What Is Health Sharing on an iPhone and How Do You Use It?

Apple's Health app securely keeps track of all kinds of data about your health. Now you can share that data with other people who need it.

Apple designed its Health app as a secure place to keep valued health information and a tool to gather critical health metrics to gain deeper insights into your health. With the release of iOS 15, you can now share your health information on Health app with your healthcare providers or family members. This means it’s easier than ever to use the Health app to get better medical support.

What Is Health Sharing?

Health Sharing is a feature that allows you to securely share specific health information stored on your Health app with friends, family, and your healthcare providers. The feature allows you to share data with up to five individuals at once.

You have full control over what of data you want to share, and you can stop sharing anytime. As you share your data, the people you share it with will receive notifications when there are relevant changes to your health.

Health Sharing Requirements on iPhone

Before you set up Health Sharing, check if your device has all the requirements for the feature. You need:

• an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 15 or later
• an iCloud account
• the Health app, with two-factor authentication enabled
• the person you plan to share your data with is saved in your Contacts
• to ensure that Health is turned on in your iCloud account. To check, go to Settings, then tap your name. Tap iCloud, then scroll down to Health. Make sure that it’s toggled on.

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Related: Best iPhone Health Apps You Should Connect to Apple Health

While it’s a requirement for a person to be in your Contacts, you should know that removing them from your contacts list doesn’t stop the Health app from sharing your data with them.

How to Set Up Health Sharing on an iPhone

To set up Health Sharing on your iPhone:

1. Go to the Health app, then tap the Sharing tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Share with Someone, then find the person you want to share data with on your Contacts. If their name is in gray, this means that their device doesn’t support Health Sharing; their names would be in blue to indicate that their device supports the feature.
3. Choose between See Suggested Topics or Set Up Manually. Choose the former to select from Health’s suggested categories based on your available data, or choose the latter to select the data yourself.
4. Hit Share, then tap Done.

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Once you finish setting up, the selected person will receive an invite to view the health data you shared.

How to Manage the Health Data You Share and Access

If you want to change the health data you’re sharing or want to stop sharing, here’s what you can do:

1. Open the Health app and tap the Sharing tab.
2. Choose a person under You’re Sharing With.
3. To change the health data you’re sharing, simply toggle the switches beside the categories.
4. To stop sharing all of your health data, scroll down to the bottom and tap Stop Sharing.

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How to Manage Other People’;s Apple Health Data

If someone else shared their health information with you, you’;ll receive an invite in the Health on your device, to which you can Accept or Decline.

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If you want to stop receiving someone else’s health data:

1. Go to the Health app and tap the Sharing tab.
2. Choose the person listed under Sharing With You.
3. Select Options > Stop Receiving Health Data.

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If you simply want to turn off alerts and notifications, or stop receiving new updates, you can do that instead. Simply toggle the switch off for Alerts, Trends, or Updates.

How to Share Apple Health Data With Your Healthcare Providers

If you’re in the US, you can also use this feature to share your health information with enrolled healthcare providers. To do this:

1. Go to the Health app and select the Sharing tab.
2. Tap Share with your doctor > Next.
3. Search for your health practitioner’s hospital, clinic, or location.
4. Tap Connect Account. You’ll be asked to sign in to your health center’s portal.
5. Follow the onscreen prompts to choose the topics you want to share with your health practitioner.
6. Tap Share.

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Monitor Your Health Better With Apple Health

Health Sharing allows the people who value your health to better monitor it, even from a distance, while keeping you in complete control of your data. You can also use your iPhone’;s Health app to keep track your official medical records.

About The Author

Rachel Melegrito (86 Articles Published)

Rachel Melegrito left her career as a university instructor to become a full-fledged content writer. She loves anything Apple —from iPhones, to Apple Watches, to MacBooks. She is also a licensed occupational therapist and a budding SEO strategist.

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