Your data stays on your phone — what "device-first" really means
Most health apps store your records on their servers. MediBrief doesn't. Here's what device-first means, why we chose it, and what it means for your privacy.
MediBrief keeps your medical records encrypted on your own phone, not on our servers. That single design choice is what we mean by “device-first,” and it changes everything about how your privacy works.
Most apps ask you to trust that they’ll guard the data they hold about you. We took a different path: we decided not to hold it in the first place.
What “device-first” means
When you use a typical health app, your records are uploaded to the company’s servers. The company can read them, analyse them, keep backups, and in the worst case lose them in a breach. Your privacy depends entirely on that company’s promises and its security.
Device-first flips the model. Your records are stored and encrypted on your phone. The app works with your data locally, on the device that’s already in your pocket. We don’t keep a copy.
Why we chose it
Health data is about as personal as data gets, so we designed around three ideas:
- No central honeypot. The biggest health-data breaches happen because one server holds millions of people’s records. If there’s no central pile, there’s nothing for an attacker to steal in bulk.
- We can’t misuse what we don’t have. We can’t read, sell, or profile your records, because they’re not on our side to begin with.
- Privacy by architecture, not by promise. You shouldn’t have to take our word for it. The design itself is the guarantee.
How it actually works
A few pieces fit together to make this practical:
- Encrypted on-device storage. Your records are encrypted on your phone, protected by your device’s biometric lock.
- Two zones. A no-login Emergency Card for the essentials someone might need in a crisis, and a separate, biometric-locked zone for your full records. They stay apart by design.
- Consent-based linking. When you bring in records through your ABHA, the sharing happens with your time-bound consent, and what you pull in lands on your device, not ours.
- A backup you control. You can keep an encrypted backup so a lost or replaced phone doesn’t mean lost records, without that backup ever being readable by us.
The honest trade-offs
Device-first isn’t magic, and we won’t pretend otherwise. Because your data lives on your phone, keeping your backup current actually matters; it’s how you recover if a device is lost or damaged. And some cloud-style conveniences take more careful design when there’s no server quietly holding everything. We think that’s a fair trade for real privacy, and we build accordingly.
What about AI?
You may have seen MediBrief mention plain-language summaries of your records. That feature is coming later, not live today. When it does arrive, it will be built to process health data within India, in line with ABDM’s data-localization rules. We won’t quietly ship your records to some default overseas server to do it.
In short
Your records, on your phone, encrypted, under your control. We’re built to align with India’s DPDP Act and ABDM rules, and device-first is how we mean it, not just how we say it.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly are my health records stored?
On your own phone, encrypted. MediBrief is device-first, so your records aren't kept on our servers. There's no central database of your health data on our side.
Can MediBrief see or read my records?
No. Because your records live encrypted on your device rather than on our servers, we don't have a copy to read, analyse, or share.
What happens if I lose my phone?
Your records are protected by encryption and your device's biometric lock. MediBrief also supports an encrypted backup you control, so you can restore your data on a new phone without ever exposing it to us.
Does MediBrief sell my data or use it for ads?
No. There's no advertising model and nothing to sell. Your data isn't ours to monetise; it stays with you.
Is MediBrief compliant with India's DPDP Act?
We're built to align with India's DPDP Act and ABDM rules, and our device-first design is a big part of how. We say "built to align with" rather than "certified" until we've formally earned that.
Keep reading
Why MediBrief?
We're building the simplest, most trustworthy way for Indian families to keep their medical records ready for an emergency — private by design, with a real person behind it. Here's what that means, and why it's different.
What is ABHA — and why it matters
ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) is India's free digital health ID. Here's what it is, the difference between an ABHA number and an ABHA address, and what you can actually do with it.
How to create your ABHA in 4 steps
Creating an ABHA number takes a few minutes and is completely free. Here's the simple, step-by-step process using your Aadhaar or driving licence.
Keep your family’s health ready for an emergency
MediBrief keeps your family’s records encrypted on your phone — and an Emergency Card within reach when it counts. We’re pre-launch; join the waitlist for early access.