A new Vancouver-made wellness app is giving trans and non-binary adults more choice over what they track, from medication and mood to personal milestones. River combines optional tools with on-device privacy controls, aiming to make everyday health notes feel more personal and less exposed. It’s available on iOS and Android, with free core features and a paid upgrade.

Essential Takeaways

  • Built around choice: River offers 17 optional tracking tools, so users can switch on the features that suit them.
  • Designed with privacy in mind: The app requires no account, and River says information is encrypted and stored on the user’s device.
  • Practical for appointments: Users can select information to export as a PDF for healthcare providers.
  • Free to start: Core features are available at no cost; River Plus unlocks all modules for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
  • Not a medical device: River is a wellness companion, not a substitute for clinical advice.

River puts personal choice at the centre

Wellness tracking can feel oddly prescriptive when an app assumes everyone has the same body, identity or goals. River takes a more flexible approach, offering a set of tools for trans and non-binary adults to record what matters to them and leave the rest untouched.

VITA Daily reports that Vancouver-based UI/UX designer Carrera Caldwell created the app with 17 optional tools. They cover hormones, medications, physical changes, mood, voice, appointments, journalling and milestones, among other areas. The point is not to follow a fixed path, but to make room for different experiences.

Privacy is built into the way River works

River’s privacy pitch is straightforward: no account or login is required, and the app says encrypted information stays on the user’s device rather than being stored in the cloud. The controls include PIN or Face ID protection, a disguised app icon, discreet medication reminders and a quick escape mode.

The app’s About page also describes user control as a guiding principle, including the option to switch features on or off and use identity fields in ways that suit the individual. That matters for health notes, which can be deeply personal; a tracker should let people decide what they record and who sees it.

Community feedback shaped the app

River was developed with input from trans and non-binary community members. VITA Daily says Gender Freedom Society helped connect beta testers with the project, bringing lived experience into the process rather than treating inclusion as a finishing touch.

The feature list reaches beyond routine reminders. River’s tools include options for recording cycle information, voice changes, binding, photographs, appointments and personal milestones. That breadth can be useful, but the modular setup keeps the experience from becoming a compulsory checklist.

What can users get for free?

River is free to download, with core tracking and privacy features included. The Features page says free tools include journal and mood tracking, hormone and medication tracking, cycle features, reminders, app locking and data export. River Plus unlocks the remaining modules for $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually, according to VITA Daily.

If you’re deciding whether it’s worth trying, start by checking which features are available in the free version and whether they match what you want to record. River also supports exporting selected information as a PDF, which may help users prepare notes for an appointment without sharing everything in the app.

A wellness companion, not a clinician

River is available on iOS and Android, but it isn’t presented as a medical device. The app’s support guidance says it can’t replace a doctor and advises users to speak with a qualified clinician about health concerns.

That distinction is important: a tracker can help organise personal notes and make changes easier to document, but it doesn’t interpret them as medical advice. For many people, the value may simply be having a private, adaptable place to keep track of their own journey.

River’s most appealing feature may be its simplest one: users get to decide what belongs in their tracker.

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