Troubleshooting (PetReminder on macOS)

This page collects common problems for macOS users and how to resolve them.

Application won't start or crashes on launch

Symptoms: PetReminder does not open, crashes immediately, or shows an unexpected error.

Steps to try:

1. Ensure your macOS version meets the minimum requirements (Monterey 12+ recommended).
2. Quit and relaunch the app.
3. Reboot your Mac.
4. If the app was downloaded from GitHub Releases, try downloading a newer build or the notarized build.
5. If problems persist, collect logs (see below) and open an issue on the project repository.

Pet not appearing on reminders

Symptoms: Reminder fires but no pet appears.

Checklist:

1. Ensure Notifications permission is granted (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Notifications).
2. Check that a pet is selected in Settings → Pet.
3. Try restarting the app after changing pet settings.

IAP purchase not showing

Symptoms: You purchased a pet but it's not available in the app.

Fixes:

1. Ensure you're signed into the same Apple ID used for purchase.
2. Go to Pets tab and tap Restore Purchases.
3. If still missing, try restarting the app.
4. Contact support if the issue persists — include your purchase receipt.

Permission-related issues

If a feature prompts for permission but doesn't work after granting it:

1. Quit the app and reopen it after granting the permission.
2. If needed, reset the permission prompt with tccutil (see the Permissions guide).

Performance issues

If the app is slow or the pet animation is laggy:

1. Close other heavy applications.
2. Reduce animation quality in Settings → Pet.
3. Disable sound effects if they cause stutter.

View logs

To troubleshoot crashes or issues, application logs are the most useful artifact. In sandboxed (App Store) builds, check:

~/Library/Containers/com.w3cub.reminder/Data/Library/Logs/reminder/reminder.log

When running a development build, logs may be in the project directory (./src-tauri/reminder.log) or printed to the console.

Resetting the app

To reset settings and clear local data:

1. Quit PetReminder
2. Remove the container (be careful—this deletes all reminders and settings):

rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.w3cub.reminder

3. Reopen PetReminder and reconfigure.

Report an issue

When opening an issue, include:

• macOS version (Apple menu → About This Mac)
• PetReminder version (PetReminder → About)
• Steps to reproduce
• Logs (attach reminder.log if available)

This helps maintainers identify and fix the problem faster.