For people with Parkinson's · iPhone and Apple Watch
A steady beat for every step.
When your steps start to freeze, your Apple Watch taps a gentle rhythm on your wrist to help you keep moving.
A cueing aid, not a medical device. App Store release coming. What it does and doesn't do
Tap the dial to stop.
How it works
In more detail- 01
Calibrate
Walk for 30 seconds at your normal pace. GaitGuard learns your pace, sets thresholds from your own walk, and can suggest a cue tempo that matches how you walk.
- 02
Walk
Start from your Watch or your phone and go about your day. When your walking stalls, the Watch responds. It works on its own, so your phone doesn't need to be with you.
- 03
Feel the beat
A short run of gentle taps at your tempo gives your next step something to follow. Afterwards you tap a tick or a cross: did it help? GaitGuard adapts to your answers.
The app
Calm on the wrist. Clear on the phone.
One dial shows how the walk is going. Start it from either device and the other follows.
Screenshots from a development build, showing demo data.
What's inside.
A rhythm on your wrist
Choose the tempo (60 to 130 beats per minute), the number of beats, the haptic style and the strength.
Learns your walk
A 30-second calibration walk measures your pace and sets a personal threshold, and can match the cue tempo to your walking pace.
Did it help?
A thumbs up or down on the Watch after every cue. The app becomes a little more or less sensitive, based on you.
Beat while walking
Optional. A soft metronome tap on your wrist while you walk, so the rhythm is already there.
Steadiness score
Built from how regular your stride is and how much of the last ten minutes was spent frozen, not a count of cues.
History and trends
Every cue with its strength and freeze length, daily notes, time-of-day patterns, week, month and 3-month trends, and CSV export.
Guided setup
Feel the beat on your phone, pick your pace, pair your Watch and take the calibration walk, step by step.
Private by default
Your data stays on your phone and Watch. There's no account to create.
Why I built this
Built for my mom.
My mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and I wanted to do something for her.
So I read the research. I learned how freezing of gait works, and how a steady outside rhythm can help the next step come. Then I put my skills into building something around it.
GaitGuard is that attempt: for her, and for everyone else who deals with this.
Adam, founder
Please read
What GaitGuard is, and what it isn't.
- A cueing aid, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition.
- It does not detect falls or contact anyone. Keep Apple Watch Fall Detection and Emergency SOS turned on if you rely on them.
- It can miss a freeze, or cue when it wasn't needed. Talk with your care team about how to use it.
- Not yet proven. It has not been tested on real patients, and we make no claims about accuracy or results.
Pilot program
Help us find out if it works.
We're looking for people with Parkinson's, care partners and clinicians to try GaitGuard and tell us honestly what helps and what doesn't.
An informal product pilot, not a clinical trial. What taking part involves
We'll only email you about the pilot.