Sometimes you open MigraineMe on your watch and see a sign in screen instead of your risk gauge. On Apple Watch it says Syncing with iPhone. On Garmin it is the welcome screen with a Pair button. This can be a small surprise, but it is a normal thing and it is fixed in one or two minutes. Nothing has been lost. Your data is safe.
It happens because the watch holds a copy of your sign in that it received from your phone. On a brand new watch, after a reinstall, or after you signed out on the phone, the watch simply does not have that copy yet and politely asks for it.
On iPhone (Apple Watch)
Your Apple Watch picks up its sign in from the MigraineMe app on your iPhone automatically, so this is rare. When it does happen, the fix is gentle.
- On your iPhone, open MigraineMe.
- Sign in if you are asked to (with your email and password).
- Leave MigraineMe open on your phone for about 10 seconds.
- Now wake your Apple Watch and open MigraineMe on it. You can also tap Retry on the watch screen.
- The home screen should appear, with your risk gauge.
If it still shows the syncing screen after a minute, try the following.
- On your iPhone, open the Watch app (the one with the small black watch icon).
- Scroll to MigraineMe in the list.
- Tap it and toggle Show App on Apple Watch off, wait 5 seconds, and toggle it back on.
- Wait a minute for the watch to reinstall the app.
- Open MigraineMe on the watch again.
On Android or iPhone (Garmin)
For a Garmin watch, the fix is to pair again. This is exactly the same process as the first time, and it takes under a minute.
- On your Garmin watch, open MigraineMe and tap Pair. The watch shows a fresh 6-digit code and says Waiting for phone....
- On your phone, open MigraineMe.
- Tap the gear icon in the top-left of the screen, then Connections.
- Find the Garmin card and tap Pair watch.
- Type the 6 digits shown on the watch, then tap Link.
- The phone shows Watch paired, the watch says Paired!, and your home screen returns.
For a longer step-by-step, see Pairing your Garmin watch with the 6-digit code.
Why does this happen?
The watch keeps a safety key that lets it talk to MigraineMe on its own. If that key is ever missing or can no longer be used, for example after a reset, a reinstall, or signing out on the phone, the watch asks to be signed in again. This is the same kind of thing online banking and email apps do, and it is there to keep your data safe if you ever lose your watch.
You do not have to do anything to prevent it. When it happens, just follow the steps above and you will be back to normal.
Recovery if something still does not work
- The watch says Code expired. Tap the watch screen for a fresh code. The new one lasts about 10 minutes.
- The phone does not accept the code. Type it slowly and check the digits against the watch. After tapping Link, give it 10 seconds before assuming it has failed. The two devices are talking over Bluetooth and the internet.
- I cannot find the Pair watch button on my phone. Make sure you are looking under the gear icon, then Connections, on the Garmin card, not just the home screen.
- Nothing helps. Email help@migraineme.app and we will take a look. Tell us whether you have an Apple Watch or Garmin, and what the watch screen shows.
Take a breath. This is one of those things that looks scary but is always solved in a couple of minutes.
