There are downsides with downloading their app just to input bad data, but it’s a fun thought.

edit: While we’re at it we might as well offer an alternative app to people.

I posted in !opensource@programming.dev to collect recommendations for better apps

The post: https://lemmy.ca/post/32877620

Leading Recommendation from the comments

The leading recommendation seems to be Drip (bloodyhealth.gitlab.io)

Summarizing what people shared:

  • accessible: it is on F-droid, Google Play, & iOS App Store
  • does not allow any third-party tracking
  • the project got support from “PrototypeFund & Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Superrr Lab and Mozilla”
  • Listed features:
    • “Your data, your choice: Everything you enter stays on your device”
    • “Not another cute, pink app: drip is designed with gender inclusivity in mind.”
    • “Your body is not a black box: drip is transparent in its calculations and encourages you to think for yourself.”
    • “Track what you like: Just your period, or detect your fertility using the symptothermal method.”

Their Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@dripapp

  • andros_rex@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    8 days ago

    These apps are very helpful for people who have irregular cycles or who are family planning. I relied heavily on a similar app in high school, because my monthlies weren’t monthly. I was able to share that data with my doctors to help better understand my body.

    This really indicates a need for self-hosted solutions.

    • Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      8 days ago

      Absolute worst case you could always keep track of it as a raw text/markdown/excel/Libre calc/whatever your preference is. You’re not going to get any predictions or useful data out.

      But it would at least provide a record for your doctor if need be. And as long as you encrypt the device you store it on, or the directory its stored in, it’s relatively safe to do so.

            • lightnsfw@reddthat.comEnglish
              0·
              8 days ago

              I CAN’T FIND MY DOCUMENT!!!

              Okay, where did you save it?

              I DON’T KNOW, I JUST CLICK SAVE LIKE ALWAYS!!!

              *remotes into workstation and clicks save only to find the file was saved in their temp directory*

              I had that conversation hundreds of times when I was doing desktop support…

            • Shardikprime@lemmy.worldEnglish
              0·
              8 days ago

              They don’t know what a file is, but they can use an app store, to download an app, create an account, log in, and interface with the UI to load data.

              Got it

              • alsimoneau@lemmy.caEnglish
                0·
                7 days ago

                I did specify a text file. And yes, they’ve been doing the second one since they were 5. Not all tech skills are transferable.

              • frostysauce@lemmy.worldEnglish
                0·
                8 days ago

                Yes, actually. Downloading apps, making an account, logging in, and using an app are all things they have done before. Opening up Notepad on their computer (if they have one) and saving a text file then navigating back to it later and opening that file is something they probably have never done before.

                  • Wereduck@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
                    0·
                    7 days ago

                    Coming from someone who worked tech support for some time: There are lots of people with no grasp of basic computing concepts working office jobs in which they sit at a computer all day. Some even highly educated and specialized. lawyers, managers, marketing consultants, insurance salespeople… young and old. They can use Word, and Outlook, and Chrome, and phone apps, but the concept of a file or folder, or utilizing files and folders to organize information, are alien to some. Doesn’t help that some (especially mobile) OS’s do a lot to obscure that layer from people, and people can often get by with rigid workflows or by calling tech support a lot. Not judging them. Well at least the ones who were nice to me. I don’t know how to change my oil. I mean none of the people I’m thinking of did either. But I don’t know how to do whatever lawyer managers do all day(meetings?). I realize there is some self selection in who calls tech support every day, so having worked tech support might have skewed my perception of the average office worker.

        • andros_rex@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          8 days ago

          This is a legitimate concern.

          A teenage girl who is looking to track her cycle is likely not educated on data security - as someone who works with teens, Gen Alpha is shockingly tech illiterate. They are going to go into the App Store, type “period tracker” and download the first thing that pops up.

        • medgremlin@midwest.socialEnglish
          0·
          8 days ago

          Write it down on paper or put it in a word document or excel spreadsheet (or FOSS equivalent if you don’t have Office 365).

          From a medical perspective, a handwritten journal with dates and notes about the amount/consistency of the flow as well as associated symptoms would be the most useful. Having irregular periods that last for 3 days with very heavy bleeding would have a very different diagnostic approach than irregular periods that last 3 to 5 days with normal bleeding and horrible cramps.