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Is WebMD Safe?

WebMD privacy label · by WebMD Health Corporation · checked November 2026

  • Tracks you
  • Collects location
  • Recently updated
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
1type
Short answer

It depends on how you feel about tracking: WebMD declares data used to track you. The sensitive items are health and fitness, location and user content. In total the label lists 8 data types; 8% of medical records apps we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

WebMD privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Used to track you
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.

Verdict from the label
Tracks you

WebMD's developer reports using contact info to track you across other companies' apps and websites.

Try it

Did WebMD ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what WebMD's developer declared.

It asked me for access to…
Tap a prompt to compare it with the label.
Matches the label

WebMD lists Location on its label. Choose While Using and turn off Precise Location if the feature works without it.

Matches the label

WebMD lists User Content on its label. Choose Limited Access and pick only the photos you want to share.

Not on the label

Contacts is not on WebMD's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Expected — and you can decline

WebMD declares data used to track you, so expect the “Allow to track?” prompt. Tap Ask App Not to Track; the app must keep working without it.

Matches the label

WebMD lists Health & Fitness on its label, linked to you. Approve Health categories one at a time in the Health app.

A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.

Line by line

What WebMD collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
Health & FitnessSensitiveLinked to you Health and medical records, HealthKit data, and fitness or exercise data. Health app › your profile › Apps: switch off each category the app should not read or write; check Settings › Privacy & Security › Motion & Fitness.
LocationSensitiveNot linked to you Where your phone is, either precisely (street level) or approximately (city or area). Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services: choose Never or While Using, and turn off Precise Location if the app does not need it.
User ContentSensitiveNot linked to you Messages, photos, videos, audio recordings, documents and support chats you create or upload. Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos: choose Limited Access or None; review Microphone and Files access too.
Search HistoryNot linked to you Searches you run inside the app. Look for a clear-history or private-search option in the app.
Contact InfoUsed to track youLinked to you Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences.
IdentifiersLinked to you An account ID, screen name, customer number or a device-level ID such as the advertising identifier. Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking: turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track, or tap Ask App Not to Track when prompted.
Usage DataNot linked to you What you tap, open and view inside the app, plus which ads you have seen. There is no single iOS switch. Look for an analytics or personalised-ads toggle in the app's own settings.
DiagnosticsNot linked to you Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate.
Reading the label

What WebMD's label means for you

WebMD's label has 1 type under “Data Used to Track You”, 3 types under “Data Linked to You”, 5 types under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.

Tracking is the declaration that most separates apps. It means contact info from WebMD can be combined with data from other companies to target or measure ads, or shared with data brokers. On iOS 14.5 and later, the app must ask your permission before tracking you through the advertising identifier; answering “Ask App Not to Track” blocks that identifier and tells the developer you have declined.

The items that deserve the most attention are health and fitness, location and user content. Health data is among the most sensitive data an app can hold, and US health-privacy law (HIPAA) does not cover most consumer apps.

Medical-record apps hold diagnoses, prescriptions and insurance details. Patient portals from your provider are bound by health-privacy rules in a way most standalone apps are not. Confirm the app is published by your hospital, insurer or a well-known records service, and turn on its login lock.

Among the 191 medical records apps in our snapshot with a label, 8% declare tracking, 71% collect data linked to you and 20% say they collect nothing. WebMD lists 8 data types, more than the average of 4.8 for this group.

Medical apps may hold the most sensitive data on your phone. Whether US health-privacy law applies depends on who runs the app, not on the App Store category.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for WebMD

  1. 1

    Tracking

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. If “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is off, apps cannot ask, and they are told to treat you as having declined. You can also turn it off for this app alone.

  2. 2

    Location

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › WebMD. Choose While Using or Never, and switch off Precise Location if a city-level answer is enough.

  3. 3

    Photos

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.

  4. 4

    Health

    Health app › your profile picture › Apps › WebMD. Turn categories on one at a time; the app cannot tell which ones you declined.

  5. 5

    Sign-in

    When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.

  6. 6

    Lock the app

    On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.

Cross-app tracking

Does WebMD track you?

Yes — 1 data type

Contact info. Apple defines tracking as linking data from this app with data from other companies' apps, websites or offline sources for targeted advertising or ad measurement, or sharing it with a data broker.

Does WebMD track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock WebMD behind Face ID

  1. Find WebMD on your Home Screen or in App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
  3. Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
  4. Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. WebMD now asks for authentication every time it opens.

The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not WebMD has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.

Lock or hide WebMD: step-by-step guide →

From the App Store record

About WebMD

DeveloperWebMD Health Corporation
App Store categoryMedical (also Health & Fitness)
Latest version11.34, released October 2026
First releasedOctober 2008
RequiresiOS 15.0 or later
Size151 MB
Age rating17+
Languages2 (EN, ES)
Bundle IDcom.webmd.mobile

The current version shipped in October 2026, so the app is actively maintained and its label is likely current. Labels are updated by developers when practices change.

Read with care

What the label cannot tell you

  • A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what WebMD sends.
  • It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
  • Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
  • Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
  • Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.

The question to ask WebMD's developer: Is this app run by my healthcare provider, or a third party?

How it compares

WebMD vs similar medical records apps

Data types listed on each App Store privacy label
Tracks youLinked to youNot linkedCollects nothing

Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.

Checking another app?

Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.

Keep exploring

Apps similar to WebMD

All medical records apps → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect health & fitness → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your WebMD privacy checklist

Tick what you have done
Tick each step as you do it on your iPhone.

Done. You have applied every control the label points to.

Quick quiz

True or false?

  1. Q1WebMD's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: it lists contact info under Data Used to Track You.

  2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.

  3. Q3WebMD collects Health & Fitness.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: Health & Fitness appears on its label.

  4. Q4Data “Not Linked to You” is never sent off your iPhone.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.

  5. Q5Tapping “Ask App Not to Track” can stop an app from working.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.

Questions people ask

WebMD privacy FAQ

Is WebMD safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, webMD's developer reports using contact info to track you across other companies' apps and websites. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does WebMD track you?
Yes. Its label lists contact info under Data Used to Track You. You can decline at the iOS tracking prompt.
What data does WebMD collect?
Health and fitness, location, user content, search history, contact info, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics. Of these, health and fitness, contact info and identifiers are linked to your identity.
Who makes WebMD?
WebMD Health Corporation, according to the App Store. It was first released in October 2008 and the current version is 11.34.
Can I lock WebMD with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold WebMD's icon and choose Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode). This is an iPhone feature and works for most downloaded apps, whether or not the app has its own lock.
How does WebMD compare with other medical records apps?
Across 191 medical records apps with labels in our snapshot, 8% declare tracking and 20% say they collect no data. WebMD lists 8 data types against an average of 4.8.
Is this app run by my healthcare provider, or a third party?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in WebMD's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Confirm the app is published by your hospital, insurer or a well-known records service, and turn on its login lock.
How do I delete my data from WebMD?
Apps that let you create an account must also let you start account deletion from inside the app (an App Store rule since June 2022). Deleting the app from your iPhone alone does not delete data already sent to the developer.
Facts on this page come from WebMD on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction