MyGrain for patient associations and healthcare professionals

MyGrain is a migraine and headache diary for iPhone and Android, developed by Alfonso Matos. It is free to download and use, shows no ads, can be used without an account, and has an optional Premium subscription. It is a self-tracking diary, not a medical device: it does not diagnose and does not replace a doctor. This page sets out in plain terms what it stores and where, so that an association or a clinic can decide whether it is comfortable mentioning it.

Facts checked on · Written by Alfonso Matos, the developer of MyGrain.

What MyGrain is

A diary in which a person with migraine or headache records each episode: type, intensity, symptoms, possible triggers, medication taken and notes. It has a colour-coded calendar, dose reminders, a home screen widget and reports built from the person's own entries. It is available for iPhone (App Store) and Android (Google Play), in 25 languages according to the App Store listing.

What is free and what is Premium

Free: unlimited logging, the calendar, treatment catalogue and dose reminders, one preventive habit, the home screen widget, basic reports, a CSV export of the whole diary, doctor appointments with reminders and migraine news. Premium (optional subscription): several symptoms, triggers and treatments per episode, trend and summary screens, the full breakdown in reports, PDF export for the doctor and a four-month calendar in PDF, unlimited habits and recommendations based on what the person logs. Prices differ by country and are shown in the store before buying; the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled, and payments are handled entirely by Apple or Google.

What data it keeps, and where

  • Diary entries (episodes, symptoms, triggers, treatments, places, notes, habits and the appointments the person adds). This is health data; the app stores it only after the person gives explicit consent on a dedicated screen.
  • Where. On Google Firebase (Google Cloud), protected by authentication and sent over encrypted connections. This also applies when no account has been created: the app opens an anonymous session so the entries are stored under an anonymous identifier, and they are merged into the account if the person registers later.
  • Account. Optional. If the person creates one, the email address used to sign in is stored.
  • Weather. If the person sets a city in the profile, the app looks up the weather for that city and stores the daily values (pressure, temperature, sunshine, rain, humidity) next to the diary. The city itself stays on the phone; no location permission is requested and no GPS coordinates are stored.
  • Sleep and activity. Only if the person grants permission, the app reads sleep, steps and exercise from Apple Health or Health Connect. It never writes to them, and revoking access is done in the phone settings.
  • Notifications. Each type is off by default and switched on by the person.
  • Usage statistics and crash reports (Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics) start only after the person accepts the privacy policy and never receive health data.
  • Sharing. The policy states the data is never sold and never shared with third parties except the processors it names (Google Firebase, which stores it for MyGrain; Apple or Google, which process payments).
  • Deletion and export. From the profile screen the person can delete the account and all associated data, immediately and irreversibly, and can export the whole diary as CSV for free.

The complete wording is in the privacy policy; if anything here differs from it, the policy prevails.

No advertising

MyGrain shows no ads and contains no advertising SDK. Its Google Play listing declares that it contains no ads, its Android build removes the advertising-ID permissions that analytics would otherwise add, and the privacy policy states that health data is never used for advertising.

What MyGrain is not

MyGrain is a self-tracking diary, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, it does not say what causes anyone's migraines or tell anyone what treatment to follow, and it does not replace the advice of a doctor or another qualified health professional. What it offers is an organised record of what the person chose to write down. It makes no claim about clinical outcomes.

The PDF report for the neurologist (Premium)

There are two PDF documents, both generated on the phone from the person's own entries and shared with the usual share sheet:

  • Monthly report. A one-month summary with counts of episodes by type, triggers, symptoms and treatments.
  • Four-month headache calendar. One grid per month with a letter for each day (M migraine, H other headache, – no pain, blank = no record, * = note); the medication intakes grouped as NSAIDs, triptans and others; the number of days with migraine, with headache, pain-free and without a record; a frequency label for the month calculated from those counts; and, when the person wrote them in the appointment notes, a last page with their questions for the consultation. Each page states: “Generated automatically from the patient's own records in MyGrain. Days without a record are left blank. It is not a diagnosis.”

The free CSV export contains the whole diary for anyone who prefers to work in a spreadsheet.

Who is behind MyGrain and how to get in touch

MyGrain is developed by Alfonso Matos, who is the developer named on the App Store; the Google Play listing shows the developer name MatosLab. Questions, requests from associations or professionals, and data-protection requests go to support@mygrain.app.

Alfonso Matos is an independent developer based in Spain. Associations that want to try the app or review it before recommending it can write to the same address.

Frequently asked questions

Is MyGrain a medical device?

No. It is a self-tracking diary and is not a medical device. It does not diagnose and does not replace a doctor.

Does a person need an account to use it?

No. The app can be used without an account; the entries are stored under an anonymous identifier, and creating an account later links them to it and lets the person recover the diary on a new phone.

Does MyGrain show ads or sell data?

It shows no ads. According to its privacy policy the data is never sold and is not shared with third parties except the processors it names.

Can a person delete everything?

Yes. Profile → Delete account removes the account and the associated data from the servers, immediately and irreversibly.

Can the diary be shared with a doctor?

Yes: the CSV export of the whole diary is free, and the PDF monthly report and four-month calendar are part of Premium.

Sources

Store listings and official websites, all checked on .

Medical disclaimer. MyGrain is a self-tracking diary, not a medical device. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or another qualified health professional with any question about a medical condition.
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