Support & FAQs

You have 100% control over the data exchanged with the AI. You can import a wide range of health data from Apple Health, upload PDF documents, paste text directly, or even scan images of lab results or notes using OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This ensures you decide exactly what information is used to generate questions or provide context for the chat.

Absolutely. Your privacy is our top priority. All your health data resides exclusively on your device. SimQuant LLC, the creator of Ask Your Doctor, does not have any access to your data – we cannot see it, store it, share it, or use it in any way. For premium features involving AI analysis, only de-identified data, which cannot be traced back to you, is securely transmitted over HTTPS to the OpenAI Business API for analysis. We do not retain or access your information beyond this process. For maximum privacy, data is stored only in memory while the app is active; if the app is restarted or terminated, all shared data is cleared from memory. For details on OpenAI’s privacy and data collection policies, please refer to OpenAI’s Business API Policy: https://openai.com/policies/business-features/.

The AskQuestions screen leverages the most advanced AI provided by OpenAI to analyze your shared health data. Based on this analysis, the app generates a prioritized list of concerns (high, medium, low severity) with specific questions you can ask your doctor. Each question is accompanied by a clear reason, often referencing specific lab results, conditions, or other relevant health data points, helping you have more informed conversations with your healthcare provider.

The Chat feature provides a secure, text-based conversational interface with OpenAI's AI, contextualized by your shared health data. You can ask questions about your health, wellness, symptoms, medical history, and concerns. The AI responds intelligently and personally, drawing upon your specific vitals, health records, nutrition data, and other imported information to provide relevant and personalized insights.

The Symptoms screen allows you to securely record your daily symptoms. These symptoms are directly stored within your Apple HealthKit data, ensuring they remain on your device and are managed by Apple's robust privacy framework. This recorded symptom data is then seamlessly integrated and used for context when generating comprehensive questions for your doctor or when interacting with the AI in the Chat feature, contributing to a holistic view of your health.

Yes, you can cancel your AskYourDoctor subscription at any time through your App Store account. To cancel directly from the app, simply navigate to Menu -> Manage Subscriptions.

The Dashboard provides a real-time overview of your health across four key areas: Stress Management, Fitness Level, Daily Health, and Energy Balance. Each score is normalized to a 0-1 scale (where higher is generally better) and color-coded (Green: Good, Yellow: Fair, Red: Needs Improvement). The scores are calculated based on data imported from Apple HealthKit, utilizing personalized targets for your age and biological sex.

Your Stress Management score gauges your physiological stress and recovery. It combines:

• Resting Heart Rate (RHR): A lower RHR is generally better.
• Heart Rate Variability (HRV): Higher HRV (SDNN) is typically better, indicating good stress resilience. The app intelligently adjusts the impact of your HRV reading based on when it was measured: during sleep, at rest, or during activity, to provide a more accurate assessment.
• Oxygen Saturation (SpO₂): Normal SpO₂ levels (typically 95-100%) are ideal.
• Sleep Hours: Adequate sleep duration is crucial for recovery.
• Mindful Minutes: Engagements in mindful sessions contribute positively to stress management.

These factors are weighted to provide a composite score, with lower RHR, higher HRV, good SpO₂, sufficient sleep, and regular mindfulness contributing to a higher (better) score.

Your Fitness Level score reflects your cardiovascular fitness and endurance. It's primarily based on:

• VO₂ Max: This is your maximal oxygen uptake, a key indicator of aerobic fitness. A higher VO₂ Max is better.
• Resting Heart Rate (RHR): A lower RHR generally signifies a more efficient heart and better fitness.
• Heart Rate Recovery (HRR): Measures how quickly your heart rate drops after exercise. A faster drop (larger bpm decrease in one minute) indicates better cardiovascular fitness. This metric is inherently captured during/after activity.
• Walking Efficiency / Running Speed: These reflect your performance during physical activity, contributing to an overall fitness assessment.

These metrics are normalized for your age and sex, and combined to give you a comprehensive fitness score.

The Daily Health score provides a holistic snapshot of your day-to-day physical well-being. It considers a blend of activity and vital signs:

• Steps: Your daily step count, indicating your general activity level.
• Active Energy Burned: Calories expended through physical activity.
• Water Intake: Your daily hydration level.
• Respiratory Rate: Your breathing rate, reflecting baseline health.
• Resting Heart Rate (RHR): A general indicator of your body's current state.
• Oxygen Saturation (SpO₂): Reflecting respiratory and circulatory wellness.
• Walking Efficiency: How effectively you move during walking.

This score emphasizes the importance of consistent activity and stable vital signs for overall daily wellness.

Your Energy Balance score provides insight into the relationship between the calories you consume and the calories you expend (burn). It uses:

• Dietary Energy Consumed: Calories from your food intake.
• Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE): An estimate of the total calories your body burns in a day, considering your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (derived from your weight, height, age, and sex), and your active energy burned. If dietary intake is not available, the score will focus solely on energy expenditure (TDEE).

The score reflects your calorie deficit or surplus. A 'healthy' balance typically aims for a slight deficit (for weight management) or a neutral balance (for maintenance). If you consume significantly more or less than you expend, your score may reflect an imbalance.

The data displayed on your dashboard is sourced directly from Apple HealthKit. For the most real-time and comprehensive insights, this data is often dependent on a connected fitness device, such as an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or other compatible health trackers, actively providing data to HealthKit. If your dashboard is grayed out, it typically means there isn't recent or sufficient data available from HealthKit for the app to calculate your scores. Please ensure your fitness devices are connected and syncing with HealthKit, and that you have granted 'Ask Your Doctor' the necessary permissions to read this data in your device's Settings.

For your maximum privacy and data security, all imported health data within 'Ask Your Doctor' is designed to reside only in the app's memory while it is actively running on your device. This means the data is not permanently stored on your phone's persistent storage by 'Ask Your Doctor'. If you close the app completely, restart your device, or the app is terminated by the operating system, this in-memory data is cleared. To continue using the advanced AI features, you will need to re-import your data each time you launch the app.

If you notice any inaccuracies or errors in the health records that have been imported or generated within the 'Shared Data' section, you have full control to correct them. You can manually edit the content of a record or delete an entire record by simply sliding left on its respective row. This allows you to maintain the accuracy of the data used by the AI.