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Pillow on the Apple Watch Basics

Updated over a week ago

Installing the Apple Watch app

To track your sleep using your Apple Watch first ensure that you have installed the latest version of Pillow on your Apple Watch. To do that:

  1. Open the "Watch" app on your iPhone.

  2. Locate Pillow.

  3. Tap on the “Install” button.

Recording a sleep session with alarms and audio recordings

For sleep analysis, Pillow will use data collected by your Apple Watch during sleep in combination with audio input recorded by the microphone of your iPhone. For audio recordings, alarms and sleep aid Pillow also requires the use of the iPhone during sleep.

Starting a sleep session with alarms, sleep aid and audio recordings

To start a sleep session with alarm, sleep aid and sound recordings:

  1. Open Pillow on the iPhone, keep it open and do not press any buttons.

  2. Open Pillow on your Apple Watch and tap the sleep icon at the bottom left corner to access your presets.

  3. Select your preferred presets and tap to start it

Additional notes:

  • Once Pillow has started recording, place your iPhone within arm’s reach to ensure that the sound recording feature will function properly.

  • Keep the Apple Watch on your wrist during the sleep session.

  • It is also highly recommended that you fully charge your Apple Watch before starting a sleep session.

  • Ensure both the Pillow app and your Apple Watch software are updated to the latest versions for seamless function.

Stopping or snoozing a sleep session with alarms and audio recordings

To stop the sleep session that you started recording with your Apple Watch follow these steps:

  1. Open Pillow on your Apple Watch.

  2. Swipe right to bring up the "Options", “Stop” and “Pause” buttons.

  3. Hold the “Stop” button to stop the session or “Pause” button to pause the alarm.

  4. When you tap “Stop“ make sure your iPhone and Apple Watch are connected via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

To snooze your alarm on your Apple Watch, tap the "Snooze" button that appears on the screen when the alarm goes off.

Recording a sleep session without the iPhone

Pillow can also be used without the iPhone for sleep analysis only. In this mode, Pillow does not require the iPhone, but it cannot sound an alarm from the iPhone, use the iPhone vibration alarm option, play a sleep aid melody or record sound events during sleep. You can still use Pillow on the Apple Watch to set up an alarm that will use Haptic Feedback (vibrations) to wake you up.

Starting a sleep session using the Apple Watch only

To record a session using only the Apple Watch:

  1. Open Pillow on the Apple Watch.

  2. Tap on the sleep icon at the bottom left corner of the screen.

  3. Make sure that you have selected a preset where none of the following options are checked:

  • iPhone speaker,

  • iPhone vibration,

  • Sleep aid,

  • Audio recordings.

3. Tap the preset to effectively start your sleep session.

Stopping a sleep session without the iPhone

To stop the sleep session that you started recording with your Apple Watch follow these steps:

  1. Open Pillow on your Apple Watch.

  2. Swipe right to bring up the "Options, “Stop”, and “Pause” buttons.

  3. Hold the “Stop” button to stop the session

Finding your sleep analysis data after a sleep session

When you stop the sleep session on the Apple Watch, Pillow will display your sleep analysis on the Apple Watch and attempt to automatically transmit your session data to the iPhone.

To view your detailed sleep analysis on your iPhone:

  1. Open Pillow on the iPhone.

  2. Tap on the graph below the rings.

  3. Scroll down to view a detailed breakdown of your sleep stages or use the "Heart" and "Audio" tabs at the top of the screen to access the heart rate data and available audio recordings (if any).

Recording a nap using the Apple Watch

Nap presets can be set up on the Watch or iPhone (with vibration alarm, no audio recordings). For shorter nap sessions, it is recommended to manually track your sleep to ensure accurate data collection. Pillow can automatically detect your daytime naps as long as you wear your Apple Watch to bed. However, naps shorter than 45 minutes to an hour may not always be detected. This is due to how the app processes sleep data during shorter sleep periods.

To start tracking a nap manually, follow these steps:

  1. Open Pillow on your iPhone, keep it open and visible

  2. Open Pillow on your Apple Watch

  3. Tap on the sleep icon at the bottom left corner and select an existing duration based preset (click here to learn how to create one).

  4. Tap the preset to start your nap session.

Stopping or pausing a nap session with the Apple Watch

To stop/pause the nap session that you started recording with your Apple Watch follow these steps:

  1. Open Pillow on your Apple Watch.

  2. Swipe horizontally to bring up the "Options", “Stop”, and “Pause” buttons.

  3. Hold the “Stop” button to stop the session or tap the “Pause” button to pause the alarm.

If you are tracking your nap with both your iPhone and Apple Watch, please ensure the two are connected via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi before stopping or pausing the session.

Troubleshooting Tips for Nap Tracking

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