islaHow to read an App Store privacy label for a period tracker
Every app on the App Store has a privacy label under App Privacy on its page. It is written by the developer, and it has four possible sections.
Data Used to Track You
Data that is linked with data from other companies' apps, websites or data brokers for advertising or measurement, or shared with data brokers. For a period tracker, anything here means some of what the app knows about you is combined with information held elsewhere.
Data Linked to You
Data the developer keeps tied to your identity, usually through an account, an email address or a device identifier. Look for Health and Fitness and Sensitive Info here: if they appear, your cycle data is stored in a way that identifies you.
Data Not Linked to You
Data collected without being tied to who you are, for example anonymous usage counts. It is collected, so it still leaves the phone, but the developer says it is not connected to your identity.
Data Not Collected
The developer says no data at all is collected from the app.
What the label does not tell you
- It is self-reported. Apple publishes what the developer declares; the label is a statement, not an audit.
- It does not say where data is stored, for how long, or which other companies process it. The privacy policy covers that.
- It can change with any update. The label shown is for the current version.
- Data you choose to share, such as an export you email to yourself, is not counted.
Compare the label with the description
When we read the top period trackers' pages on 2026-10-04, one listing said data stays on the device and is never uploaded, while its label listed identifiers and usage data used to track you and health data linked to you. Reading both takes a minute.
Isla's label
Isla's label reads "Data Not Linked to You: Usage Data (Product Interaction)". Nothing is used to track you and nothing is linked to you. The usage data is a short list of anonymous app events, and the app shows that list on its "What leaves this iPhone" page.