I have turned off all health app access that the UI allows in IOS 15.2. However, the health is still reading my contacts. Why? How do I stop this? I don’t use or want Apple health.
Instead of blindly defending Apple’s (lack of) privacy policies, how about if I offer a truly helpful response? Sound good? OK!
Your Health app stores personal information you have entered into your phone. It allows you to have access to your own health information all in one location, but also to share it with family, doctors, medical studies in which you choose to participate, AND (here’s the smoking gun) it will display some basic medical information on your locked screen for emergency responders to use and it will automatically call your emergency contacts!
The health app is looking through your contacts for your current flagged “Emergency Contacts”.
Open the Health app and review your profile (click on your photo in the app) and “Access to *Medical ID” to update or delete functions that require access to your contacts.
Disable the function that will automatically call your emergency contacts (if you use Emergency SOS to call for help, your phone notifies these contacts.)
Disable the function that will display your *Medical ID on your Lock Screen (so emergency responders can see it and also notify your emergency contacts).
Remove any medical information and emergency contacts from your *Medical ID. This would be information you previously entered.
And voila! You have now stopped the Health App from using any of your contact or personal information. Once you realize WHY the app is pinging your contacts, it’s easy to decide whether to keep it or not.
I’ve dealt with a friend who had a stroke and we couldn’t access his phone to contact family because he only used facial recognition (life support equipment gets in the way of that). After that experience, I chose to keep my own name, emergency contact numbers, blood type, and allergies listed in the Health app so anyone can pull it up on the locked screen. It’s your choice.
"....Now why is it accessing my Contacts when I have NOT SET UP any emergency contacts? ..."
It has not accessed them if you have not put in any emergency contacts.
Having access is not the same as accessing.
It has been explained.
This thread is old enough to have grandkids.
It's bot about threat or importance. What do you work for Apple? Apple nor it's apps should have a intrusive "by-default"right to access anyones contacts without permission. Customers pay sometimes a 1,000 for a phone. It is not Apples property, the use of there software is proprietary. So, NO they should not access contacts without permission. The people defending the hidden "Contact Grab by any default app" must work for Apple. Why is there no setting to turn it off? We Screenshot it every week and send it to the FTC & FCC. If they say it's ok, then I won't mind.
Report it. Screenshot it and Report It.
I guess you didn’t read the thread you posted to either. You have emergency contacts in your Health app that are available to first responders. How is it going to use those contacts if it can’t access them?
Health app cannot be turned off nor deleted.
You can choose not to collect data or put in your personal details.
But that does not detract from the fact that stock apps (the ones that you cannot delete like Health, Photos, Safari) do NOT need your permission.
If you think they should then put your justification to Apple...
We don't make policy. No one here can change how the phone works. Apple may or may not change it in the future. If the phone you have now is so upsetting to you it may be better to get a different one.
"...I still have not found a way to either prevent Health from accessing my contacts, or delete the app .,."
As has been explained over and over again the data does not leave your phone. There is no privacy issue. It is only as dangerous as allowing your shaving/makeup mirror to see your face. It ain't going anywhere else.
[Edited by Moderator]
That’s not true. I don’t use Apple Health. I have never set it up. I want to control what it does with contacts, location, calendar, etc
The actual answer is here and at the moment on page 2, so keep reading past all the incoherent nonsense. I almost didn’t. It relates to medical ID and CAN be turned off.
[Edited by Moderator]
No I don’t want it to. Not without my permission. IMO that should be a specific request that one can opt out of. (How do I know what contacts it’s accessing?)
And look at all these other apps that are accessing my Contacts without permission - Apple Mail, apple Calendar, Apple Photos. Why is this happening?
Your basic premise is wrong. You said “Stop Apple Health Accessing My Contacts”. That is wrong. Apple Health is not accessing your contacts. YOUR Health is accessing your contacts. Apple can’t see anything in your Health data, or in any other built-in app. So you are saying that YOU should not be able to access your contacts. Which is sort of ridiculous.
I will stop responding, as it is pointless. Apple designed the phone so built in apps could share data. If this is unacceptable to you then an iPhone is not for you. But neither is an Android, because they work the same way, except they have less in the way of privacy options, and Google has access to your contacts, calendar and email (Apple does not). Your only solution is a dumb flip phone, and even it will share contacts with the message and phone functions.
You can let Apple know your concern: https://apple.com/feedback.
I don't know how many of us need to tell you this is of no importance and no threat,
I will not suggest putting in a feature request to Apple because it is just ridiculous to suggest complicating a perfectly secure operating system with tweaks to assuage your whims.
I’m having same issue and don’t believe it’s a threat, just would like to know why as it does seem strange for it to be accessing contacts when 1. It’s not actually being used and 2. What feature it would related to when it’s about health
I am having same problem but it erases the contacts so you have to search for them. It also saves a lot of data that literally disappeared on a remote share with apple or they didn’t believe me since the hardware and software is fine.
currently I can’t even call out but I can get calls, use apps etc everywhere. Wi-Fi callin won’t work either. And the second photo is Lizz iPhone is my iPhone xs stolen and deactivated many moons ago.
different iCloud….by maybe 3 now due to them saying my iCloud was compromised.
I ordered my data and only one that can’t be given is my iTunes media data, the one that uses most of my cell data and they are not even downloaded (yes I know it is in my cloud still). But I have the same issue with Game Center and the homekit app. Don’t use either but both use me…
I don't know what we can say about that catalog of disasters except it has nothing to do with the Health app accessing your contacts. Therefore start your own discussion, preferably splitting them into separate discussions.
Thank you. I’m glad I stuck with this thread till the end and saw thorough explanation. This is the comment that should be labeled with “Apple Recommended” it thoughtful answers the question without rudely dismissing the the person asking a question. You know the entire reason for a forum like this.
Stop Apple Health Accessing My Contacts!
