With the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple introduced an exciting new feature to the Apple Watch: automatic cycle tracking. This uses a new temperature sensor on the Apple Watch that tracks a user’s temperature constantly. This, when analyzed, can tell your watch when you had your period, predict when your next one will likely be, if there were any irregularities, if your period was late, or potentially even let you know that you may be pregnant. That data, like any other data in cycle tracking apps, could also tell police when you had an abortion. In the United States, abortion rights are disappearing in states, with some Republicans trying to pass abortion bans nationwide. This leaves people who can get pregnant in a terrible situation: their own body’s functions are now evidence that can be used against them.
It’s therefore a bit of bad timing for Apple to release automatic cycle tracking now. Still, while the optics are bad, Apple did go out of their way to make sure this data collection is safe. According to Apple, data security in the Health app has been improved. Your cycle data never leaves your device and it’s always encrypted on your phone. If your phone is locked, no one can get that data, not even Apple under a court order.
However, Apple has also done a lot of work to make unlocking your phone as easy as looking at it. Police have already used Face ID to quickly unlock a suspect’s phone.
Here’s how you can protect yourself, and how Apple could ease your mind about using this new feature.
In This Article:
Cycle Tracking
Automatic cycle tracking will take a while to set up, as your watch gets to know you. It’ll require users keep their watch on overnight, put their watch in the sleep focus mode, and then sleep with it on for about five nights. It helps to have some existing data as well from self-inserted data. It’ll take about two cycles before your Apple Watch can do retrospective ovulation estimates. After that, it can even help users detect irregularities, like those caused by PCOS.
“Your Cycle Tracking data stays on your device and is encrypted when your phone is locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID.”
– Apple
Your data stays on your iPhone and Apple Watch, it doesn’t go to Apple’s servers. There, it’s encrypted. This uses the same encryption the rest of your phone users, and is protected behind your passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID.
It Could Be a Problem?
Yes. If you’re tracking your period in any way, and happen to live in an area where abortion is illegal, you could be creating data police could collect as evidence. There, a prosecutor could use it against you in court, and it could be the damning evidence that puts you in jail. This is true of any information you have on your cycle. Do you keep record in a notebook? That’s far less secure than letting your Apple Watch do it. At least on the Apple Watch it can be encrypted.
But that is the problem: your Apple Watch collects data and encrypts it… then decrypts it without you even noticing. When you lock your phone with Face ID, it can be unlocked just by pointing the phone at your face. Your eyes will need to be open and looking at it, but are you really going to wander around for a few hours until your iPhone re-locks with your eyes closed? The police will likely be able to trick or force you into unlocking it during booking.
If you’re storing what prosecutors will consider evidence, even if you’re hiding it well, you still risk it getting out. But it’s certainly safer in Apple’s encryption than a notebook on your shelf.
Turning it Off
You can also simply turn off cycle tracking. From the health app on your iPhone, tap “Browse,” then “Cycle Tracking.” From there, tap options, then turn off “use wrist temperature.” This will prevent the device from using your temperature to automatically track your cycle. It’ll also turn off ovulation estimates. You can still enter data in any app you choose, but your Apple Watch won’t automatically track your cycle.
Apple hasn’t stated whether or not this will stop your watch from collecting temperature data entirely.
How to Keep Your Data Locked Up
If you would like to track your cycle, and automatically with the Apple Watch Series 8 or Apple Watch Ultra, you can still do so safely with a few tips. And, no, it doesn’t involve hiding your face at a police station.
First, use a good passcode. You can update your passcode to use an actual password fairly easily. Just go to Settings -> Face ID & Passcode (it’ll be Touch ID & Passcode on other devices). Then select Change Passcode, and enter your current passcode. On the next screen, you’ll be presented with the standard 6-digit passcode. This isn’t what you want. Tap “Passcode Options.” From there, select “Custom Alphanumeric Code” to create a password that has letters, numbers, and more. Or, just select “Custom Numeric Code.” The latter will still be just numbers, but you can make it much longer. If you’re making a password, anything above 10 characters, as long as it’s not your name, a word, and has numbers and characters other than letters, you’ll be fine. If you’re using a passcode, make it around 15 digits long, possibly longer. Numeric passcodes are easier for a computer to guess as there are fewer possibilities for each passcode character.
Don’t use anything related to you. No names, places you were married, dates, etc. Make it unique.
Now, let’s say you had an abortion in a state where it’s not safe to do so. You can turn off Face ID so the passcode is always required and your information is always locked. But that’s inconvenient. Instead, just remember an easy way to quickly lock your device. You can press and hold the lock button and the volume up button to trigger the shut down dialog. Just bringing this up will disable Face ID and lock your device, you don’t even have to turn off your device. You can also press the lock button five times quickly. Now, this will start contacting emergency services. You can cancel it within five seconds to stop it from calling emergency services. This is faster, has a siren associated with it, and also locks your device.
Basically? You just need to make sure Face ID won’t work, which will make all of the data on your phone inaccessible. With that, it’ll make the data on your phone safe enough for the most personal of data, like your healthcare records.
What Apple Still Needs to Do
Apple does need to make sure people know how to turn these features off. While the data is encrypted and likely safe, some people are—perhaps rightfully—paranoid. Those people will want to make sure that not only can they turn off automated cycle tracking, but also that their temperature is never tracked. Any list of temperatures during sleep could, theoretically, allow data scientists or doctors working for the prosecution to estimate when you may have gotten an abortion. Therefore, Apple needs to let users turn the temperature sensor off entirely. Will it be important? Unlikely. With encryption, users are likely safe.
It’s a sad time we live in, that people can’t even feel safe tracking the monthly cycle of their own bodies. A useful health feature has people raising their eyebrows. Apple has done a great deal to protect users, but needs to take it a step further, letting users know exactly what data is recorded and how to prevent it. It’s certainly a little paranoid to act as though you’re constantly in danger of being investigated, but in a world where healthcare is illegal, it can be hard to keep track of your health without risking your safety. I wouldn’t blame anyone for trying to make sure they’re completely safe when doing whatever they deem necessary for their health and life.
Of course, your messages over insecure platforms could be far more dangerous. Your location data could be dangerous too. Stay vigilant. Apple’s new feature is likely quite safe. Sure is bad timing though, isn’t it?