Veya vs Apple Health Cycle Tracking
If you have an iPhone, Cycle Tracking is already there. Here’s how it compares with a dedicated tracker like Veya.
Cycle Tracking is part of Apple’s Health app on iPhone and iPad, with a Cycle Tracking app on Apple Watch. It keeps your cycle beside the rest of your health data, and Apple has made privacy a central part of how it describes Health.1,2
Veya is a separate, dedicated app for periods, pregnancy, life after a birth and perimenopause, coming to iPhone and Android. It hasn’t launched yet, so its side of this page describes what is planned.
At a glance
- The Health app is made by Apple and listed as free on the US App Store.3
- Health data on a locked device is encrypted, and syncing it to iCloud is your choice.2
- With two-factor authentication on, Cycle Tracking data synced to iCloud is end-to-end encrypted, and Apple says it doesn’t have the key.4
- Apple Watch Series 8 or later, and all Apple Watch Ultra models, can use wrist temperature to estimate ovulation after it has happened, in some countries and regions.5,4
- Apple says Cycle Tracking shouldn’t be used as a form of birth control.4
Side by side
| Feature | Veya | Apple Health |
|---|---|---|
| Price and free tier | Free Every feature, for everyone, with no premium tier. Optional pay-what-you-want support through the app stores unlocks nothing. | Free The Health app is listed as free on the US App Store. Ovulation estimates need an Apple Watch Series 8 or later, or an Apple Watch Ultra. 3,4 |
| Ads | No ads No ads and no analytics. | No tracking section on its privacy label The US App Store label lists only data not linked to you. Apps that work with HealthKit aren’t allowed to use HealthKit data for advertising. 3,6 |
| Account needed | Not needed A Google or Apple sign-in is used only if you choose cloud backup. | Not stated Apple says iCloud sync is optional; the pages we checked don’t say whether an Apple Account is needed for Cycle Tracking. |
| Where your data is kept | On your phone A local database on your phone. Cloud backup, partner sharing and the community run only if you turn them on. | On your devices, iCloud optional Encrypted on a locked device. If you sync to iCloud, it’s encrypted in transit and on Apple’s servers, and end-to-end encrypted for Cycle Tracking with two-factor authentication. 2,4 |
| Selling and sharing data, per their policy | Doesn’t sell data No ads, no analytics and no data sales, as set out in Veya’s privacy policy. | You choose who and which apps Apps must ask to read or write Health data, and Apple says it can’t see what you share with other Health app users. The privacy label lists only data not linked to you. 2,3 |
| Export your data | Yes Everything as a JSON file you can restore on another phone without an account, plus a CSV for spreadsheets. | Yes “Export All Health Data” for everything, and a PDF of up to 12 months of cycle history. 2,4 |
| Delete your data | Yes An option to delete everything, in the app. | Yes Review, edit and delete Health data at any time; Cycle Tracking has a Delete All option. 2,4 |
| Languages | 8 English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Hindi. | 33 The Health app’s US App Store listing shows English and 32 more languages. 3 |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android Coming soon; not yet in the app stores. | iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch Cycle Tracking is in the Health app on iPhone and iPad, and in the Cycle Tracking app on Apple Watch. 1,3 |
| Pregnancy, after a birth, perimenopause | Yes, all three Modes for trying to conceive, pregnancy, after a birth and perimenopause, which you can switch between. | Logging, not dedicated modes You can log a pregnancy to track gestational age, add Pregnancy or Lactation as cycle factors, and log perimenopause or menopause with related symptoms. 7,4,8 |
| Contraception | Not contraception Veya isn’t a method of contraception and isn’t a medical device. Its dates are estimates. | Not contraception Apple says Cycle Tracking shouldn’t be used as a form of birth control, and that its temperature sensing feature isn’t intended for medical use. 4,1 |
| Offline use | Yes Entries are saved to your phone, so logging doesn’t need a connection. | Not stated Not mentioned on the pages we checked. |
Veya is pre-launch, so everything in its column is planned for launch. See the feature availability table and the privacy policy for what is built so far.
What Apple Health does well
- Strong privacy design: with two-factor authentication, Cycle Tracking data synced to iCloud is end-to-end encrypted.4
- Retrospective ovulation estimates from Apple Watch wrist temperature, which can also improve period predictions.5
- Notifications if your logged history shows a possible deviation, such as irregular, infrequent or prolonged periods, or persistent spotting.1
- Your cycle sits beside your other health data, and third-party apps that work with Health can be used with Cycle Tracking.4
- A PDF of your cycle history to share with a healthcare provider.4
- Apple says data from its Women’s Health Study has helped improve Cycle Tracking predictions.1
Where Veya is different
- On Android too. Veya is coming to both iPhone and Android, with the same features on each.
- Dedicated modes for trying to conceive, pregnancy week by week, after a birth and perimenopause, each with guidance on when to get help.
- A library of plain-language guides, each with its sources, in eight languages.
- A doctor summary that brings your cycles, symptoms and notes together for an appointment.
- No watch needed for any feature. Veya estimates come from what you log, shown as windows with their confidence.
Which should you choose?
If you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or later
Cycle Tracking can use wrist temperature to estimate ovulation after it has happened, and to improve period predictions.5
If you want everything in one place on iPhone
Cycle Tracking is already in the Health app, beside your other health data, at no extra cost.3,4
If you use Android, or switch between phones
Veya is planned for iPhone and Android, and its export can be restored on either.1
Questions
Is Apple’s Cycle Tracking private?
Can Apple Health tell me when I ovulate?
Can I use Cycle Tracking and Veya together?
Veya is planned as a separate app with its own records. If you use both, decide which one you treat as your main record, so your history doesn’t end up split between them.
Is either one birth control?
No. Apple says Cycle Tracking shouldn’t be used as a form of birth control, and Veya isn’t a method of contraception.4
Sources
Every statement about Apple Health on this page comes from the pages below, read on the date shown. We quote the wording we relied on.
- Apple Health (Apple)
The Cycle Tracking experience on iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad lets you log your period and record symptoms or cycle factors
The temperature sensing feature is not intended for medical use.
With Cycle Tracking you can receive a notification if your logged cycle history shows a possible deviation, such as irregular, infrequent, or prolonged periods and persistent spotting.
Most recently, data from our ongoing Women’s Health Study — the first of its kind — has helped to improve Cycle Tracking predictions.
- Health app & privacy (Apple)
When your device is locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all of your health and fitness data in the Health app — other than your Medical ID — is encrypted and inaccessible by default.
You can choose to use iCloud to keep your data up to date across your devices, choose to back up your data to an iTunes encrypted backup on your computer, or choose to share your data.
You are in control over which data is stored in the Health app and which data is shared with third-party apps and people you trust.
Apps must request the ability to read data from or write data to your Health app.
Apple will not be able to access or view any of the data that you share with other Health app users.
The Health app also gives you the ability to export a copy of your Health app data available on your device. To do so, tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner, then tap Export All Health Data.
You can review, edit, and delete your Health app data at any time.
- Apple Health, US App Store listing (Apple App Store)
Seller Apple Inc.
Apple Health Health & Fitness Free
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity: Health & Fitness Location Search History Identifiers Usage Data Sensitive Info Diagnostics Other Data
Data Not Linked to You The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity: Health & Fitness
English and 32 more English, Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese
Language EN + 32 More iPhone, iPad
- Track your menstrual cycle with Cycle Tracking (Apple Support)
when you use the Cycle Tracking feature and have enabled two-factor authentication, your health data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data
Ovulation estimates are available only with Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models and are available only in certain countries or regions.
Cycle Tracking should not be used as a form of birth control.
Any health data synced to iCloud is encrypted both in transit and on our servers.
Tap Cycle History. You can tap Export PDF to generate a PDF of the last 12 months of your cycle history.
Tap the Remove button to each item, then tap Delete. You can also tap Delete All in the upper corner.
select Pregnancy, Lactation, or Contraceptive.
your health data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data and therefore cannot read it.
Third-party apps that work with the Health app can also be used with Cycle Tracking.
export the last 12 months of your cycle history as a PDF to share with your healthcare provider.
- About ovulation estimates on Apple Watch (Apple Support)
Apple Watch Series 8 or later, and all models of Apple Watch Ultra, can use wrist temperature data to estimate the likely day of ovulation after it has occurred and improve period predictions.
Ovulation estimates are estimates only, and do not guarantee that ovulation has occurred.
- Privacy features (Apple)
Apps that work with HealthKit are prohibited from using or disclosing HealthKit data to third parties for advertising or other data mining purposes
- Log a pregnancy in the Health app (Apple Support)
You can log a pregnancy with your iPhone or iPad to track gestational age and the impact of your pregnancy on other health features
- Apple Watch User Guide: Cycle Tracking (Apple Support)
After logging perimenopause or menopause, you can log related symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, sleep changes, and more.