Frequently asked questions
Everything people ask most often about how PillSeal works, what it costs and where your data lives.
Does the alarm really ring when my phone is on silent?
Yes. PillSeal uses a real iOS alarm rather than a notification, so it rings even when your iPhone is silenced or in a Focus mode such as Do Not Disturb. This is the same mechanism your normal wake-up alarm uses, which is why it cannot be muted away.
What happens if I ignore a dose alarm?
PillSeal brings it back. If you stop the alarm without confirming the dose, it rings again until you take it. If you keep skipping, the dose waits for you on the Today screen so you can still seal it later.
Does PillSeal use facial recognition?
No. The camera confirms that a person is present and bringing a hand up to take the dose. It does not identify who you are, it is not linked to any identity, and it never compares you against any database. All of this runs on your device and no photo is uploaded.
Where is my medication data stored?
Only on your iPhone. PillSeal has no accounts and no server, so your medications, schedules, dose history and sealed photos never leave your device except through your own iCloud or computer backups, which you control. We cannot see any of it.
Is there a free version of PillSeal?
No. PillSeal is subscription only. Every new user gets a 3-day free trial with the whole app unlocked, and after that a subscription is needed to keep using it. Nothing you have entered is deleted if a subscription lapses.
What does PillSeal cost?
PillSeal Pro is $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year, and both plans begin with a 3-day free trial so you can try the whole app first. Pricing is adjusted for your region. You can cancel anytime in your App Store account settings.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Cancel through Apple, not through us. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap your name, then Subscriptions, then PillSeal, then Cancel Subscription. If you cancel during the free trial you will not be charged.
Is there an Android version?
Not yet. PillSeal is built on iOS alarm and on-device camera features that have no direct equivalent on Android, so the first release is iPhone only. Email hello@pillseal.app if you want to hear about it changing.
Can PillSeal handle several medications at different times?
Yes. Each medication carries its own schedule, dose and reminder times, and PillSeal builds the full daily plan from them. The Today screen groups everything due at the same time so you take them together in one moment.
Can it remind me to take a dose with food?
Yes. Mark a medication as needing food and PillSeal checks whether you have eaten before the dose is confirmed, so you do not take something on an empty stomach that should not be.
Does PillSeal tell me when to reorder?
Yes. Tell PillSeal how many pills you have and it counts down as you seal each dose, then gives you a friendly heads-up while there is still enough time to get a repeat prescription filled.
Can I use PillSeal to look after someone else's medication?
No. PillSeal is built for one person on one iPhone. There are no accounts, no shared access and no way to be told that somebody else has missed a dose, because none of that is possible without a server, and PillSeal does not have one. If what you need is to know remotely how a parent or partner is doing, you need an app built around a caregiver feature, and our guide on medication reminders for elderly parents says what to look for and what to try before any app at all.
What happens if my phone is switched off when a dose is due?
The alarm cannot sound. No app can wake a phone that has no power. When you switch the phone back on, the dose still shows as waiting rather than being quietly marked as taken, so you can confirm it or leave it once you know what actually happened.
Does PillSeal work without an internet connection?
Yes, completely. Your medications, schedule, dose history and check-in photos are held on the device, and the alarm is scheduled by iOS rather than sent from a server, so the app behaves the same in aeroplane mode as it does at home. A connection is needed only to start or restore a subscription, because that part goes through the App Store.
What happens to my data if I stop paying?
It stays on your iPhone. PillSeal keeps nothing on a server, so there is nothing for us to delete, sell or hold back. What changes is access: PillSeal is a subscription, and when it lapses the app returns to the subscription screen instead of your schedule. Subscribing again brings everything back as you left it, and deleting the app removes the data along with it.
Can I export my dose history?
Not at the moment. You can read your history in the app on the Progress screen, but there is no export, no share option and no file to hand to a doctor. If you need a record for an appointment, an app built as a health journal will serve you better, and our comparison with MyTherapy covers that. If you would like PillSeal to have it, say so at hello@pillseal.app.
Does PillSeal handle medication taken only as needed?
No. Every medication in PillSeal has a schedule: one or more times of day, either every day or on days of the week that you choose. There is no way to log a dose taken because you needed it rather than because it was due. PillSeal is built around the doses that are supposed to happen at a particular moment, which is the case where a forcing alarm earns its place.
Will the alarm wake me at night?
If you schedule a dose for the middle of the night, yes. The alarm sounds through silent mode and through Sleep Focus, which is the entire point of using an alarm rather than a notification, and it does that at three in the morning as readily as at three in the afternoon. If a dose does not genuinely need to happen overnight, it is worth asking your prescriber whether it can move.
Does PillSeal work with the Apple Watch?
There is no Apple Watch app. PillSeal runs on the iPhone, and the dose check-in uses the iPhone camera, so the phone is where everything happens.