No. Migraine Sentry works without an Apple Watch, but one is strongly recommended. The Apple Watch is where the deepest signals live, and the fastest place to log an attack. Without one, the app still works, and it tells you exactly what it can and can't see.

What an Apple Watch adds

Apple Watch records the overnight signals that matter most for migraine patterns: heart-rate variability, sleep duration and stages, resting heart rate, blood oxygen, wrist temperature and respiratory rate. Wear it overnight; that's when the important signals are written.

The Apple Watch app

  • Start and stop attacks from your wrist with one tap; it syncs instantly with your iPhone.
  • Attack timer: the elapsed time stays on your wrist, and you can end the attack from there when it's over.
  • The migraine timer stays in sync across both devices.

Wearing habits

Migraine Sentry works best with regular overnight wear, but it degrades honestly: if it hasn't seen Apple Watch data for a couple of weeks, metric tiles say "Needs Apple Watch" instead of pretending. A night or two off doesn't break anything; baselines are built over 30–90 days.

Charge tip: many people charge during their morning routine, then wear the Apple Watch to bed. Sleep data is the single most valuable signal you can give the app.

What works without an Apple Watch

  • Full logging: attacks, symptoms, medications, follow-ups.
  • Barometric pressure: from your iPhone's built-in barometer, continuously.
  • Weather signals: temperature swings, humidity, pressure forecasts.
  • Steps: your iPhone counts these on its own.
  • Daily check-ins: caffeine, hydration, stress, meals, alcohol, cycle.
  • History, insights and clinical reports built from all of the above.

What needs an Apple Watch

Overnight HRV, sleep duration and stages, resting heart rate and related signals require an Apple Watch (or another device writing them to Apple Health). Where a feature depends on them, the app says "Needs Apple Watch" rather than showing empty charts.

Can I still get forecasts?

Yes. Once you reach 7 days of data and 3 logged migraines, your forecast runs on the signals it can read without a Watch: barometric pressure, weather and cycle phase. It starts from published research evidence and shifts to your personal trigger weights as they emerge, and it always tells you which signals it read.