Last updated: 30 August 2026
Onward is a personal health tracking app for people living with CML (chronic myeloid leukaemia). This page explains how the app and this website handle your information.
In short: your data belongs to you. It stays on your device and, if you leave iCloud Sync on, also syncs privately through your own iCloud account. We do not collect it, see it, or share it.
Onward has no accounts and no login of its own. There is no server we run that holds your health information, because there is no server.
You choose what to record. The app can hold:
This is personal and sensitive health information. It is yours. Nothing in this list is required, and you can leave any part of the app empty.
Your information is stored on your device, in the app's own storage.
iCloud Sync is on by default and can be turned off at any time in Settings. While it is on, a copy of your data is also kept in your own private iCloud account, so your records stay up to date across your devices. This uses Apple's iCloud under your own Apple ID. It is not sent to us or to any server we control, and we have no way to see it. If you turn iCloud Sync off, your data stays on that device only, and you can still move it yourself using Backup and Restore.
Documents you attach to appointments, and photos you add to personal moments, are stored the same way as the rest of your data.
A small amount of non sensitive summary information, such as your current streak, is shared with the Onward home screen widget through a private app group on your device, so the widget can draw itself. It never leaves your device by that route.
Connecting to Apple Health is optional and off until you turn it on and grant permission.
If you allow it, Onward reads only, and only these:
Onward never writes to, changes, or deletes anything in Apple Health. It does not read any other Health data type. Health data read by the app is treated exactly like the data you type in: it stays on your device, and syncs only through your own iCloud if you have sync on. It is never used for advertising or marketing, never sold, and never shared with anyone. You can withdraw access at any time in the Health app or in iOS Settings.
Reminders are optional and off by default. If you turn them on, Onward schedules local notifications on your device for things like a daily medication reminder, upcoming appointments, running low on tablets, and wellbeing check ins. These are created and delivered on your device. No push notification is sent from us, and no notification content passes through a server of ours.
You can optionally lock Onward behind Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode. Authentication is handled entirely by iOS. Onward is told only whether it succeeded. We never receive, store, or see your biometric data or your passcode.
Every feature in Onward is available to everyone. There is no paywall.
If you choose to leave a tip or become a supporter, the purchase is handled entirely by Apple through the App Store, under Apple's own terms and privacy policy. We never see or receive your payment details, card number, or billing address. Apple tells the app only that a purchase completed, which is what lets a supporter icon appear. Apple may provide us with aggregate, anonymous sales reports that do not identify you.
Nothing. Onward contains no analytics, no usage tracking, no crash reporting service, no advertising, no third party trackers, and no software development kits that report back to us or anyone else. We do not collect device identifiers. There is no profiling and no automated decision making. We could not identify you as a user of the app if we tried.
Apple may provide us with its own aggregate, anonymous App Store statistics, such as how many people downloaded the app in a country. This never identifies individuals.
The app can create a backup file of your data, and can produce PDF reports of your results. When you share one of these, it goes only where you send it, for example AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or Save to Files. We never receive it.
Because these files contain your health information, please keep them somewhere you trust, and think carefully before sending one over a channel you do not control.
On your device, your data is protected by your device's own security: your passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, device encryption, and optionally Onward's own app lock. If iCloud Sync is on, the synced copy is protected by your Apple ID and Apple's iCloud security. We recommend using a device passcode, keeping your Apple ID secure, and turning on two factor authentication for your Apple ID.
Because we never hold your health data, there is nothing for us to hand over, correct, or erase on your behalf. If you have turned iCloud Sync on and want the synced copy removed, you can do that yourself in iOS Settings under your Apple ID, in iCloud, under the app's storage.
Separately from the app, the sign up form on this website collects only your name and email address. It does not collect health information, payment details, or anything else.
We use these to let you know when Onward is ready to launch, and to occasionally share brief updates about progress. MailerLite processes this for us as our email provider, under its own privacy policy. We do not sell this information, use it for advertising, or share it with anyone beyond that email provider. We keep it until the app has launched and you have either signed up to the app or asked to be removed.
You can unsubscribe from any email using the link in it, or by emailing support@onwardcml.app, and you can ask us to give you a copy of, correct, or delete your details at any time.
Onward is not directed at children. It is intended for people managing their own CML treatment, or that of a family member.
Onward is a personal record keeping tool. It is not a medical device. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not make clinical decisions or recommendations. Reference ranges and progress indicators in the app are there to help you keep track of what you have been told. Always follow the guidance of your own healthcare team, and never change your treatment based on anything you see in the app.
If you have any questions about this policy or your data, email us at support@onwardcml.app.
If we make changes that affect how your information is handled, we will update this policy and the date at the top. Significant changes will be noted in the app.