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Why "write-only" is a critical privacy standard
When you install many wellness or habit apps, they request broad Apple Health permissions: steps, heart rate, sleep analysis, weight, active calories. Once granted, that data can be synced to remote cloud servers, combined with device advertising identifiers, and used for algorithmic user profiling.
Modraly was architected on a strict principle of least privilege:
- We write your drinks: Whenever you log a glass of wine, a pint of beer, or a cocktail, Modraly writes the corresponding standard drink number to your Health app.
- We never read your data: Modraly never requests read access. We cannot see your heart rate, sleep cycles, steps, workouts, or existing medical conditions.
- Local to your iPhone: The sync happens between two processes on your phone. Nothing transits through a Modraly server because Modraly operates no servers.
Calibrated to your country's standard drink in Apple Health
Apple Health stores alcohol intake as a numeric count of "standard drinks". The difficulty is that different countries define a standard drink differently:
| Country | Local unit name | Pure alcohol per drink | How Modraly writes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Standard drink | 14.0 g pure ethanol | 1.0 US drink = 1.0 in Health |
| United Kingdom | UK Unit | 8.0 g pure ethanol | 1.0 UK unit = 1.0 in Health (calibrated) |
| France | Verre standard | 10.0 g pure ethanol | 1.0 verre = 1.0 in Health |
| Australia & New Zealand | Standard drink | 10.0 g pure ethanol | 1.0 AU/NZ drink = 1.0 in Health |
| Canada & Germany | Standard drink | 13.45 g pure ethanol | 1.0 CA drink = 1.0 in Health |
Modraly translates your actual volume and ABV into the exact standard drink metric of your country before writing, ensuring your Apple Health charts align with your country's public health guidance.
Free unlimited logging. Apple Health write-only integration included free.
Comparing alcohol trackers on privacy & Apple Health
How different drink tracking apps handle your data:
| App | Apple Health Sync | Permission Model | Requires Account | Cloud Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modraly | Yes | Write-only | No | None (100% on-device) |
| DrinkControl | Yes | Write-only | No | None (On-device) |
| Sunnyside | No | N/A | Yes | Cloud database & SMS logs |
| Reframe | Optional | Read & Write | Yes | Cloud database |
| Try Dry | No | N/A | Yes | Cloud database |
Common questions
How does Modraly sync drinks with Apple Health?
Modraly writes your logged standard drinks directly into the official Apple Health database (HealthKit) under the "Number of Alcoholic Beverages" category. It uses the exact standard drink definition of your country.
What does "write-only" mean for my privacy?
Write-only means Modraly only writes the drinks you log into Apple Health. It never asks for permission to read your medical records, heart rate, workouts, sleep, weight, steps, or menstrual cycle. Many other apps request full read access to harvest health telemetry for advertising.
Do I need a Modraly account to sync with Apple Health?
No. There is no Modraly account, no email registration, and no cloud server. The communication happens directly between the Modraly iOS app and your encrypted on-device Apple Health database.
Does Apple Health standard drink sync require Premium?
No. Apple Health write-only integration is included free for all users. You can enable or disable the sync at any time in the app settings.
Does Modraly record blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in Apple Health?
No. Blood alcohol calculations on phones rely on rough statistical approximations that can be dangerously misleading. Modraly records factual standard drinks and units consumed, avoiding speculative BAC estimates.
Can I export my drink data out of Apple Health?
Yes. Your drinks become part of your standard Apple Health export (XML), and you can also export your full drinking ledger directly from Modraly as a clean CSV spreadsheet with Premium.
