Home readings help your doctor see what your blood pressure does in daily life, not just in the exam room. The 2025 blood pressure guideline from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recommends home monitoring to help confirm a diagnosis and to track progress. An app can make logging easier and turn a week of numbers into a report you can share. But the app is the least important part. What matters most is an accurate cuff and a good technique.
First, the Cuff Matters More Than the App
An app can only store what your cuff measures. The American Medical Association helped create the US Blood Pressure Validated Device Listing at validatebp.org, a free list of monitors that have been checked for clinical accuracy. Look up a cuff there before you buy. Even Apple's own guidance says automatic cuffs that fit around the upper arm give the most accurate readings. Make sure the cuff is the right size for your arm, since one that is too small or too large gives wrong numbers.
The Apps
Apple Health (Blood Pressure Log)
Best for: iPhone users
The Health app on iPhone has a built-in Blood Pressure Log. You can choose "Learn About My Risk for Hypertension," which asks for 7 days of morning and evening readings, or "Monitor My Hypertension," which asks for daily readings for 4 weeks. When you finish, you can export a PDF to share with your doctor.
- Requires iPhone 11 or later with the latest iOS
- Two structured logging plans
- Export PDF to share
OMRON connect
Best for: Owners of OMRON Bluetooth cuffs
OMRON's app syncs with its connected blood pressure monitors over Bluetooth, so readings upload without typing. You can view trends on graphs and share your history with family or doctors. OMRON offers free and premium versions; the premium tier adds features such as detailed reports and medication reminders.
- Syncs with OMRON connected monitors
- Free and premium options
- US and Canada only
Withings app
Best for: Owners of Withings devices
The Withings app, formerly called Health Mate, works with Withings blood pressure monitors, scales and watches. It lists hypertension management as a feature, can generate shareable reports or a live link for your doctor, and connects with Apple Health. It is free to download, with an optional paid subscription called Withings+.
- Works with Withings devices
- Shareable reports for your doctor
- Connects with Apple Health
Health Connect (Android)
Best for: Android users with more than one app
Health Connect is Google's hub for health data on Android. Blood pressure is one of its supported data types. Apps you allow can write readings into Health Connect, which stores data on your device and shares it only with the apps you choose. Not every app supports every data type, so check that your cuff's app does.
- Blood pressure is a supported data type
- Data stored on your device
- You choose which apps can read it
Samsung Health
Best for: Galaxy phone and watch users
Samsung Health tracks activity, sleep and vitals. On a Galaxy Watch, it can give a morning blood pressure estimate, but only after you calibrate the watch with a regular cuff, and Samsung says it needs recalibration every 28 days. Samsung also states these features are not intended to diagnose disease. Treat the watch number as a trend, not a replacement for cuff readings.
- Watch estimate needs a cuff to calibrate
- Recalibrate every 28 days
- Not intended for diagnosis
NHLBI My Blood Pressure Wallet Card
Best for: People who prefer paper
You do not need an app at all. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers a free printable wallet card for writing down your readings, with tips and questions to ask your provider. A notebook works too. Paper is private, never needs charging, and is easy to hand to your doctor.
- Free to print or order
- Includes questions for your provider
- No account or data sharing
How to Measure Correctly
The CDC's steps for accurate home readings:
- Don't eat or drink anything for 30 minutes before, and empty your bladder.
- Sit in a chair with your back supported for at least 5 minutes first.
- Keep both feet flat on the floor and your legs uncrossed.
- Rest your arm on a table so the cuff is at chest height.
- Put the cuff on bare skin, snug but not too tight. Don't talk during the reading.
- Take at least two readings, 1 or 2 minutes apart, and write them all down.
What the Numbers Mean
The 2025 AHA/ACC guideline keeps these categories: normal is less than 120/80; elevated is 120-129 systolic and less than 80 diastolic; stage 1 high blood pressure is 130-139 systolic or 80-89 diastolic; stage 2 is 140 or higher systolic or 90 or higher diastolic. Our guide to understanding blood pressure numbers explains more. If your reading is over 180/120 and you have chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, vision changes or trouble speaking, call 911. If it is that high without symptoms, call your doctor's office for advice.
Smartwatch "Blood Pressure" Is Not a Cuff
Some watches now offer blood pressure features, and they are easy to misread. Apple Watch hypertension notifications do not measure blood pressure. They look for patterns in optical heart sensor data over 30 days, and Apple says not everyone with hypertension will get a notification. If you get one, Apple directs you to a regular cuff for 7 days of readings. Samsung's watch estimate needs a cuff for calibration. Use these features as prompts to check, never as a reason to skip real cuff readings.
Protect Your Privacy
The FTC notes that HIPAA covers most doctors' offices, hospitals and insurers, but a lot of health information collected by apps and connected devices does not fall under HIPAA. The FTC's Health Breach Notification Rule does require many of these apps to tell you if your health data is breached. Before you sign up, read the app's privacy settings, turn off sharing you don't need, and be careful about linking many apps together.
Bring Your Log to Your Next Visit
Home readings are most useful when a doctor reviews them with you. Elon Health Primary Care in Davenport manages high blood pressure as part of chronic disease care, and our foods to lower blood pressure list covers the diet side. Older adults can also see our list of the best primary care for seniors in Davenport. The practice is at 43378 US Highway 27, Suite B, and is accepting new patients, by appointment, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Call 352-508-5254 or request an appointment.