# WatchME — ME/CFS pacing

> ME/CFS pacing app monitoring heart rate, activity, and setting custom energy thresholds. (iPhone/iPad app by David Davies-Payne.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchme/id1583153009 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [David Davies-Payne](https://appshunter.io/developer/1583153011)
- Category: Health & Fitness
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 13 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 10 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2021-10-06
- Data updated: 2026-08-21
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchme/id1583153009/reviews.md

## What is WatchME?

For people diagnosed with ME/CFS.  This app helps you to pace and stay within your capacity envelope.  Use your watch and phone to monitor your daily heart rate, stand time, steps and distance.

Integrated with HealthKit.

This app uses the Health app to monitor resting, average and maximum heart rates, heart rate variability, stand time, step count, walking distance and active energy.

Set your individual thresholds for nominal, caution, warning and critical levels. Keep an eye on your status on your phone and watch.  Add complications to your watch face to alert you when you cross thresholds.

Please note: at least one complication is required on the active watch face for background alerts. Alerts on the watch are not instantaneous - background checking occurs at intervals during the day.

USE THIS APP ONLY WITH THE ADVICE AND SUPPORT OF YOUR PHYSICIAN.

## Key features

- Pacing within capacity envelope
- Heart rate monitoring
- Stand time tracking
- Step and distance tracking
- HealthKit integration
- Customizable alert thresholds
- Watch face complications for alerts

## Recent user reviews (10 of 25)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchme/id1583153009/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Reset

*2026-08-04, version 2.10.3*

Hi I’m wondering if it’s possible for the app to reset once you have gone into critical but save the data ? Or am I doing it wrong ☺️

### 4/5 — Fantastic app

*2026-06-30, version 2.10.2*

Great app for keeping track of ‘reserves’ the Apple Watch complication is most useful BUT would be much better if the bar was colour coded.  Measures everything relevant and personalisation is fantastic. I always recommend this to anyone in the CFS/ME and fibromyalgia groups

### 5/5 — Brilliant App

*2026-06-01, version 2.10.1*

I’ve had ME for over 20 years and am currently in a severe relapse, spending around 95% of my time in bed.

At the moment I have three different pacing apps on my phone: WatchME for comparison.

For me, WatchME has been by far the most useful.

One is largely based around activity levels, for example giving a morning HRV reading which then informs your day. That may work well for some people, but as someone who is almost completely bedbound, it doesn’t tell me very much about what is happening to me as the day progresses.

The other contains a huge amount of information, but I personally find it overwhelming. When cognitive fatigue and brain fog are significant, I struggle to know which metrics I should actually be paying attention to.

What I like about WatchME is that it is simple enough to use when I’m unwell but still provides meaningful information. I did need a little help initially to understand how best to set my personal parameters, but once I had it configured it became very easy to understand.

The biggest benefit for me has been the continuous HRV monitoring. My HRV fluctuates considerably throughout the day and often mirrors changes in my symptoms. During periods of worsening symptoms I’ve seen it fall as low as 8, whereas on better days it may sit in the 20s or occasionally higher. Being able to see those changes happening in real time has been extremely helpful for pacing and understanding what my body is doing.

Because of that, activity-based measures are often less useful for me. My biggest energy drains are frequently cognitive and emotional rather than physical. Writing, conversations, everyday stuff like catching up on emails or even processing memories can all trigger post-exertional worsening despite barely moving from my bed.

One thing that has surprised me is how often those periods of cognitive and emotional exertion seem to show up in my HRV. I can spend an entire day in bed and still end up worse despite doing very little physically. The HRV trends often reflect what is happening before I fully appreciate it myself.

I also contacted the developer with a question and received a prompt, thoughtful response. It was refreshing to get support from someone who clearly understands the challenges faced by people using the app.

Obviously no app can manage ME for us, and different tools will suit different people. However, for someone who is largely bedbound and trying to pace not just physical activity but also cognitive and emotional exertion, WatchME has genuinely helped me understand my illness better and pace more effectively during a severe relapse.

I know everyone’s situation is different, but I thought it was worth sharing my experience because most discussions about pacing apps seem to come from people who are still relatively active. For those of us who are largely housebound or bedbound, the things we need from a pacing app can be quite different.

I hope this might help some of you out there……..😊

### 5/5 — Perfect for chronic fatigue and other chronic illnesses!

*2026-04-25, version 2.9.1*

Amazing app for pacing! Instead of ignoring my symptoms and overdoing it, this app reminds me to slow down. And being able to look back at previous days is super helpful too!
The widgets are great for a quick glance, and I have the watch complication right in the middle of my watch screen to tell me “Caution!” if that’s how my body is doing that day. And it’s super easy to change the thresholds for alerts—either manually, or letting the app choose the numbers based on your recent history! 
And the developer is still developing! Looking forward to seeing how this app continues to grow.

### 5/5 — Great daily monitor for cfs/me/lc

*2025-12-03, version 2.9*

Update 12/3 this app keeps getting better and better, with new features added nearly every update this year. 

I was pleasantly surprised to open the app today and see an update that now includes a Metric page. I sent my thanks to the developer!

### 4/5 — Handy app

*2025-09-23, version 2.8*

I am finding this to be a handy app to keep track of where I’m at day to day. When connected to my watch it’s a considerate battery drain (ironic huh) on my watch but if you don’t mind charging your watch twice a day definitely worth checking out.

### 5/5 — Very functional!

*2025-08-09, version 2.7*

I did not understand pacing and struggled to conceptualize tracking until this app- this app made it very clear very simple while being very easy to personalize. 

With an illness that makes almost everything overwhelming,  the simplicity and clarity this app offers, for free, is something I feel so much gratitude and appreciation for. Tech can sometimes be a bummer - but when there are moments of human altruism and care it embodies I realize it is not the tech, but rather the people and purposes it is serving that can feel so bad (or in this case, good). 

Early on I did have a moment in which I wished that the app had some review features, and would save the day before as some others pointed out. But last night, at almost midnight, I was carrying around the bright red danger warning on my screen and feeling anxious, only to have it reset while I brushed my teeth and be gone, reset with the clock. In that moment, I felt a lift and a sense of hopefulness - I would sleep and it would be a new day. I told myself, I can find most of the info in my Apple health app, and I don’t need to think about it now, I only need to rest and try again tomorrow.

Suddenly less functionality felt like it had meaning and purpose - aiming my focus at what I can do now, for once. This apps design is also reinforcing me taking one day at a time. I am certain not everyone will agree, but it is rare you can learn something so fundamental from such a simple free app that feels core to healing. Thank you sincerely to the developers. I am really appreciative of you for making something so functional and providing it to a community that can really benefit from your gift.

### 5/5 — Great daily monitor for cfs/me/lc

*2025-03-25*

I was pleasantly surprised to open the app today and see an update that now includes a Metric page. I sent my thanks to the developer!

### 4/5 — Great basic app, could use a few enhancements if possible

*2025-03-23, version 2.4*

This app is pretty basic, but it does exactly what it says on the box. It allows you to monitor the key data points that might impact your fatigue/pain/othet symptoms, or lead to a flare up.

The watch app is great, but the phone app could be enhanced. It would be really great if:

1. Some widget options could be added, so that the current status can be made visible on the phone Home Screen

2. The phone app could show the day’s data on sliding scales (similar to the way they are displayed in the watch app) instead of just a list of the current data points

3. The phone app could show historical data, not just the data from the same day

### 4/5 — Simple app for pacing

*2025-01-14, version 2.3*

Really useful little app that monitors some key metrics during the day and alerts if you go over them. HR alerts aren’t instant but it’s been really useful to help identify activities which tend to spike my HR.

I like that I can just the thresholds.

Really glad I saw the previous review about how to reset HR monitoring for the day, so you still get alerts

A history would be useful for refining pacing strategies eg comparing status and metrics to PEM

The watch complication for overall status has sadly stopped working since the last update. I can’t find any way to contact the developer directly so hoping he spots this review and can release a fix

## Frequently asked questions about WatchME

### What does WatchME do?

WatchME is designed to help individuals diagnosed with ME/CFS manage their energy levels. It monitors daily heart rate, stand time, steps, and distance, integrating with HealthKit to provide a comprehensive overview of your activity and physiological responses.

### How does WatchME help with pacing?

The app helps you pace by allowing you to set individual thresholds for nominal, caution, warning, and critical levels based on your monitored metrics. You can then keep an eye on your status on your phone and watch, receiving alerts when you approach or cross these thresholds.

### Is WatchME free to use?

Yes, based on the provided information, WatchME is a free application. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements.

### What devices is WatchME compatible with?

The app is designed to be used with both your phone and a watch. It integrates with HealthKit, which is part of Apple's ecosystem, suggesting compatibility with iOS devices and Apple Watch. Background alerts on the watch require at least one complication on the active watch face.

### Who should use WatchME?

This app is specifically intended for people diagnosed with ME/CFS. It is strongly recommended to use this app only with the advice and support of your physician to ensure it aligns with your individual treatment plan.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.10.3 — 2026-07-26

- Heart summary large complication gauge uses minimum HR instead of resting HR
- Added a help note about the multicolour watch faces and complication colours
- Show onboarding view for activating the optional trends tab

### 2.10.2 — 2026-06-30

Interface Improvements
- Large Heart Summary complication improved to use a coloured range gauge and display HRV
- Improved initial no data display in app and complications

Fixes
- Improved watch background performance
- Fixed Active Energy briefly showing incorrect unit

### 2.10.1 — 2026-05-23

- Fix for a watch background updating bug in v2.10 that could cause the app to crash
- Return local units in the review tab
- User interface fixes and improvements

### 2.10 — 2026-05-12

- Improved widget updating on phone
- Improved complication updating on watch
- Added support for notifications on phone
- Added HRV graph
- Multiple interface improvements
- Performance improvements and bug fixes

- Added Trends screen (beta, enable via the Filter menu)

### 2.9.1 — 2025-12-24

Bug fixes and improvements

- Watch background update performance
- Background updating of weekly step count widget

## Apps similar to WatchME

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Heart Rate Plus Monitor PRO](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heart-rate-plus-monitor-pro/id1172749900) | 4.5 (10) | $2.99 | Health & Fitness |
| [Measure Heart Rate](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/measure-heart-rate/id1570945433) | 4.7 (2,489) | Free | Health & Fitness |
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| [Blood Pressure Notes-reports](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blood-pressure-notes-reports/id6463208079) | 4.2 (344) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Heart Rate - Track Your Pulse](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heart-rate-track-your-pulse/id1499796013) | 4.7 (77) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [iHeart: Heart Rate & Pressure](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iheart-heart-rate-and-pressure/id1543696428) | 4.3 (133) | Free | Health & Fitness |

## More apps by David Davies-Payne

- [FUNCAP](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/funcap/id6504595383)

All apps by David Davies-Payne: https://appshunter.io/developer/1583153011

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-21.*