Skip to main content
All CollectionsCommon Setup Issues
Insufficient data for sleep analysis
Insufficient data for sleep analysis

What do to when Pillow says that it has "Insufficient data for sleep detection"

Updated over a year ago

This issue indicates that Pillow couldn’t find any data in order to perform sleep analysis. This happens because Pillow doesn’t have permission to access the required Apple Health data or your Apple Watch didn’t capture any data.

Checklist:

1. Make sure you have the latest version of Pillow installed.

Here’s how to check this:
1. Open the “App Store” app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on your profile picture at the top right corner of the screen.

3. Swipe down to refresh the page.
4. Check if there is an update available for “Pillow”.

2. Does Pillow have permission to access the required Apple Health data?

Pillow uses Apple Health data in order to perform sleep analysis and requires permission to access that data. Sometimes, those permissions get reset, especially after an update of iOS or Pillow.

How to reset Apple Health permissions:

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

  2. Scroll to find Privacy & Security > Health > Pillow. (If the list is empty due to an iOS issue, please proceed to the alternative set of instructions.)

  3. Make sure all categories are turned ON.

  4. Restart your device.

  5. Wait for Pillow to detect another sleep session.

Alternative way to reset Apple Health Permissions:

  1. Open the Apple Health app on your iPhone (It has a white icon with a red heart).

  2. Tap on your profile icon in the top right corner.

  3. Tap on "Apps" in the "Privacy" section.

  4. Find and tap on "Pillow".

  5. Make sure ALL switches are turned ON.

  6. Restart your device.

3. Do you wear your Apple Watch during sleep?

If you use Pillow with your Apple Watch, Pillow will try to look for Apple Health data registered by the Apple Watch while you were asleep. If you don’t wear your Apple Watch during sleep, then Pillow will NOT be able to perform sleep analysis. There is no need to launch Pillow in order to register data. The Apple Watch will automatically capture all required data as long as you wear it during sleep.

4. Did your Apple Watch register any data?

Sometimes your Apple Watch may fail to register any data or transmit registered data to the iPhone. Here’s how to verify that your Apple Watch registered data:

Note: This step requires that Pillow has permission to access Apple Health. (See section 2 above.)

  1. Open Pillow on your iPhone.

  2. Tap on the "Settings" icon in the top right corner.

  3. Select "Apple Health Diagnostics".

  4. Using the calendar, tap on a date where you would expect Pillow to detect any data.

  5. Tap on "Check".

If Pillow displays "Apple Health data found" then your Apple Watch does register data.

5. Is Bluetooth turned ON? (Automatic mode only)

This is a special a requirement if you use Pillow in automatic mode. Automatic mode in Pillow relies on Apple Watch sensor data that get transmitted from the Apple Watch to the iPhone via Bluetooth or Wi-fi. This process is handled by watchOS automatically. Sometimes it might take 2-10 minutes to transmit all required data from the Apple Watch to the iPhone, especially if the Apple Watch is low on battery.

6. Did you use Airplane mode?

If your devices are in Airplane mode then the Apple Watch will not be able to communicate with the iPhone. You can use Airplane mode while you are sleeping but remember to turn Airplane mode off when you wake up to allow the Apple Watch to finish transmitting all the registered data to the iPhone (this might take a few minutes).

7. Do you use a passcode on your Apple Watch?

If you use a passcode for your Apple Watch, your sensor data will not be accessible if you do not enter a passcode when you go to sleep.

Remember to enter your passcode when you wear your Apple Watch before sleep.

8. Is wrist detection enabled?

If you have turned off wrist detection, heart rate data that are necessary to perform sleep analysis will not be recorded by your Apple Watch.

To enable wrist detection:
1. Open the “Watch” app on your iPhone.
2. Go to “Passcode”.
3. Turn ON “Wrist Detection”.

9. Is “Fitness tracking” turned on?

Here’s how to check this:
1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone. (It has a grey icon with cogs.)
2. Go to “Privacy & Security” > “Motion & Fitness”.
3. Turn ON “Fitness Tracking”.
4. Turn ON the switch next to Pillow.

5. Open the “Watch” app on your iPhone. (It has a black icon with an Apple Watch.)

6. Go to “Privacy”. > Turn ON “Heart Rate” and “Fitness Tracking”.

10. Did your Apple Watch go into power saving mode?

If your Apple Watch is about to run out of battery, it will go into power saving mode which turns off all sensors so in this case, your Apple Watch will not register any data.

11. Do you wear your Apple Watch loosely or have any tattoos on your wrist?

If you wear your Apple Watch loosely on your wrist the heart rate sensor on your wrist will not be able to record your heart rate properly. If you have a large tattoo on the wrist where you wear your Apple Watch then your heart rate data might not be recorded properly.

12. Ensure that you start a session that uses the Apple Watch (manual mode only)

If you don’t use Pillow’s automatic mode, the easiest way to start a session manually with your Apple Watch is as follows:
​

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

2. Open Pillow on your Apple Watch.

3. Select (one of) the preset(s) you have created and tap on "Start".

If you have checked all the items above and the issue persists:

1. Delete and re-install Pillow from the App Store.

Sometimes Pillow is not properly installed and configured by iOS so the only way to fix this issue is by re-installing Pillow.

2. Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch.

If none of the above works we suggest that you un-pair and pair your Apple Watch again. We strongly recommend that you set up your Apple Watch as a new Apple Watch since restoring from a backup might bring back the problematic configuration that is causing this issue.

3. Contact our support team.

If none of the above recommendations work, please contact our support team to help you. To contact support:

1. Open Pillow on your iPhone.

2. Tap on the "Settings" icon at the top right corner.

3. Select "Helpdesk".

Tags: "insuff", "insu", "insuffic"

Did this answer your question?