Shire: Headache Diary — Support
One person makes Shire, and that same person answers your email. Here are the questions that come up most; if yours isn't below, just write to me.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Headache Personal Diary?
It became Shire. Version 2.0 rebuilt the diary as a conversation with a horse in a lantern-lit stable, and the app now goes by his name on the home screen. Every record you already had carries over untouched and still appears in the doctor's report — nothing to migrate, nothing to re-enter.
Do I need iCloud?
Yes. The app stores every record as a file in your own iCloud Drive, so it needs the device signed into iCloud with iCloud Drive turned on. If you see an "iCloud Required" screen, check Settings → your name → iCloud, then reopen the app.
How does my child log a headache?
By telling Shire. He asks one question at a time and your child answers by tapping — "My head hurts" is right there among the first choices, and a headache can be recorded in as few as two taps. Shire asks when it started, which Wong-Baker face the hurt is like, where it hurts, and what else feels wrong. He also asks how the day went, so the headache-free days are recorded too — those matter just as much to the doctor.
What if my child doesn't know the answer?
"I don't remember" is always an option on every question about times and feelings, and nothing is ever guessed at on your child's behalf. Times can also be given in everyday words like "after lunch" or "before bed" — see Time anchors below to teach the app what those mean in your house.
Can we fix a wrong answer?
Yes, two ways. During the conversation, tapping an answer bubble changes it on the spot. Afterwards, choose "Something else" → "Let's fix something" and pick what to correct. Corrections don't erase the original — the diary keeps both, so the record stays honest.
We forgot to log one — can we add it later?
Yes. Tap the moon-and-stars latch in the top corner of the stable to open the calendar, then tap the day it happened: you can add the headache after the fact — including marking it as already stopped — and backfill that day's check-in while you're there. "Something else" → "You missed a headache" gets you to the same place.
How do I get the report for our doctor?
Tap the padlock in the top corner of the stable to open the Grown-Ups area, then "Generate PDF report." You'll get a clean multi-page PDF — headache days per month, intensity, duration, time-of-day patterns, where the pain sits, symptoms in clinical terms, triggers, and missed school, plus a complete episode log — ready to AirDrop, print, or email. It reads the whole diary, including records kept in earlier versions of the app.
What else is in the Grown-Ups area?
Time anchors — what "at lunch" or "after school" means in your house, with one-off corrections for unusual days. Checking on an open headache — how many days Shire keeps gently asking after a headache that's still going before he stops leading with it (it's never closed automatically). Her progress — the stars, streaks and rosettes, all earned for showing up and telling the story, never for having headaches. Plus backups, iCloud sync status, and diagnostics.
Why doesn't Shire ask about medicine?
Medicine questions were deliberately taken out of the child's diary in 2.0. Medication tracking will return later as a separate grown-ups feature; doses recorded in earlier versions are still kept and still appear in the doctor's report.
Can I see the diary on my own phone?
The diary syncs between devices signed into the same iCloud account (your child's iPhone and iPad, a shared Mac). For a device on a different Apple ID, share the PDF report — or browse the readable record files directly in Files → iCloud Drive → Headaches.
How do I back up, move, or delete the data?
Records are files in your iCloud Drive, so they're backed up with your iCloud account and follow you to a new device automatically. The Grown-Ups area also has built-in backup & restore for snapshot files you can keep anywhere. Deleting a record in the app removes it from every synced device.
Something looks out of sync — what now?
The Grown-Ups area has a Diagnostics screen that shows iCloud sync health at a glance: whether the account is reachable, how many records are on the device, and what's still downloading. If it reports something you can't make sense of, send me a screenshot.
Still stuck?
Found a bug, have a question, or wish for a feature? Email [email protected] — I read everything personally. Tell me what happened and on which device, and I'll help.