Play before installing. Check three things: whether any data is "used to track you", which categories are "linked to you", and whether health, contacts or recordings are collected. Prefer apps that keep sensitive data on your device or let you delete your account in the app. Labels are self-reported by developers, so treat them as a starting point.
ADHD apps ask for some of the most personal data on your phone: medication times, moods, voice notes, the books you read. Both app stores publish privacy labels. Here is how to read them in two minutes.
Where do you find the privacy label?
- App Store: scroll the app's page to App Privacy. Apple groups data into "Data Used to Track You", "Data Linked to You" and "Data Not Linked to You".
- Google Play: open the app's page and tap Data safety. It lists data collected and data shared, and whether you can request deletion.
- Both are written by the developer. Apple's own developer page says so and explains the categories.
What should you check, line by line?
- Is anything listed under "Data Used to Track You"? Tracking means linking your data with other companies' data for ads or sharing it with data brokers
- Is health or fitness data collected? Expected for med and mood trackers; not for a to-do app
- Are audio recordings, photos or user content collected, and why?
- Are contacts collected? Rarely needed for ADHD tools
- Can you delete your account and data inside the app?
- Does the app work offline or store data on the device?
- Does the privacy policy name where data is processed and for how long it is kept?
Which ADHD app types carry the most sensitive data?
Data sensitivity by ADHD app type (general guidance, not a ranking)
| App type | Typical sensitive data | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Medication reminders | Medication names, schedules | Health data not used to track you; export and delete options |
| Mood and symptom trackers | Mood, symptoms, notes | Same as above; local storage is a plus |
| Voice capture | Recordings, transcripts | How long recordings are kept; whether AI processing is third-party |
| AI assistants | Everything you type | Training use of your content; deletion |
| Reading and recap apps | Photos of pages, reading history | What happens to page photos; tracking identifiers |
| Blockers | App usage, screen time | On-device processing |
Worked example: what does a reading app's label say?
Magic Bookmark's App Store label, checked 2026-11-03, lists identifiers under Data Used to Track You, and lists purchases, contact info, user content (photos), search history, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics under Data Linked to You. The photos make sense for an app that reads the page you photograph to find your place; the tracking identifiers are worth knowing about if you limit tracking on your phone.
On iPhone you can turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track in Settings, under Privacy and Security, Tracking. That applies to every app at once.
Does privacy affect our scores?
Not directly. Our eight criteria cover setup, capture, forgiveness, reward design, notifications, price honesty, accessibility and staying power. We note privacy facts on review pages where they matter, and this checklist is how we read them.
Questions people actually ask
Are ADHD apps safe for my data?
It varies. Read the privacy label before installing and prefer apps that do not use sensitive data to track you and let you delete your account.
What does "Data Used to Track You" mean on the App Store?
Data linked with other companies' data for advertising or measurement, or shared with data brokers, as defined by Apple.
Can I stop apps from tracking me on iPhone?
Yes. Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track under Settings, Privacy and Security, Tracking.
Are privacy labels verified?
They are self-reported by developers. Treat them as a starting point and read the privacy policy for anything sensitive.
Sources
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