Answers to the questions we hear most. If your issue isn't here, jump to How do I contact support? below.
Widgets show "Upgrade" but I subscribed
Widgets run separately from the app and read a saved copy of your subscription status. Right after you subscribe (or restore a purchase), that copy can be out of date — open the Forecast Bar app once and the widgets will learn about your subscription and refresh.
The same mechanism works in your favor at renewal time: widgets keep working for about 3 hours past your subscription's expiry before showing the upgrade message, so a normal auto-renewal never interrupts them. If the message persists, open the app, confirm your tier under Settings → About & More → Subscription, and see Managing Your Subscription if it shows "No Subscription".
Widgets are blank or stale
Widgets refresh on a schedule iOS controls, roughly every 45–75 minutes depending on your subscription tier and the widget type — so a reading up to an hour old is normal. If a widget says "Weather unavailable" or looks stuck:
- Open the app — widgets reuse the app's freshly fetched weather and reload right after.
- Make sure the widget has a location configured: long-press it → Edit Widget → check the Location option.
- If it still won't update, use Settings → About & More → Debug Options → Reload Home & Lock Screen Widgets to force every widget to rebuild.
I'm not getting notifications
Work through this checklist in order:
- A real subscription is active. Notifications require Silver or Gold — the free 24-hour unlock does not include them, because they're delivered from Forecast Bar's servers. See Free Trial & 24-Hour Unlock.
- You're signed in with Apple. The server can only deliver alerts to a signed-in account — see Sync Across Devices.
- iOS notification permission is granted. Check the iOS Settings app → Notifications → Forecast Bar → Allow Notifications.
- Quiet hours aren't muting you. In the app, check Settings → Notifications → Do Not Disturb — alerts are held during the From/To window you set there.
- Run the built-in test. Settings → About & More → Notification Diagnostics → Test Notifications checks your whole delivery chain, lists any issues it finds with fixes, and can send a test notification on the spot.
Still stuck? On the same diagnostics screen, tap Copy Diagnostic Report for Support and paste the report into an email to support — it contains exactly what we need to trace your delivery. More background in How Notifications Work.
Location is wrong or missing
- If Current Location isn't updating, check the iOS Settings app → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Forecast Bar and allow location access ("While Using the App" is enough).
- Prefer not to grant location access at all? Just pick a city manually: open the side menu, search in Add a location…, and select your city. See Locations.
My watch shows -- or old data
The watch fetches weather in the background about every 30 minutes, and complications show -- when their data has gone stale (more than a few hours old). To get it moving:
- Open the Forecast Bar app on the watch and tap Refresh — this clears the cache and fetches fresh weather.
- Confirm the iPhone app is signed in and subscribed — the watch requires Silver or Gold, synced from your account.
- If settings or locations look wrong on the watch, run the sync hand-off: on the watch tap Sync Settings, then on the iPhone open Settings → Apple Watch and tap Sync Now. Details in Sync Across Devices.
Restore a purchase / subscription not recognized
Every platform has a Restore Purchases button:
| Platform | Where |
|---|---|
| iPhone & iPad | Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases |
| Mac | The subscription window (Settings → Subscription → Manage Subscription) |
| Apple TV | The subscription screen, or Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases |
Make sure the device is signed in to the same Apple ID that made the original purchase — that's the most common cause of a "not recognized" subscription. Full details, including Family Sharing and legacy Mac subscriptions, in Managing Your Subscription.
The Mac menu bar item disappeared
When your menu bar fills up (common on MacBooks with a notch), macOS hides the items that don't fit — Forecast Bar included. In the app, Settings → General has a "Forecast Bar Missing from Your Menu Bar?" section with an Open Settings button that takes you straight to the macOS Control Center settings, where you can free up menu bar space. Forecast Bar also re-asserts its menu bar item the next time it launches, so a restart of the app often brings it back on its own.
How do I contact support?
Settings → About & More → Email Support opens a pre-addressed email that automatically includes your sync ID in the subject line, so we can look up your account immediately. You can also write directly to support@higherbarapps.com — if you do, mention the platform and app version (shown in About & More → Version).
Where does the weather data come from?
- The Weather Company — the primary source for current conditions, hourly, and daily forecasts worldwide.
- Apple Weather — minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts.
- U.S. National Weather Service — severe weather alerts for the United States.
Attribution links live in Settings → About & More → Legal.