How to set up medication reminders in iOS 16

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.

• If you have a prescription bottle on hand, tap the Camera icon and take a picture of the label.
• Grant permission for the Health app to access your camera.
• Tap Next and place your prescription bottle or box in the center of the frame.
• You should then see a list of possible matches. Select the correct one. If it doesn’t show up, you can opt to add the medication via a manual search by tapping the Search by Name button at the bottom of the screen. (See below for more info.)
• From here, you’ll be prompted to select your medication frequency. You can select from three options: At Regular Intervals, On Specific Days of the Week, or As Needed.
• If you chose At Regular Intervals, enter how often you plan to take the medication (e.g., every day, every other day, every four days, etc.).
• If you chose On Specific Days of the Week, enter which days you need to take the meds.
• In either case, select a start date and tap Done.
• The next screen lets you schedule when you take your meds. Tap the green plus icon under the Time of Day subheading and enter the time you want and the dosage. You can add several different times if you need to. You can also specify the dosage (one teaspoon, two tablets, etc.) by tapping on the dosage to the right of each time.
• Tap Next.
• Choose from a selection of pill shapes when prompted, then scroll down and tap Next. (You can skip this part if you’d like.)
• If you did choose a pill shape, you can then choose the color for the pill shape you selected as well as the background. Tap Next.
• Review details and add optional notes. Here’s when you can add a display name for your meds if you want added privacy.

• Type the name of your medication in the search bar, and select the name that pops up.
• You’ll then be prompted to select the medication type (i.e., tablet, extended-release tablet, liquid-filled capsule, etc.).
• After that, enter your dosage.
• From here, you can follow the steps outlined above.

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 watchOS 9 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.

• From the Browse tab in the Health app, scroll down and tap on the Medications menu.
• Under the Log subsection, hit the plus button next to the medication you want to log.
• You can either tap Log All as Taken or, under each medication listed, tap Skipped or Taken.
• If you want to edit details like time and dosage, tap the blue link under the name and dose of the medication.

If you’re no longer taking a specific medication, you can either delete or archive it.

• From the Browse tab in the Health app, scroll down and tap on the Medications menu.
• Under the Your Medications list, tap on the medication you want to delete or archive.
• Scroll down to the Options list, and tap on either Archive Medication or Delete Medication.

There are also a couple of other ways you can archive your medication.

• In the Your Medications list, swipe left on the medication you want to archive and tap on the yellow Archive button appear.
• Alternatively, you can tap the blue Edit link next to the Your Medications subsection and then the blue file box icon next to the medication you wish to archive.

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 (see below). If you want to start using an archived medication again:

• From the Browse tab in the Health app, scroll down and tap on the Medications menu.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap on the Archived Medications button. Tap the blue Edit button, and it will take you to the Edit Medications List. Alternatively, you can tap on the blue Edit button next to the Your Medications list.
• Either way, in the Edit Medications List, the medication will be found under the category Archived Medications.
• Tap the green plus icon next to the medication.

As mentioned, you can export your medications list as a PDF if you need to.

• Go to the Browse tab and scroll down to the Medications menu.
• Look for and tap the blue Export PDF link. You’ll see your name, your date of birth, and a list of your current medications.
• To finalize the export, tap the Share icon in the upper right-hand corner.
• From there, you can choose how you want to share the PDF (e.g., AirDrop, text, email, printing, etc.).

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

Update October 4th, 2022, 11:40AM ET: This article was originally published on July 13th, 2022, and has been updated to account for changes from the beta to the final version of iOS 16.