Privacy policy.

Because we deal with your healthcare information, your privacy is incredibly important to us--it has to be. This policy explains how the HealthScout™ app handles your health data and other information. By using HealthScout, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. HealthScout is an educational tool only and does not provide medical advice.

Our Privacy pledge To You

We pledge the following about your privacy.

  • We never store your health data in the cloud

  • We never share your health data with advertisers

  • We never use your health data for marketing purposes

  • We don't combine health data with analytics data

  • We cannot see any of your health data (and neither can our partners)

You can read about each of these points in more detail below.

Data Collection and Use

We access health data from Apple Health only with your explicit permission. You control which types of health data we can access through iOS Settings. We use this data only to answer your health-related questions and provide insights.

You can revoke access to your health data at any time through your iOS Settings. We do not store your Apple Health data in the cloud or on any servers. Your data remains encrypted on your device protected by your device's biometric security system. Health data is only used to provide services to you within the app.

No HealthScout employee can see or read your personal health data unless you explicitly use the “Send Logs to HealthScout” feature.  

Cloud Processing and Data Transmission

To answer your questions, we process your health data using the server based AI providers. Data is transmitted securely using industry-standard HTTPS encryption, which ensures your data is protected during transfer.

The data we send includes:

  • Your health-related questions

  • Relevant health data from Apple Health needed to answer your questions

  • No personal identifying information beyond what's necessary to provide the service

HealthScout has selected AI services from Anthropic and Gemini which do not use queries for model training and do not permanently store your information. All data transmission occurs over encrypted connections.

Chat History and Storage

While we never store raw Apple Health data, your chat conversations with HealthScout (which may include health information you choose to discuss) can be stored locally on your device or in CloudKit (Apple's secure cloud storage service) if you enable it. This allows you to delete and reinstall HealthScout and maintain your conversation history. This storage is:

  • Secured by your device’s biometrics (Touch ID or Face ID)

  • Completely under your control

  • Can be deleted at any time

  • Is encrypted end-to-end when using CloudKit

  • Is separate from the Apple Health data itself

  • Only includes information you explicitly shared in conversations

You can choose to:

  • Keep chat history only on your device

  • Sync chat history through CloudKit

  • Delete chat history at any time

Data Retention and Deletion

HealthScout does not store your health data on servers or in the cloud. Your questions and related health data are only temporarily processed to provide answers. Since we don't store data, there is nothing to delete from our systems.

You can clear your app data at any time through your iOS Settings. The AI APIs process data transiently and do not maintain persistent storage of your health information.

Emergency Situations 

In cases where your questions indicate a potential medical emergency, our system may automatically provide emergency contact information and urgent care resources. We do not monitor conversations in real-time, but our automated systems may detect crisis-related keywords to provide appropriate emergency resource information.

Children's Data

HealthScout is intended for users 18 years of age and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13.

We recognize that parents or legal guardians may use HealthScout to manage their children's health information. In such cases:

  • Only parents or legal guardians should input or access children's health information through their own account

  • Parents are responsible for ensuring appropriate permissions when sharing their children's health data

  • All children's health data processed through the app receives the same privacy protections as adult data

  • Parents can control all aspects of children's data access through iOS Settings

If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe we might have any information directly from a child under 13, please contact us at privacy@healthscout.co.

Analytics and Performance Data

We collect basic app usage data to improve our service, including:

  • App performance metrics

  • Feature usage statistics

  • Crash reports

  • Anonymous location data via IP address

This analytics data is:

  • Completely separate from your health data

  • Never connected to your personal information

  • Used only to improve app functionality

  • Collected and processed through Firebase Analytics with appropriate privacy safeguards

State Specific Privacy Rights

California Residents

As a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to:

  • Request details about personal information we collect and how we use it

  • Request deletion of your information

  • Opt-out of analytics data collection

  • Exercise these rights without discrimination

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise your privacy rights:

  • Use in-app settings to control data collection

  • Email privacy@healthscout.co for specific requests

  • No charge for reasonable requests

Other States

Residents of Virginia, Colorado, and other states may have similar rights under their state laws. We honor these rights regardless of your location in the US.

Your Rights

You have the rights to do the following:

  • View what health data types we access in iOS Settings

  • Revoke access to any or all health data types at any time

  • Request information about how your data is used

  • Control app permissions through iOS Settings

  • Delete all app data from your device

Security Measures

All data transmission is encrypted using industry standards. We use Apple's security frameworks and best practices. We maintain industry-standard security practices. We process only the minimum health data necessary. 

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

Continued use of the application after such changes will constitute your consent to the changes. You can review previous versions of the policy by contacting us.

Contact Information

For any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

privacy@healthscout.co

HealthScout, a service of Doodle Buddy Labs LLC.

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Last Updated: April 15, 2025