StrivePD and the Apple Watch

Unlock the full potential of StrivePD with motor symptom, heart rate and movement data from the Apple Watch.

StrivePD is supported on watchOS 10.0 or later, currently available on watch models SE and newer. If you don't yet have a paired Apple Watch, you can explore available Apple Watches and find one that fits your style. Due to the frequency of operating system (OS) updates from year to year, we recommend purchasing devices compatible with the newest available OS at any given time. For more more information about the watchOS version running on your device, please review the Apple Watch User Guide.

Installing StrivePD on the Apple Watch

1. You must have an Apple Watch paired with your iPhone to install the StrivePD watch app.

2. StrivePD will automatically install on your paired watch when downloading StrivePD app from the App Store - as long as your watch is fully charged, turned on, unlocked and next to your iPhone. 

3. To check the install status of the StrivePD watch app, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

4. Scroll down in the "My Watch" screen of the Watch app to find StrivePD in the list of apps "Installed on Apple Watch".

5. If you see an INSTALL button next to StrivePD, you likely have automatic app installs turned OFF in the Apple Watch app, and will have to tap INSTALL to start that process.

6. If you see a loading icon (circle) next to StrivePD, that means the app is attempting to install.You can stop that attempt if it seems to be taking longer than expected (due to bluetooth connectivity errors, for example) by tapping the square button inside the loading circle and re-start it. 

If the INSTALL button doesn't show up again within several seconds, you may have to exit and re-open the Apple Watch app on your phone to re-set the INSTALL button. Check bluetooth and network connections on both devices and try again.

7. When StrivePD is successfully installed, you'll find it among your other watch apps and you can tap the StrivePD icon to open the watch app and get started!

Please note - depending on the timing of the watch app install, you may see one of the following notifications on your watch when you first open StrivePD:

1. "Allow notifications" - tap `Allow` to continue - this may also be configured in settings.

2. "To start using StrivePD on your watch, first log in to StrivePD on your phone" - this message means the watch hasn't yet received the log in message - to re-set, force quit StrivePD on your phone and on your watch and re-open.

Open StrivePD directly from the Apple Watch face with a StrivePD complication

Searching for apps on the watch can be a frustrating experience due to the small surface area of the screen. Thankfully, Apple supports adding your favorite Apps to the watch face so you can open them with one tap. These shortcuts are known as watch "complications". 

StrivePD is supported on newer watch face complications starting with watchOS 9. Try a Modular or Meridian watch face to get familiar with complications and then explore more options to see if the StrivePD complication works with your favorite watch face. We recommend setting this complication first on the phone through the Apple Watch app.

1. Go to the "Face Gallery" screen of the Apple Watch app, and scroll down to the Meridian watch face

2. Tap on a Meridian face to select it

3. Tap ADD to the right of the face to add it to your watch

4. Return to the "My Watch" screen of the Watch app and tap the Meridian face under "My Faces" to open the edit view

5. Scroll down to the "Complications" section where you can choose a spot for StrivePD - the options available on this watch face are - Sub-dial Top, Sub-dial Left, Sub-dial Right and Sub-dial Bottom

6. To choose the top spot for example, tap the Sub-dial Top row where Today's Date is the default and open a list of available complications. Scroll down to find StrivePD and tap to select it.

7. You'll be navigated back to the watch face detail screen, and StrivePD will now display as your Sub-dial Top complication.

8. Make sure to tap the 'Set as current watch face' option directly below the list of Complications so that this Meridian face is visible with the StrivePD complication on your watch

9. Tap the StrivePD complication on the watch face to open StrivePD

10. Once you've got the hang of it, play around with some other faces and additional app complications - many of our users find the Apple Workout, Heart Rate and Sleep app complications to be a good mix, but the choice is yours.

Remember, opening StrivePD on the watch while you have a strong network connection will help ensure your watch-recorded data is uploaded consistently - keeping a complication on the watch face can make opening the app as easy as one tap.

If you're comfortable with interacting on the small watch screen to perform various functions already, you can learn more about how to choose watch faces and set complications directly through the watch here.

*note - StrivePD is not compatible with complications situated in the corners of the watch face, so if you don't see StrivePD in the list for a given placement it's likely just not supported there. Try a different placement inside of the watch face instead.

Recording motor symptom, heart rate and movement data with the StrivePD watch app

StrivePD provides continuous recording as long as the app is running on your watch, even in the background. StrivePD app version updates, iOS/watchOS updates or certain troubleshooting steps can sometimes cause the StrivePD app to quit.  If you force exit the app, have to re-install the app for any reason, or your watch was locked or on the charger during an update, make sure to reopen StrivePD to make sure it's connected and then let it continue running in the background. 

StrivePD recording on the watch works independently from the iPhone app, so you can record data consistently even if your phone is not with you, and even when you're out of cellular or wifi connectivity range. The watch can hold up to 7 days of recorded data, and will upload that data to the StrivePD platform and your iPhone app only when you have strong cellular or wifi connectivity. For the best experience, we recommend opening StrivePD on your watch at least once a day when you have a strong network connection. If you've been offline for several hours, it's a good practice to open the StrivePD watch app when you get back online and keep it open for several minutes to ensure your data stays up to date.

It's important to remember that although the watch will still record when it's away from the phone, the Apple Watch and the iPhone it is paired with are considered a 'device pair' - meaning they work best when they're together. You'll also see much richer fitness data when you carry the iPhone near your waist (in a trouser pocket or similar) as much as possible throughout the day - even when you're offline or during a workout. This will allow you and your care team to make more informed decisions about how and when to make appropriate adjustments to your care plan. 

Troubleshooting

If you're not seeing the expected watch data arriving to the StrivePD phone app visualizations or reflected in StrivePD Reports, visit Advanced Settings to check the status of permissions required for data recording. Motion & Fitness and Health app permissions are required for StrivePD to record your data on both devices.

For your privacy, you must go to the Health app permissions directly, by visiting Settings / Privacy & Security / Health / StrivePD - for the most accurate data, we recommend allowing all Health app permissions for StrivePD.

FAQs

1. If I need to remove the app from my watch for troubleshooting, will my data be erased?

The watch will always retain the past 7 days of data unless it is unpaired from your phone / the data is deliberately deleted from the watch. As long as StrivePD is installed and running, and Motion & Fitness and Health permissions are enabled, data will be recorded when the watch is being worn, and that data will still be available if the StrivePD app needs to be re-installed on the watch.

2. I just bought a new watch and want to pair it with my phone - what do I need to do to make sure I don't lose any of my StrivePD data?

Before unpairing a watch with which you've been recording data to StrivePD, make sure your data is up-to-date. To find the most recent data upload time, go to the Tremor & Dyskinesia card on My Day and tap into the Tremor & Dyskinesia detail view. Directly under the graph you'll find a 'Last updated to' time - if that time does not match your expectations based on the most recent time you were wearing the watch, tap the UPDATE button to bring your data up-to-date.

Make sure your watch and phone are next to one another, and StrivePD is open on the watch to trigger a data upload. Depending on the strength of your bluetooth / network connection, you may have to exit and reopen the phone app to get the 'Last updated to' time to complete the update.

3. I've accepted all permissions but I'm still not seeing my data.

Sometimes apps can get hung up due to intermittent network failures that aren't always obvious. If you're still having issues with connections, you can try force quitting both the phone and watch apps, and reopening them. If that doesn't work, try force quitting the app on both devices and turning off and restarting them before re-opening StrivePD. As a last resort, deleting and re-installing the app on both devices can sometimes work - it's a cumbersome workflow, but sometimes it can resolve otherwise persistent errors.

If you're still having issues, you can contact our support team directly from the In-App Support button in the Help section of the app, or email us for assistance at support@strive.group.

4. I get an offline error when I try to log an item with the StrivePD watch app.

Although StrivePD recording works when the app is offline, item logging currently only works when the watch is online and has a strong bluetooth connection to the phone. We realize this isn't always the easiest scenario to achieve throughout your day to day activities, and we hope to support offline logging in the near future - we're working hard to bring you continuous updates throughout the app to bring you the best possible StrivePD experience, but we can't get to everything at once. We appreciate your patience in the meanwhile, and value your feedback for feature request prioritization!