Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions about Nimbus Shield.
Product basics
- What is Nimbus Shield?
- Nimbus Shield is a privacy-first Android application designed to help people who experience migraine or headache attacks record their events, review their history across timeline and calendar views, and identify patterns through 19 local insight providers. It supports voice logging, daily check-ins, a medication library with triptan-limit monitoring, menstrual-cycle tracking and PDF doctor reports.
- Who is it for?
- Nimbus Shield is for people who experience migraine or headache attacks and want to track their events, understand their history and prepare clearer information for healthcare conversations. It is designed for individuals who prefer their health records to remain on their device.
- Is it a medical device?
- No. Nimbus Shield is a tracking and informational tool. It is not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Its findings are not medical advice.
- Does it diagnose migraine?
- No. Nimbus Shield does not diagnose migraine or any other medical condition. Migraine diagnosis should be made by a qualified healthcare professional. Nimbus Shield is a tool for recording information and reviewing patterns, not for diagnosis.
- Which platforms are supported?
- Nimbus Shield is being developed for Android (React Native / Expo). It integrates Android home-screen widgets for quick logging and shield-status display. No iOS version is planned at this time.
- Is an account required?
- No. Nimbus Shield does not require an account for its core operation. You can record attacks, review your history and generate reports without creating an account or providing personal information.
- Does it work offline?
- Yes. Nimbus Shield is designed to work fully offline. An internet connection is not required for recording attacks, reviewing history, analysing patterns or generating reports.
- Is there a premium version?
- Yes. Nimbus Shield offers a free tier with core tracking and a Pro subscription that unlocks premium insight providers, PDF doctor reports, risk forecast and year-in-review reports, and additional analysis categories. Free users can log attacks, review their timeline and generate basic summaries without paying.
Logging and tracking
- What ways can I log an attack?
- You can log attacks using one-tap quick log from the home screen or widget, the full attack-entry form with pain level, symptoms, triggers and medications, voice logging with on-device speech-to-text, or the migraine timer that tracks duration and prompts for end-feeling assessment.
- How does voice logging work?
- Voice logging uses on-device Whisper speech-to-text to transcribe your attack description. Transcription runs entirely on your device. Audio data is not uploaded or stored after transcription completes.
- What are daily check-ins?
- Between attacks, you can log daily factors including water intake, sleep quality and duration, exercise and stress levels. These factors feed into insight providers that look for correlations with your attack patterns.
- Does Nimbus Shield track menstrual cycles?
- Yes. You can log menstrual-cycle days with flow intensity alongside your migraine records. Cycle data is included in insight analysis for users who choose to track it.
- What is the medication library?
- The medication library lets you define your medications including triptans and preventives. You can log doses during attacks and the app tracks usage against configured triptan daily and monthly limits to help you monitor adherence to your healthcare professional’s guidance.
Data and privacy
- Where is my information stored?
- Your health records are stored locally on your device in a local database. They are not uploaded to a cloud service or transmitted to Zymric as part of normal operation.
- Does Zymric receive my health records?
- No. Zymric does not receive your health records through normal use of Nimbus Shield. Records leave your device only when you explicitly choose to export or share them.
- Does Nimbus Shield sell data?
- No. Nimbus Shield does not sell user data. It does not contain advertising, tracking or analytics that would monetise user information. Selling health records is incompatible with the application's design.
- Does it contain advertising?
- No. Nimbus Shield does not contain advertising. There is no advertising network SDK, no ad targeting and no advertising-based revenue model.
- Does Nimbus Shield collect analytics?
- Nimbus Shield integrates PostHog for product analytics and Firebase Crashlytics for crash reporting. Both are opt-in and disabled by default. You are prompted on first launch and can change your preference at any time from settings. No analytics or crash data is collected unless you explicitly enable it.
- Is voice audio sent anywhere?
- No. Voice transcription uses on-device Whisper speech-to-text. Audio data is processed locally and is not uploaded to any server. The transcribed text is stored as part of your local attack record.
- What happens if I change or lose my phone?
- Nimbus Shield stores records locally on your device. If you change or lose your phone, records on the old device may not be accessible. Zymric cannot restore records that remain on a device it never received. If you plan to change devices, export your records from the old device before switching.
- How do I delete my records?
- You may delete individual records or all records within Nimbus Shield through the application interface. Uninstalling the application will also remove locally stored records.
- Can I export my information?
- Yes. Nimbus Shield provides export to JSON and CSV formats for full data portability, as well as PDF reports formatted for healthcare appointments. You can also import data from CSV files to migrate from other migraine tracking apps.
Widgets
- What widgets does Nimbus Shield offer?
- Nimbus Shield offers Android home-screen widgets including a one-tap quick-log widget for instant attack recording and a shield-status widget that shows your current tracking state. Widgets are available on Android devices that support home-screen widgets.
- Do widgets require the app to be open?
- No. Widgets work from the home screen and can log attacks or display status without opening the full application.
Intelligence and findings
- How are insights created?
- Nimbus Shield analyses your locally stored records using 19 insight providers that examine triggers, sleep quality, weather pressure, medication efficacy, attack timing, symptom patterns, seasonal trends and more. All analysis is performed on your device using your data only.
- What insight categories are available?
- Free insight categories include basic trigger frequency, attack timing and symptom analysis. Pro subscription unlocks additional providers including sleep correlation, weather pressure sensitivity, medication efficacy over rolling windows, seasonal pattern concentration, pre-warning signal detection, treatment-response comparisons and trigger experiments.
- Are findings medical advice?
- No. Findings generated by Nimbus Shield are based solely on the information you have recorded. They are not medical advice. You should always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical decisions.
- Why might Nimbus Shield say there is insufficient evidence?
- Nimbus Shield requires sufficient recorded data to identify patterns. If you have not recorded enough attacks, or if recorded information is incomplete, the application will clearly indicate that it cannot draw a conclusion. This is a deliberate design choice to avoid misleading findings.
- How much information is required before patterns appear?
- The amount of information needed varies depending on the type of pattern and the consistency of recording. Some patterns may become visible after several weeks of regular recording, while others may require months of data. Nimbus Shield will indicate when data is insufficient for a given analysis.
- Can it predict an attack?
- No. Nimbus Shield cannot predict when a migraine or headache attack will occur. It can only analyse past records to identify historical patterns.
- Can it recommend medication?
- No. Nimbus Shield cannot recommend or prescribe medication. Medication decisions should always be made by a qualified healthcare professional.
Reports
- What types of reports are available?
- Free users can generate monthly summary reports. Pro subscription unlocks PDF doctor reports for 7, 30 or 90-day periods, a risk forecast report that projects future attack likelihood based on historical patterns, and a comprehensive year-in-review report.
- Can reports be shared with a healthcare professional?
- Yes. All reports are designed to be shared with healthcare professionals. PDF reports are formatted for clinical use with clear presentation of attack frequency, severity trends, medication usage and key findings.
- Can I export my raw data?
- Yes. You can export your full database as JSON or CSV files. These exports contain all your recorded data in portable formats for analysis, backup or migration.
- Can I import data from another app?
- Yes. Nimbus Shield supports CSV import, allowing you to migrate data from other migraine tracking applications that can export to CSV format.
- Are exported reports secure?
- Once exported, the security of report files depends on how you store and transmit them. Nimbus Shield provides the file to your device; after that, standard device and communication security applies.
Accessibility and usability
- What is migraine mode?
- Migraine mode is an accessibility setting that increases text size, disables animations and reduces visual complexity to make the app easier to use during an attack. It can be enabled from settings or triggered automatically based on your preferences.
- Is the app usable one-handed?
- Yes. Nimbus Shield is designed for one-handed operation throughout, including quick logging, timer controls and navigation.
- Does it support dark mode?
- Yes. Nimbus Shield features a dark interface that is comfortable in low-light conditions, which is particularly helpful during or before migraine attacks.
Development and availability
- Is Nimbus Shield available now?
- Nimbus Shield is currently in pre-release preparation for Android. It has not been publicly released. No launch date has been announced.
- Which Android versions will be supported?
- Nimbus Shield is built with React Native and Expo and targets modern Android versions. Specific minimum and target API levels will be confirmed before release.
- Is an iOS version planned?
- Current development is focused on Android. No information is available about an iOS version at this time.
- How will launch information be announced?
- Launch information will be shared on the Zymric website. No specific announcement channels have been confirmed.
The answers on this page are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical decisions.