A Bit Forgetful? Set Up Medication Reminders in iOS 16

It’s 13:00 and you’ve forgotten to take your meds again? Meet the Medications feature, probably the most practical Health app feature to be introduced in iOS 16. Same time, maybe a different place – here’s how to can log and schedule which medications to take and set up reminders on your iPhone or Apple Watch.

Set Up Your Reminders

First, you’re going to open the Health app. Then you’re going to tap on the Browse tab. Scroll down and tap the Medications menu and then select the Add a Medication option. 

Now there are two different ways to enter your medications. You can either use your phone’s camera or manually search for the medication. We’re going to break down both, so you can decide. 

Using Your Camera

1. Tap the Camera icon and take a picture of your prescription label. You will need to grant permission to access your camera. 
2. Tap Next and place your prescription bottle or box in the centre of the frame.
3. Select the correct option from the list of possible matches. If it doesn’t show up, you can opt to add the medication via a manual search. 
4. From here, you’ll be prompted to select your medication frequency. You can select from three options: At Regular Intervals, On Specific Days of the Week, or As Needed.
5. If you chose At Regular Intervals, enter how often you plan to take the medication (e.g., every day, every other day, every four days, etc.). 
6. If you chose On Specific Days of the Week, enter which days you need to take your meds.
7. Select a start date and tap Done. 
8. The next screen lets you schedule when you take your meds. Tap the green plus icon under the Time of Day subheading and enter the time you want and the dosage. You can add several different times if you need to. You can also specify the dosage (one teaspoon, two tablets, etc.).
9. Choose from a selection of pill shapes when prompted, then scroll down and tap Next. 
10. Review details and add optional notes. Here’s when you can add a display name for your meds if you want added privacy.

Using Search 

1. Type the name of your medication in the search bar, and select the name that pops up. 
2. Select the medication type (i.e., tablet, liquid-filled capsule, etc.).
3. Then enter your dosage.
4. From here, you can follow the steps outlined above.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully set up reminders. Now you’ll get notifications on your iPhone to take your meds at your designated times. You can mark the notifications as logged, log each medication separately, or snooze the alert for 10 minutes. You can even do this on your Apple Watch with watchOS 9. 

Directly Log Your Medications

Accidently missed a notification? Directly log your medications in the Health app on your iPhone or Apple Watch.

On Your Phone

1. From the Browse tab in the Health app, scroll down and tap on the Medications menu.
2. Under the Log subsection, hit the plus button next to the medication you want to log.
3. You can either tap Log All as Taken or, under each medication listed, tap Skipped or Taken.
4. If you want to edit details like time and dosage, tap the blue link under the name and dose of the medication.

On Your Apple Watch

1. Press the Digital Crown to access your apps. The icon for the Medications app is a blue and green pill on a white background.
2. Scroll down to Your Medications.
3. Tap on the individual medication. If you want to edit the dosage and time, you can do so by tapping the Amount Taken and Time Taken buttons. When you’re happy, tap Log. 

Archive or Delete Your Meds

No longer taking a specific medication? No problem. Here’s how to archive or delete it. 

1. From the Browse tab in the Health app, scroll down and tap on the Medications menu.
2. Under the Your Medications list, tap on the medication you want to delete or archive.
3. Scroll down to the Options list, and tap on either Archive Medication or Delete Medication.

If you want to start using an archived medication again

1. From the Browse tab in the Health app, scroll down and tap on the Medications menu.
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap on the Archived Medications button. Tap the blue Edit button, and it will take you to the Edit Medications List.
3. In the Edit Medications List, the medication will be found under the category Archived Medications.
4. Tap the green plus icon next to the medication.

Export Your Medications List

Here’s how to export your medications as a PDF if you need to. 

1. Go to the Browse tab and scroll down to the Medications menu.
2. Look for and tap the blue Export PDF link. You’ll see your name, your date of birth, and a list of your current medications.
3. To finalise the export, tap the Share icon in the upper right-hand corner.
4. From there, you can choose how you want to share the PDF (e.g., AirDrop, text, email, printing, etc.).

There you have it! Hopefully, you never miss taking your medication again. 

Source: The Verge