Apple Watch is not syncing

Use this page when Apple Watch does not show the expected tasks, access state, complications, or focus session controls.

The Watch has its own local store and receives task, focus, settings, and access updates through iPhone and WatchConnectivity.

Watch shows Pro Required

Purchase or restore access on iPhone first.

Then:

Open Pinwork on iPhone.
Keep iPhone and Apple Watch near each other.
Open Pinwork on Apple Watch.
Wait for access state to arrive.

If the Watch has never received active access, it can show Pinwork Pro Required. If it has seen active access before but access is now interrupted, it can show data in a read-only style state while write actions are gated.

Watch shows loading

On a fresh Watch install, the Watch can show a loading state while it waits for subscription state from iPhone.

Open Pinwork on iPhone and confirm access there first. Then reopen the Watch app.

Task changes are delayed

Watch changes write locally first, then send best-effort updates to iPhone.

If iPhone is reachable, Watch sends messages directly. If not, it queues the updates to transfer later.

Keep the devices near each other and open Pinwork on iPhone if Watch changes are not appearing.

Complication is stale

Watch complications read from the Watch app’s local store, not the iPhone widget snapshot.

If a complication looks stale:

open Pinwork on Apple Watch
open Pinwork on iPhone
keep both devices nearby
wait for Watch-visible Today data to refresh

System complication refresh timing is also controlled by watchOS.

Focus timer reverted

Watch focus controls update optimistically.

If iPhone does not confirm the action within about 8 seconds, the Watch reverts the optimistic state.

Open Pinwork on iPhone and confirm whether the focus session is paused, resumed, or complete before trying again.

Restart the Watch app

If the Watch app looks stuck:

Close Pinwork on Apple Watch.
Open Pinwork on iPhone.
Reopen Pinwork on Apple Watch.

If iPhone itself is missing data, troubleshoot iCloud sync on iPhone first.

Re-pairing considerations

Re-pairing Apple Watch is a system-level action and should not be the first troubleshooting step.

Before considering it, confirm that Pinwork on iPhone has the expected data and access state, and that other Watch apps are syncing normally.

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