GuideWatch icon

GuideWatch

Your guiding session, right on your wrist.

An imaging session means walking back to the laptop every few minutes just to check whether guiding is still holding. GuideWatch connects to NINA or directly to PHD2 over your local Wi-Fi and puts the guiding graph, RMS error and connection status on your Apple Watch instead.

Download on the App Store

Built for Apple Watch, for anyone guiding with NINA or PHD2

GuideWatch running on an Apple Watch Ultra, showing a live RA/Dec guiding graph with RMS error stats for RA, Dec and Total.

Check on guiding without leaving the eyepiece

GuideWatch is a focused, read-only companion to your guider - NINA's Advanced API or PHD2's Event Server. It shows you what's happening on your watch, so you don't have to keep checking your laptop to find out.

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Live guiding graph

RA/Dec error trends updating in real time, with correction ticks and dither markers, just like the graph inside PHD2.

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RMS & guiding stats

RA, Dec and total RMS at a glance. Optional haptic alert when guiding error crosses a threshold you set in Settings.

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Guiding & Moon complication

One watch face slot that shows total RMS and guiding state while a session is live, then swaps to tonight's moon phase and how much of it is lit when you're not guiding.

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Connection status

Know instantly if guiding has dropped out or the rig has gone quiet. After a Wi-Fi drop, older chart data is shown dimmed until fresh steps arrive.

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Local network only

Connects directly to your NINA or PHD2 machine over Wi-Fi. No internet, no cloud, no account.

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Simple setup

In Settings, pick NINA (port 1888) or PHD2 (port 4400), enter the host IP, and tap Connect. GuideWatch remembers the source and port separately.

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Simulation mode

The app starts in simulation so you can explore the UI before connecting to a live rig. Long-press the chart to toggle it on or off quickly.

What you'll need

GuideWatch is a monitor, not a controller - it never sends commands to NINA, PHD2, or your imaging rig.

  • Either NINA (Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy) with the Advanced API plugin enabled (default port 1888), or PHD2 with its Event Server listening (default port 4400) - on a Mac, PC, or mini-PC on the same local network as your Apple Watch. You don't need both.
  • An Apple Watch running watchOS 10 or later. GuideWatch runs on the watch itself over Wi-Fi and does not need your iPhone nearby once it is set up.