Troubleshooting

iCloud shows "Not available" on my watch

This is a watchOS system issue, not a WatchieBesti problem. It means your watch has temporarily lost its connection to iCloud at the device level.

WatchieBesti keeps a full copy of your pet on the watch and iPhone and catches up with iCloud when the connection returns, so this won't affect your pet or your progress. You can ignore it as far as the app is concerned.

To resolve it:

1. 01 On your iPhone, open the Watch app.
2. 02 Go to General → Reset → Reset Sync Data.
3. 03 Wait a minute, then check your watch — iCloud should reconnect.

If that doesn't work, restart your watch: press and hold the side button, then slide to power off. Power it back on and the connection usually re-establishes itself.

My pet's mood isn't changing

Your pet updates based on activity data from HealthKit. Check the Health permission is enabled on iPhone and on your watch, give it a few minutes after activity, or check the app's own diagnostics screen for the exact cause.

Full guide: My pet's mood isn't changing →

My pet disappeared / reset to an egg

This can happen if the app was deleted and reinstalled, or if the watch was unpaired and re-paired. WatchieBesti uses iCloud to back up your pet's data — if you reinstall the app and are signed into the same Apple ID, your pet should restore automatically. If your pet doesn't appear after reinstalling, open the app and wait a moment for iCloud to sync.

The complication shows a key/code instead of text

This is a display bug that occurs when the app is updated but the watch hasn't fully installed the new version yet.

Force-quit the app on your watch (swipe up from the watch face, swipe the app away), then reopen it.

If the complication still shows the wrong text, try removing and re-adding it to your watch face.

The watch app won't open / crashes immediately

Try the following in order:

1. 01 Force-quit the app on the watch and reopen it.
2. 02 Restart your watch (press and hold the side button → slide to power off).
3. 03
   On iPhone, open the Watch app → scroll to WatchieBesti → toggle it off and back on to reinstall the watch app.

   

If none of these help, please get in touch — details below.

I picked the wrong kingdom

The kingdom you pick at hatch is locked for that pet — you can't switch mid-life. The good news: it's not forever. When your pet graduates into your collection, a new egg appears, and you pick again.

If you'd rather not raise the current pet at all, you can reset everything in the iPhone app under Settings → Reset all data. Note that this clears your kingdom collection too.

My pet won't graduate

Graduation requires sustained engagement once your pet reaches adult. That means opening the app, keeping the watch on, and letting health data flow through HealthKit on a regular basis.

If days are going by with no progress, check that HealthKit permissions are still granted (iPhone → Settings → Health → Data Access & Devices → WatchieBesti) and that the watch app has been opened recently. Graduation is not based on raw step count — it's about the pet seeing you regularly over time.

The mood ring isn't updating

The mood ring fills as the day goes on. Empty segments mean the pet didn't see any data for that slice of time.

Most often this happens because the watch wasn't worn during that window, or HealthKit permissions are missing. Check on iPhone: Settings → Health → Data Access & Devices → WatchieBesti, and confirm Steps and Heart Rate are both turned on.

My pet's notifications are quiet

That's by design. WatchieBesti only nudges you when your pet actually needs you. When the pet is happy and engaged, engagement notifications are suppressed — no false-alarm "your pet misses you" when it's fine.

If you've gone a long while with no notifications at all and want to verify they work, check iPhone → Settings → Notifications → WatchieBesti and confirm that notifications are allowed.

Notifications arrive but my watch doesn't vibrate

A banner and a red dot with no buzz means the notification was delivered quietly. On your iPhone, open the Watch app → My Watch → Notifications → WatchieBesti. If it's set to Mirror my iPhone, check that Sounds is on under iPhone Settings → Notifications → WatchieBesti.

Full guide: My watch doesn't vibrate for notifications →