Caffeine vs WaterApple Health
How to Track Caffeine in Apple Health (Step by Step, Plus Siri and Shortcuts)
How to track caffeine in Apple Health on iPhone: the exact taps to log mg by hand, Siri and Shortcuts tricks, how apps write to it, and what Health can't tell you.
The short answer
- To track caffeine in Apple Health: open Health, tap Browse (or search for "Caffeine"), then Nutrition › Caffeine › Add Data. Enter the mg, check the time, tap Add.
- Health stores caffeine in milligrams. A drip coffee is about 95 mg, a single espresso 63 mg, a Red Bull (250 ml) 80 mg.
- Faster options: ask Siri to log it (iOS 17.2 and later), build a Shortcut with Log Health Sample, or let a caffeine app write to Health for you.
- Health shows daily totals, not how much caffeine is still active or when your last coffee should be.
Apple Health has had a Caffeine data type for years, and it's a good place to track caffeine on iPhone: it's free, private, and every other health app can read from it. The catch is that it's buried under Nutrition, and manual entry takes a handful of taps each time.
Here's exactly how to log caffeine in the Health app, three ways to make it faster, how third-party apps write to it, and the one thing Health can't tell you.
How to track caffeine in Apple Health, step by step
These steps work in the current Health app on iOS 26 and iOS 27.
- Open the Health app.
- Tap Browse at the bottom of the screen. (You can also tap the search button and type "Caffeine" to jump straight there.)
- Tap Nutrition, then scroll to Caffeine and tap it.
- Tap Add Data in the top-right corner.
- Enter the amount in mg. The date and time default to now; tap them to backdate a drink you had earlier.
- Tap Add.
That's one drink logged. On the Caffeine screen you'll now see a chart with D, W, M, 6M and Y views, so you can see your daily total and how it changes over time.
Put caffeine on your Summary screen
While you're on the Caffeine screen, scroll down and tap Add to Favorites. Caffeine now appears on the Summary tab, so you can check today's total at a glance and tap through to add data without digging through Browse.
Fix or delete an entry
On the Caffeine screen, scroll to the bottom and tap Show All Data. Tap Edit, then delete the wrong entry. You can't edit a value in place, so delete it and add the correct one.
How many mg to enter for common drinks
The Health app only asks for a number, so the hard part is knowing what's in your cup. These are typical values from our drink catalog. Chain drinks vary by size far more than people expect; the full list is in our caffeine content chart.
| Drink | Size | Enter |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso, single | 1 oz / 30 ml | 63 mg |
| Drip coffee | 8 oz / 240 ml | 95 mg |
| Latte, double shot | 12 oz / 350 ml | 126 mg |
| Cold brew | 10 oz / 300 ml | 155 mg |
| Starbucks Pike Place, Grande | 16 oz / 473 ml | 310 mg |
| Black tea | 8 oz / 240 ml | 47 mg |
| Green tea | 8 oz / 240 ml | 28 mg |
| Cola | 12 oz / 355 ml | 34 mg |
| Red Bull | 8.4 oz / 250 ml | 80 mg |
| Monster | 16 oz / 473 ml | 160 mg |
| Decaf coffee | 8 oz / 240 ml | 3 mg |
If you drink from a chain, look up the exact size. Our guides to caffeine in Starbucks drinks and the energy drink caffeine comparison list the common orders.
How to log caffeine on iPhone faster
1. Ask Siri
Since iOS 17.2, Siri can log data to the Health app, and Caffeine is one of the supported types. Say something like "Log 95 milligrams of caffeine" and Siri adds it with the current time. The same works on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 and newer, where Siri runs on the device. If Siri refuses, check that Siri is allowed to access Health data in Settings.
2. Build a one-tap Shortcut
The Shortcuts app has a Log Health Sample action. Pick Caffeine as the type, set the value (say 95 mg), and save it as "Log coffee". Add it to your Home Screen, run it from the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and later, or make one per drink you have often. The first run asks for permission to write caffeine to Health.
3. Let an app write to Health for you
Most caffeine tracker apps save each drink to Apple Health automatically. You pick "Grande latte" from a list and the app writes the right mg with the right time. This is the least effort, and it's what most people who stick with tracking end up doing. We compare the options in the best caffeine tracker apps.
How apps write caffeine to Apple Health
Under the hood, apps use Apple's HealthKit framework. Caffeine is stored as dietary caffeine, a quantity in milligrams with a start time. Each drink becomes one sample, tagged with the app that wrote it.
A few things are worth knowing:
- You grant permission per data type. When an app asks for Health access, you choose whether it can write caffeine, write water, read sleep, and so on. Change this later in Health: tap your profile picture, then Apps under Privacy, pick the app, and toggle each type.
- Every entry shows its source. In Show All Data, each sample lists the app (or "Health") that added it.
- Pick one writer to avoid double counting. If two apps both log your morning coffee to Health, your total doubles. Let one app write caffeine and turn off write access for the others.
- Deletes should sync. A good app removes the Health sample when you delete the drink in the app. If a deleted drink still shows in Health, remove it with Show All Data › Edit.
- Other apps can read it. Once caffeine is in Health, any app you allow can read it, which is how sleep and fitness apps can compare your caffeine with your sleep.
What Apple Health can't tell you about caffeine
Health is a good log, but it only adds up milligrams. It doesn't know that caffeine from a 4 pm latte is still in your body at bedtime, or when your last coffee should be.
That matters because the timing drives how caffeine affects you. With a typical half-life of about 5.5 hours, half of a 3 pm coffee is still active around 8:30 pm, and about a quarter at 2 am. (More on that in how long caffeine lasts.) So a 300 mg day made of one big morning coffee is very different for your sleep from 300 mg spread into the evening, even though Health shows the same total.
What Health's daily total is good for is checking yourself against the daily limit. The FDA says up to 400 mg a day is generally not linked to negative effects for healthy adults. If you're pregnant, the usual advice is 200 mg or less; see how much caffeine is too much and talk to your doctor.
If you want to try it by hand first, the free Health app is a good start. Log for a week, look at the W view, and you'll quickly see your pattern. If you forget to log, that's usually the sign to hand the job to an app. Caffeine vs Water, for example, logs from your iPhone, your Apple Watch, widgets or Siri, and writes each drink to Health in one tap. You can also try our bedtime caffeine calculator without installing anything.
Frequently asked questions
How do I track caffeine in Apple Health?
Open Health, tap Browse, then Nutrition › Caffeine, and tap Add Data. Enter the amount in mg, adjust the date and time if needed, and tap Add. Tap Add to Favorites on the Caffeine screen to show your total on the Summary tab.
How do I log caffeine on iPhone with Siri?
On iOS 17.2 or later, say something like "Log 95 milligrams of caffeine". Siri adds it to the Health app with the current time. Make sure Siri is allowed to access Health data.
Where is caffeine in the Health app?
It's under Browse › Nutrition › Caffeine. The quickest way is to tap search in the Health app and type "Caffeine".
Does Apple Health track caffeine automatically?
No. Health only stores caffeine you or an app add. Apple Watch and iPhone can't detect caffeine, so something has to log each drink: you, Siri, a Shortcut or a caffeine tracker app.
Why is my caffeine total in Apple Health doubled?
Usually two apps are writing the same drinks. In Health, open Caffeine › Show All Data to see each entry's source, then turn off caffeine write access for all but one app.
Does Apple Health show how much caffeine is still in my body?
No. It shows totals per day, week or month. To see how much is still active and what will be left at bedtime, you need an app that models caffeine's half-life.
Sources
- Apple Support. Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
- Apple Newsroom. Siri can now help users access and log their Health app data. December 2023.
- Gadget Hacks. Siri can finally display and even log Health data (list of supported types, including caffeine).
- MacRumors. Hands-on with the redesigned Health app in the iOS 27.2 beta. September 2026.
- U.S. FDA. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?
General wellness information, not medical advice. If you're pregnant, have a heart condition, or take medication that affects caffeine, check your limits with a doctor.