What is Anonymous Mode?
Anonymous Mode gives you access to the Flo app without sharing any information that identifies you (such as your name or email address), so your health information is completely private to you.
This means that if Flo ever receives an official request to identify an Anonymous Mode user by name or email, it won’t be possible to satisfy that request.
Rest assured, Flo values and protects everything you share with us — whether you switch to Anonymous Mode or not. We are the first and only period tracker to be dual-certified in both ISO Security 27001 and ISO Privacy 27701, which are internationally recognized standards. And, Flo has never — and will never — sell your personal data. Find answers to your Flo data protection questions here.
Recognized as the best privacy innovation in the 2022 IAPP Privacy Innovation Awards¹
How does Anonymous Mode work?
When you choose Anonymous Mode, no one (not even us!) can match your data to any personal identifiers. But what does that actually mean?
Your data is information you log in the app. This includes health data like the first day of your period, your body temperature, or your symptoms.
Personal identifiers are things like your name, email address, Apple ID, IP address, or Google account.
When you use Anonymous Mode, we don’t ask for or log any of these personal identifiers, so you stay exactly that: anonymous. This means any health data you share in the app is completely private to you.
You can sign up for Flo’s Anonymous Mode right away or switch later. Just know that when you switch, a new, separate account is created for you.
Certain inputted data from your original account (such as your cycle data) will be transferred to this new account. However, personal identifiers will not be transferred. Once you confirm the switch, your original account (and the data associated with it) will be automatically deleted in line with our privacy policy. We won’t be able to recover this information.
Remember: Even if you decide not to switch, you’re still in complete control of your data. You can delete, access, and update it at any time by emailing support@flo.health or via the settings in the Flo app.
When you choose Anonymous Mode, no one (not even us!) can match your data to any personal identifiers. But what does that actually mean?
Your data is information you log in the app. This includes health data like the first day of your period, your body temperature, or your symptoms.
Personal identifiers are things like your name, email address, Apple ID, IP address, or Google account.
When you use Anonymous Mode, we don’t ask for or log any of these personal identifiers, so you stay exactly that: anonymous. This means any health data you share in the app is completely private to you.
You can sign up for Flo’s Anonymous Mode right away or switch later. Just know that when you switch, a new, separate account is created for you.
Certain inputted data from your original account (such as your cycle data) will be transferred to this new account. However, personal identifiers will not be transferred. Once you confirm the switch, your original account (and the data associated with it) will be automatically deleted in line with our privacy policy. We won’t be able to recover this information.
Remember: Even if you decide not to switch, you’re still in complete control of your data. You can delete, access, and update it at any time by emailing support@flo.health or via the settings in the Flo app.
Is Flo safe to use?
Protecting your data
Even when you’re not in Anonymous Mode, your personal data is protected by advanced privacy and security measures. Flo is the first and only period tracker to be dual-certified in two internationally recognized privacy and security standards. Find out more about how we protect your data.
Being transparent
Your data is only collected and processed when there is a legal basis to do so and with your informed consent. But if Flo ever receives an official request to identify an Anonymous Mode user, it won’t be possible to satisfy that request.
Never selling personal data
Flo has never, and will never, sell user information or share it with third parties for advertising purposes.
Protecting your privacy
In Anonymous Mode, no one — including Flo — can identify a real person by using data from inside the app.
What users say about Flo
Chosen by over 380 million users2 worldwide, you only need to see the reviews to know why women love Flo.
Frequently asked questions
Follow these steps to turn on Anonymous Mode:
- Tap your avatar in the top left corner of your screen
- Next, tap the dark gray box near the top of the screen
- Finally, tap the Anonymous Mode button to turn the setting on
Flo believes that now, more than ever, everyone deserves to access, track, and gain insight into their personal health information without fearing for their safety.
Flo already encrypts all data, engages in independent privacy audits, and was awarded dual ISO certifications for privacy and data protection, making us the first period and ovulation tracker to achieve this milestone.
Together with these robust privacy and security best practices, Flo’s Anonymous Mode introduces an even deeper layer of privacy for reproductive health data.
Anonymous Mode gives any Flo member the option to access the app without name, email address, and technical identifiers from being associated with the health data, marking Flo the first female health app to take this level of precaution in terms of privacy and security.
Find out how Flo responds to data requests from third parties here, and download our full Anonymous Mode whitepaper here.
Anonymous Mode ensures that no single party that is processing user data for an Anonymous Mode Account has complete information on both who you are, and what you are trying to access.
The feature is based on separating health data from personal information and creating a new Anonymous Mode account that does not contain any unique user identifiers, such as:
- Email address
- Google/Apple account ID
- Payment identifiers
- Technical identifiers, such as IP address, ID for advertisers (IDFA), or other IDs
The data that is transferred from your original account includes health data (such as logged cycle dates and symptoms), reminders, and your aim for using Flo.
This way, you’ll be able to continue enjoying accurate cycle and symptom predictions, personalized insights, and chatbots, yet ensuring that the data stays private throughout its lifecycle. When you switch to Anonymous Mode, your original account will be deleted.
As Anonymous Mode effectively creates a new account for you, in the event that we receive an official request to identify you by name or email, we wouldn't be able to satisfy this request.
Yes, it is safe. Anonymous Mode allows you to use Flo anonymously, so we don’t ask for information that identifies you, like your name or email address. That means the health data you log is completely private to you. If ever Flo receives an official request to identify an Anonymous Mode user by name or email, it won’t be possible to satisfy that request.
Anonymous Mode is available on both iOS and Android to all current and new Flo members. You can turn it on in the app settings.
However, there are limitations on certain Flo features. Please see “Are any Flo features unavailable in Anonymous Mode?” below.
It’s up to you whether or not you switch to Anonymous Mode. Remember that however you choose to use Flo:
- You’re in control of what you share with us, and we’ll never sell your data.
- Your data is encrypted as standard to protect against loss, theft, and misuse.
- You’re a member of the only female health app that is dual ISO certified — the gold standard in data protection.
Just know that once you switch to Anonymous Mode, your original account will be deleted, and a new account created. So we will no longer be able to recover the data you’ve previously shared with us, including if your phone is lost, damaged, or stolen. That’s why we offer Anonymous Mode as an option rather than the default.
Some Flo subscription plans are unavailable when you are using Anonymous Mode. They include:
- Flo for Partners
- Flo for Family subscriptions
- Web subscriptions (where you have signed up to Flo via our website)
Also, pairing a wearable device (such as your Apple Watch) is incompatible with Anonymous Mode.
If any of the above affect you, please see “Trouble switching to Anonymous Mode” below for further instructions, or contact support@flo.health.
When using Anonymous Mode, some areas of Flo’s customer support will be unavailable:
- Data recovery: If your device is lost or stolen, we will not be able to transfer your Anonymous Mode account’s historical data to a new phone or recover your data from any previous Flo account.
- Account-specific support center help: Requests to the Flo support team will not be available in the app. This means that although you can send a request via email, the support team will only be able to provide generic advice rather than information that’s specific to your Anonymous Mode account.
- Flo history: You won’t be able to access any previous chats with our Health Assistant, saved stories, or Secret Chats activity when you switch to Anonymous Mode.
- Flo emails: You will no longer receive emails from us, including monthly cycle report alerts.
Some features will be unavailable if you switch to Anonymous Mode. If any of the following apply to you, follow the instructions to enable Anonymous Mode:
- If you’re using Flo for Partners: To use Anonymous Mode, you will need to stop sharing your information with your partner.
- If you are a part of a Flo for Family subscription: You will need to leave the group subscription and switch to an individual account to enable Anonymous Mode.
- If you have an active subscription that you bought on our website (not through the App Store or Google Play): To activate Anonymous Mode, you’ll need to stop this subscription. Please reach out to support@flo.health, where we can assist you with a refund and advice on the next steps to keep your subscription.
- If you have paired your account with a wearable device through Apple Health or Google Health Connect: To activate Anonymous Mode, please unpair your device.
If you have any issues, please reach out to support@flo.health.
No, your Premium subscription won’t be canceled. It will remain active, and you will still be able to enjoy the majority of Premium features, except those listed above.
Flo is a sophisticated health app, offering advanced features such as health insights and predictions, personalized content, daily stories, and symptom patterns. If we removed all the information from your account, you would not be able to make full use of these features, as many of them are based on your symptoms and cycle events.
No, we won’t be able to identify you by your payment details. When you use Anonymous Mode, we don’t store any data that could identify you directly (including payment information) on our servers.
Yes, we store data on our servers so you can still benefit from advanced features, such as chatbots, Health Insights, Secret Chats, and accurate predictions. But we do not store personal identifiers, such as name or email address, to avoid any connection with you specifically.
No. Flo does not, has never, and will never sell your data. Nor will we share your health data with third-party companies for advertising purposes. Learn more about how we protect your data.
When you switch to Anonymous Mode, a new, separate account is created for you, and certain inputted data from your original account (such as your cycle data and marked symptoms) will be transferred to this new account. However, information that identifies you (such as your email or IP address) will not be transferred.
Upon switching to Anonymous Mode, a request to delete your original account is automatically triggered and will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You will be alerted of this deletion trigger ahead of switching.
Once you have switched to Anonymous Mode, you will not have the ability to reconnect your Anonymous account (or its associated data) to your original account.
Personal data is any information that can identify you directly, such as your name or your email address. Information that can identify you indirectly when it’s combined with other data is also personal data. For example, your date of birth or place of birth may not be considered personal data on its own. This is because there are many people with the same date or place of birth. But when they’re combined, it becomes much easier to identify a single person. For that reason, this would be considered personal data.
Health data can mean personal information that relates to physical or mental health, health care services, or information that may reveal your health status. When you use Flo, you may share your health data with us.
We may share aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified health data with research institutions to help advance scientific research on female health or for statistical purposes. This data cannot be used to identify you and therefore is not considered personal data.
Yes, it is. Flo is a UK-based company, so we are subject to the UK Data Protection Act, which incorporates the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into UK law. GDPR covers any use of personal data by Flo no matter where in the world the user is located. The GDPR is widely regarded as the world’s strictest privacy law.
References
- IAPP news center
- Sensor Tower, Jan. 2024, iOS & Android, by category ranking
- 3,800 surveyed (2022)
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