Troubleshooting Things on Apple Watch

If you have trouble with Things on your Apple Watch, here are some things you can try.

Before proceeding, make sure that your issue isn’t just a misunderstanding about how the app works. For example, to update the complications on your watch face, you have to open Things on Apple Watch. This change came with watchOS 10, which required us to drop more frequent complication updates. At this time, updating the complications without opening the app on Apple Watch is not possible.

1. Check your versions

Some issues may crop up if you don’t keep your software up-to-date, so the first thing you should do is check your versions. Here’s how.

1. Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS.
2. Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of Things for iPhone.
3. Make sure your Apple Watch is running the latest version of watchOS.
4. Make sure your Apple Watch is running the latest version of Things for Apple Watch.

If everything is up-to-date but you still have a problem, proceed with some basic troubleshooting.

2. Perform basic troubleshooting

These steps should help with the most common issues on your Apple Watch.

• Power down both your iPhone and Apple Watch and then start them up again.
• Make sure that both your iPhone and Apple Watch are connected to the same WiFi network.
• If you can, try a different WiFi network.
• Disconnect from WiFi and try using your mobile carrier’s network instead.
• If you’re connecting Things on your Apple Watch to Things Cloud for the first time, make sure that both devices remain in close proximity until the process is finished.
• If the complications on Apple Watch are out of date, you might be using Low Power Mode.
• If you’re using more than one Apple Watch, ensure that Auto Switch is turned on, or that you’ve manually selected the watch you’re using. Learn more.

If this basic troubleshooting doesn’t help, proceed with advanced troubleshooting.

3. Perform advanced troubleshooting

As a last resort, we recommend the following steps.

These are also the recommended steps if you’re trying to connect your Apple Watch to Things Cloud for the first time and it keeps getting stuck; or if your complications are empty or not available when you try to set them up.

1. Make sure that your to-dos are backed up:
   1. On your iPhone, open Things.
   2. Go to Settings → Things Cloud.
   3. Make sure that Things Cloud is turned on so you have an off-device backup.
2. Reinstall Things:
   
   It’s essential to follow these steps exactly, in this order, without skipping anything. If you deviate from the instructions, the problem will persist.
   1. On your iPhone, delete Things.
   2. Power down both your iPhone, and your watch.
   3. Power both devices up again.
   4. Install Things on your Apple Watch first through the Apple Watch App Store.
   5. On your iPhone, open Things and log back in to Things Cloud to download your to-dos.
   6. On your Apple Watch, open Things and tap Connect to bring your to-dos over.

None of these steps helped?

If you’ve run through all the troubleshooting steps above, and you’re sure that your issue isn’t just a misunderstanding about how the app works, then reach out to our support team. Be sure to fill out details about your hardware and software versions so we can help you quickly.