Period tracker for non-binary people

June 23, 2021 11:10 PM

I need a period tracker app that preserves my privacy, does not bother me about fertility, and that notifies me a few days before my period is likely to start.

I have a lot of dysphoria around getting my period and need to be able to avoid it as much as possible. I have grown to rely on reminders from the period tracking app that I was using previously. I have used Spot On for several years, which is an app developed by Planned Parenthood that has no gendered imagery, allowed me to turn off everything about birth and birth control, and reliably reminded me two or three days before my period was coming. Recently, something changed and I was getting blank notifications every single day from the app. This reminded me that my period exists, which was not acceptable. I won't go into all of the boring details (I spent several hours messing with it and it's broken in several ways) but this app is functionally broken at this point and I need a new one that actually works for me.

The most important thing is that I do not want to use an app that is selling data to or sharing data with third-party advertisers or marketers. Clue insists that it doesn't do this, but they do send usage data to third parties "to analyze the usage of our service. With the help of third party providers, we use this analysis to improve our services and the effectiveness of our advertising." That is not good enough for me. I would like to use a period tracking app that fits the following criteria:

1. It does not sell data about me to third parties, nor does it share it with Facebook or Google.
2. It notifies me a few days prior that my period is coming. (My cycle is regular, so the app doesn't necessarily have to learn from my data, although that's probably ideal.)
3. I never want to have to think about pregnancy, fertility, or birth while I am using this app.
4. I would like daily reminders to enter information about my period while it is going on.

5. No ads in app.

I do not want to connect with other people on the app. I want to be able to ignore my period as much as possible unless it's about to happen or is currently in process. I'm fine with paying for an app as long as it works. I'm very upset that Spot On stopped working properly, because it fit all of my criteria and really improved my quality of life when I was able to use it. I've looked at lots of lists of period apps, but they are all bad at user privacy. Do you have a period app that you like that does not sell your data (including usage data) to third parties?

posted by twelve cent archie to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

If your period is regular, why not just set a calendar reminder for yourself rather than using a special period tracking app? I use Google Calender for reminders, you can choose emails or notifications and send them whatever time period(s) before the event you want. They can recur every N days. If you don't like Google, there are approximately 9 billion other calendars out there that will send reminders.
posted by Flock of Cynthiabirds at 11:49 PM on June 23, 2021 [7 favorites]

I use an app called Period Tracker, and it mostly matches functionality you want. I don't know if you can get daily reminders during your period as I haven't set that up. My app has never shown ads. Here's their data and privacy policy.

You don't have to create an account to use it, and now I am wondering if I did this: "Opt-out from the use of information to serve targeted advertising by advertisers and/or third party network advertisers: you may at any time take advantage of the Limit Ad Tracking features provided by the iOS and Android platforms by going to your main phone settings, under Privacy and/or Location Services."

Anyway, you can see if it works for you.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:49 PM on June 23, 2021 [2 favorites]

Following, I like the analysis aspect of Clue but cannot manage to get them to stop sending me "fertility" information, if that's what you call emails titled "what's up with pulling out". Barf.
posted by J.R. Hartley at 3:08 AM on June 24, 2021 [3 favorites]

Do you have an iPhone? I *think* the built-in period tracker in the Health app meets all of these criteria — not 100% sure about daily reminders during your period.
posted by mekily at 3:49 AM on June 24, 2021 [2 favorites]

Seconding Period Tracker; the only reason I don't use it any more is because....er, there is no longer a period for it to track in my case.

Also, if you prefer to avoid the cutesy overly-femme imagery (like flowers all over the place) you can change the appearance as well. I think I changed my wallpaper for the app to like a photo of Yosemite or something.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:33 AM on June 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

Clue lets you withdraw consent for them to use any data, from what I can see on the settings screen.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:32 AM on June 24, 2021

Sideways suggestion, feel free to flag for deletion if this is not useful:

I have been skipping my periods entirely running hormonal birth control packs back to back to back for more than 5 straight years, and did it for years before that, too (only stopped in the middle because I had an IUD for a while that also stopped my periods, but unfortunately not my other xx reproductive system symptoms). I can probably count on two hands the number of periods I've had since I was 20. (Gynecologist intake nurses hate her.)

For you or anyone else who can tolerate HBC but has been told by a doctor or nurse or anyone else in their lives that you cannot skip your periods because of, idk, the ovary boogieman or something, they are lying to you (or misinformed, I guess). Unless HBC gives you some other kind of detrimental symptom, you can run your pill packs back to back forever and nothing bad will happen to you.

You do not have to bleed. Ever. If you do not want to.
posted by phunniemee at 7:41 AM on June 24, 2021 [13 favorites]

Anecdata: I recently screwed up my Spot On account somehow by clicking around in the profile menu, but after deleting the app, re-downloading, and making a new account, it seems to be behaving as expected. Might be worth a try if you haven't already. I hope the app doesn't get permanently broken because I have really liked it up until now!
posted by beandip at 10:23 AM on June 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

cyclespage.com isn't an app, just an old simple webpage. It can email you up to 4 days before your period is expected. It does not prompt you to record symptoms each day, but for people who just want stripped-down functionality and a way to keep track of their periods, it's an option. I have been using it for over a decade with no weird issues.
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:50 PM on June 24, 2021

Okay so it’s not an app but I feel similarly uncomfortable about using an app to track my menstrual cycle. I use a physical calendar to note relevant period/PMDD related items. Just seeing it in front of me on the calendar helps me keep track of when to expect my period and when any weird mood issues I’m experiencing are probably related.
posted by wondermouse at 7:33 PM on June 25, 2021