# Health and wellness tracking app development: logs, reminders and private records by ODEL > Building a health or wellness tracking app: diaries, reminders and reports, Apple's health data rules, when HIPAA or FDA questions need a lawyer, and what ODEL learned from five live apps. ODEL builds consumer health and wellness tracking apps: diaries for readings like blood pressure, glucose or weight, medication and habit reminders, quit plans, fasting schedules, charts and PDF or CSV reports people bring to their doctor. ODEL designed, built and publishes five of them: HealthLog, PillBuddy, Ozempre, Unvay and Fasting Week, most of them keeping data on the device without an account. These apps make no medical claims and do not diagnose. If your app exchanges data with clinics or insurers, needs a HIPAA business associate agreement, or works as a medical device, you need a vendor with certified compliance processes and legal advice, and ODEL is not that vendor. Projects start with a discovery call and a written scope, the app is published under your developer account, and you own the source code. ## Who it is for - Founders building a consumer tracker for readings, medication, habits, fasting or quitting nicotine - Wellness brands that want a private, on-device journal or plan for their audience - Creators and coaches who want a subscription companion app with logs and reminders - Owners of an existing wellness app that needs updates, Apple Health support or a new paywall ## When ODEL is not the right fit - Apps that exchange protected health information with providers or insurers and need a HIPAA business associate agreement: hire a vendor with certified compliance processes - Software that diagnoses, treats or measures vitals from phone sensors alone, which can be a regulated medical device - Clinic or hospital patient portals: your EHR vendor's patient app is usually the right route - Anyone who wants an app making medical claims: ODEL does not write them ## What you get - Logging screens for the readings or events you track, with notes and tags - Reminders per item, weekday and time, with snooze - History, charts and streaks - PDF and CSV reports generated on the device - Optional Apple Health read or write access the user controls - On-device storage with no account where possible, or account plus deletion where needed - Subscription setup with trials only where the store verifies eligibility - Privacy labels, Data safety form and App Review notes ## How the project runs 1. **Scope and boundaries**: We write down what the app tracks, what it never claims, where data lives and whether any regulated data or partners are involved. If they are, we point you to legal advice first. 2. **Privacy design**: Decide on-device storage versus an account, what goes to Apple Health, and which permissions are asked and when. 3. **Clickable design**: Logging, reminder and report screens tested on your phone. 4. **Build and test**: Milestone builds with reminders, exports and the paywall working end to end. 5. **Store submission**: Privacy answers, health disclaimers in the listing and review notes, under your developer account. 6. **After launch**: OS and SDK updates, store policy changes, ASO and pricing work. ## Technology Swift and SwiftUI, HealthKit (optional, user-controlled), Expo and React Native, Local notifications, iOS and Android widgets, On-device PDF and CSV export, StoreKit and Google Play Billing ## Apps ODEL built and runs - [HealthLog](https://www.odel.dev/app/healthlog.md): HealthLog is an iPhone diary for blood pressure, blood sugar, weight and pulse readings. - [PillBuddy](https://www.odel.dev/app/pillbuddy.md): PillBuddy is an iPhone app for medication reminders, dose logging and a daily medicine schedule. - [Ozempre](https://www.odel.dev/app/ozempre.md): Ozempre is an iPhone app for logging GLP-1 injections, dose records and weight progress. - [Unvay](https://www.odel.dev/app/vapeless.md): Unvay is a quit smoking and vaping app with a personal quit plan and tools for handling cravings. - [Fasting Week](https://www.odel.dev/app/fastly.md): Fasting Week is an iPhone app for planning weekly eating windows and keeping a meal journal. ## Questions ### Does my health tracking app need HIPAA compliance? It depends on who you are and who you exchange data with. A consumer app that a person uses on their own often sits outside HIPAA, while an app built for or connected to a covered entity like a clinic or insurer may not. Other rules can still apply, such as the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule. The FTC's Mobile Health App Interactive Tool is a good first check, and the final answer should come from a lawyer. ODEL makes no HIPAA compliance claims. ### What are Apple's rules for health data? Apple's guideline 5.1.3 says health and fitness data may not be used or shared for advertising or data mining and personal health information may not be stored in iCloud; HealthKit data may not be used for marketing either. Guideline 1.4.1 asks medical apps to remind users to check with a doctor and bans apps claiming to measure blood pressure or glucose with phone sensors alone. ### How much does it cost to build this kind of app? It depends on which readings or events you track, on-device storage versus accounts and a backend, Apple Health integration, reminders, reports, and iPhone only or both stores. ODEL quotes each project after a short discovery call, as a written scope with a fixed quote or a phased plan, and publishes no price list. For market context only: Clutch's 2026 pricing guide puts the most common app project budget at 10,000 to 49,999 USD (Clutch does not state its sample size), and a 2022 GoodFirms survey of 267 development firms put simple apps at 12,960 to 30,240 USD. Store costs come on top: Apple charges 99 USD a year and Google Play 25 USD once. ### How long does it take to launch? It depends on scope, how fast decisions get made and whether your store accounts are ready. The 2022 GoodFirms survey put simple apps at 3 to 7 weeks and complex ones at 8 to 14 weeks of development. Then add store time: Apple says it reviews 90% of submissions in under 48 hours, and new personal Google Play accounts must run a 14-day closed test with at least 12 testers before production. Health apps also need careful store copy and privacy answers, so plan review time for wording. ### What did ODEL learn building five health apps? People trust a tracker more when it needs no account: HealthLog, PillBuddy, Unvay and Fasting Week keep core records on the device, and HealthLog stores its diary in an encrypted file. Ozempre's Home Screen shortcuts open views without showing private values in their labels. Reports matter most before a doctor visit, so PDF and CSV export is built in. ## Sources - https://clutch.co/directory/mobile-application-developers/pricing - https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/develop-a-simple-mobile-app-in-3-weeks-costing-just-12k-says-goodfirms-2022-survey-301542663.html - https://developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review/ - https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/14151465?hl=en - https://developer.apple.com/programs/enroll/ - https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435?hl=en - https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ - https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/mobile-health-apps-interactive-tool - https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-ftcs-health-breach-notification-rule-0 - https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/health-information-technology/health-apps/index.html - https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/digital-health-center-excellence/device-software-functions-including-mobile-medical-applications - https://developer.apple.com/documentation/healthkit/protecting-user-privacy - https://developer.apple.com/app-store/app-privacy-details/ - https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10787469?hl=en Start a project: https://www.odel.dev/services#start (form) or info@odel.dev. ODEL quotes each project after a short discovery call; it does not publish fixed prices. Page: https://www.odel.dev/services/industries/health-and-wellness-tracking-apps