In case you’re the forgetful type

Of all the Health app features introduced in the iOS 16 beta, the new Medications feature may be the most practical. According to the CDC, 48.6 percent of Americans take at least one prescription medication a day. Unfortunately, an NIH study found that 30 to 50 percent of patients don’t adhere to long-term medications — in other words, they don’t keep to their medication schedules. This is a problem that costs the healthcare system hundreds of millions of dollars per year. In the iOS 16 beta, however, you can log and schedule which medications you take and set up reminders on your iPhone or Apple Watch. You can also share your medication list with loved ones or healthcare providers.

Third-party medication reminder apps have been around for a long time, but this is the first time it’s been included natively in Apple’s Health app. And though the jury is still out on how effective these reminder apps are, experts told The Verge that this feature is a step in the right direction — especially if forgetfulness is the main reason you struggle to take medications regularly.

Aside from reminders, the Medications feature also allows you to export your medications list and alerts you if there are any drug interactions you should be aware of. You can also archive any medications that you no longer need to take.

A note about privacy: according to Apple’s Health app privacy policy, any device locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID will automatically encrypt your health data (aside from your Medical ID), making it “inaccessible by default.” If you’re on iOS 12 or later, enabling two-factor authentication will also make it so Apple cannot read health and activity data synced to iCloud. If you’re concerned about keeping your medications private, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re using these protections.

To get started, head to the Health app and tap on the Browse tab. Scroll down and tap the Medications menu and then the Add a Medication option.

From here, there are two ways to enter which medications you’re taking: use your phone’s camera or search for the name of the medication.

Once you’ve entered in all of your medications, you’ll get notifications on your iPhone to take your meds at the times you’ve designated. When you tap the notification, you’ll be prompted to either mark all as logged, log each medication separately, or snooze the alert for 10 minutes. You can also do this from the Apple Watch, but you’ll need to install the watchOS 9 public beta first.

If you accidentally miss a notification, you can also directly log your medications in the Health app on the iPhone or the Medications app on the Apple Watch.

You’ll want to be mindful of which medications you upload, as you can’t delete them. (This is the beta version of iOS 16, so this may change.) You can, however, archive any medications you’re no longer taking.

If you archive a medication, be aware that it will not show up in your medication list or schedules. It also will not show up if you choose to export a PDF of your medications list.

And that’s it. The setup process can take a while if you’re on a lot of medications or want to log over-the-counter drugs like Advil, Allegra, or Prilosec. You have the option to be as thorough as you want and can always add more meds later if you need to.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge

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