⌚ Apple Watch Guide

Capture thoughts from your wrist

Thoughtmarks Apple Watch interface

Overview

The Thoughtmarks Apple Watch app brings instant voice capture to your wrist. Record thoughts while running, cooking, or driving - hands-free capture that seamlessly syncs with your iPhone.

Key Benefits: Raise your wrist, record a thought, done. Seamless sync. Offline-first. Complications for quick access.

Getting Started

1. Setup

  1. Install Thoughtmarks on your iPhone
  2. Open the Watch app on iPhone
  3. Find "Thoughtmarks" in the app list
  4. Tap "Install" to add to Apple Watch
  5. Wait for installation to complete (1-2 minutes)
Requirement: Requires watchOS 10.0 or later

2. First Voice Capture

  1. Open Thoughtmarks on your Apple Watch
  2. Tap the large Record button
  3. Speak your thought clearly
  4. Tap Stop when finished
  5. Recording automatically syncs to iPhone
Tip: You can also use Siri: "Hey Siri, capture a Thoughtmark"

3. View Recent Thoughts

Scroll down on the main watch screen to see your recent Thoughtmarks. Tap any thought to:

  • View transcription
  • Play back recording
  • Add tags (voice input)
  • Delete recording

Features

🎙️

Quick Voice Capture

Raise your wrist, tap record, speak. Done in seconds. Perfect for capturing fleeting ideas while moving.

🔄

Seamless Sync

Recordings automatically sync to iPhone via Bluetooth or WiFi. View, edit, and organize on the big screen.

📴

Offline First

Record thoughts without iPhone nearby. Everything queues and syncs when devices reconnect. Never lose an idea.

⚡

Complications

Add Thoughtmarks complication to your watch face for one-tap access to voice recording.

Complications Setup

Adding Thoughtmarks Complication

  1. Press and hold your watch face
  2. Tap "Edit"
  3. Swipe to complications screen
  4. Tap the complication slot you want to use
  5. Scroll to find "Thoughtmarks"
  6. Select the complication style you prefer
  7. Press Digital Crown to save

Available Complications

  • Circular: Quick tap to start recording
  • Corner: Shows recent thought count
  • Graphic: Large button for easy access
Recommended: Use Graphic complication for easiest one-tap recording

Data Synchronization

How Sync Works

  • Automatic: Watch syncs with iPhone automatically via Bluetooth/WiFi
  • Bidirectional: Changes on either device sync to both
  • Incremental: Only changed data syncs (battery efficient)
  • Offline Queue: Recordings queue when iPhone is out of range
  • Background: Sync happens in background when possible

What Syncs

  • ✓ Voice recordings and transcriptions
  • ✓ Thoughtmarks created on watch
  • ✓ Recent thoughts (last 50)
  • ✓ Bins and tags
  • ✓ Settings and preferences

Sync Troubleshooting

Sync not working? Try these steps:

  1. Ensure watch and iPhone are paired
  2. Check Bluetooth is enabled on both devices
  3. Ensure both devices have Thoughtmarks installed
  4. Force quit and reopen app on both devices
  5. Check iPhone is connected to internet (for cloud sync)

Still not working? Contact Support

Battery & Performance

Battery Life

  • Voice Recording: ~20-30 recordings per charge
  • Typical Usage: Minimal battery impact
  • Background Sync: Battery efficient (incremental only)
  • Optimization: Automatic power-saving modes
Tip: Recording quality doesn't drain battery - speak as long as needed

Performance Tips

  • Keep watch app updated to latest version
  • Restart watch app weekly for optimal performance
  • Clear old recordings from watch periodically
  • Ensure sufficient watch storage (500MB recommended)

Siri Integration

Voice Commands

Use these Siri shortcuts:

  • "Hey Siri, capture a Thoughtmark" - Start recording
  • "Hey Siri, record a thought" - Start recording
  • "Hey Siri, save this idea" - Start recording

Custom Shortcuts

Create personalized voice commands:

  1. Open Shortcuts app on iPhone
  2. Create new shortcut
  3. Add "Record Thoughtmark" action
  4. Add to Siri with custom phrase

Troubleshooting

Watch App Not Installing

  • Ensure watch is on WiFi or near iPhone
  • Check available watch storage (need ~50MB)
  • Restart both watch and iPhone
  • Update to latest watchOS version

Voice Recording Issues

  • Ensure microphone permission is enabled
  • Check watch is not in silent mode
  • Speak clearly 6-12 inches from watch
  • Ensure sufficient watch storage

Sync Delays

  • Normal sync: 5-30 seconds
  • Large recordings: Up to 2 minutes
  • Offline queue: Syncs when reconnected
  • Force sync: Open iPhone app to trigger immediate sync

Privacy & Security

Your watch recordings are fully encrypted:

  • ✓ Encrypted on watch before sync
  • ✓ Encrypted in transit to iPhone
  • ✓ Encrypted at rest on iPhone
  • ✓ Hardware-backed encryption (Secure Enclave)

For complete privacy details, see our Privacy Policy.

Need Help?

Apple Watch specific support:

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