Present is meant to explain itself at the moment you need it. If something is unclear or not working, start here.
Getting started
How do I time a contraction?
Open the Track tab and tap the large button once when a contraction begins. Tap it again when the contraction passes. That is the entire interaction. Present records the duration and the interval to the next contraction for you.
What is a session?
A session groups the contractions that belong to one stretch of labor. Present starts one automatically with your first contraction. If more than twenty minutes pass with no contraction, it asks whether the next one belongs to the same session or should start a new one.
How do I end a session?
Open the Track tab and use the End session action, then confirm. Ending a session keeps all of its history - it only marks that the stretch is finished.
Can I see the setup guide again?
Yes. Go to Settings and choose to show onboarding again. It replays the full introduction, including the practice timer, without touching your saved sessions.
Apple Watch
The watch app asks me to finish setup on iPhone.
The watch waits until onboarding has been completed once on your iPhone, because your iPhone owns the readiness-pattern choice. Finish the introduction on the phone, then raise your wrist again. The watch picks it up without needing a restart.
My iPhone and watch show different history.
Open the app on both devices with them near each other and unlocked. Sessions are exchanged directly between the paired devices, so both need to be awake and in range. Bringing each app to the foreground once will reconcile them.
Which watchOS version do I need?
watchOS 26 or later. Older Apple Watch models that cannot update to watchOS 26 are not able to run the companion app.
Live Activities and widgets
I don't see the Lock Screen timer.
Live Activities must be allowed for Present in iOS Settings, and the setting also has to be enabled system-wide under Face ID & Passcode for Lock Screen display. Start a contraction after enabling it - the activity appears at the start of a contraction, not before.
What does the Dynamic Island show?
The current phase and timer while a contraction is running, and the time since the last one while you are resting. Tapping it opens Present on the Track tab.
How do I add the widget?
Touch and hold your Home Screen, tap the add button, search for Present and choose the small or medium size. The widget shows your latest session at a glance and can start a contraction directly.
Reminders
How do reminders work?
They are off by default. When you turn them on in Settings, Present asks for notification permission and can then remind you locally if a long gap passes during a session. There is no remote push and no repeated nagging.
I turned reminders on but get nothing.
Check that notifications are allowed for Present in iOS Settings. If permission was denied earlier, iOS will not ask again - you have to enable it manually in Settings, then toggle reminders off and on again inside Present.
Exports
How do I export a session?
Open the session from the Sessions tab and use the share action. Present generates a readable PDF summary and a detailed CSV, then hands them to the standard iOS share sheet so you can send or save them wherever you want.
Why does my export say snapshot?
Because you exported while the session was still active. The label makes clear that the record was accurate at the moment of export but is not the finished session.
Privacy and data
Where is my data stored?
In local stores on your own devices. Present does not use CloudKit for contraction history and does not send it to a developer-operated server. See the privacy policy for the full detail.
How do I delete my data?
Delete individual sessions from the Sessions tab, which also removes the contractions inside them. Deleting the app from your device removes its local store entirely.
Can I change the app's language?
Yes. Open iOS Settings, go to Apps, choose Present and then Language. Present ships in ten languages. If the app was already running, relaunch it so the new language applies everywhere.
Still stuck?
Present is made by an independent developer. If none of the above solves it, please report the problem through the App Store product page for Present, and include your device model, your iOS version and what you expected to happen. Reports sent that way are read, and a dedicated support address is being set up.
If this is urgent
Present is not a medical service and cannot help in an emergency. If you are worried about yourself or your baby, contact your care team or your local emergency number straight away.