Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them. If your problem isn’t listed, email support@pulse.goudastudios.com.

My contacts aren't showing up after install

Symptom

You opened Pulse for the first time, granted Contacts permission, but the People list is empty or shows fewer contacts than expected.

Try these steps in order

Open System Settings (macOS) or Settings → Privacy & Security → Contacts (iOS) and confirm Pulse has access. If access was previously denied, toggle it on.
In Pulse, open Settings → Data → Apple Contacts Sync and tap "Sync now". The first sync can take 30–60 seconds for large address books (15K+ contacts).
Check the audit log (Settings → Audit Log) for any sync errors. Common issues: contacts marked as "do not sync" individually, or contacts in a CardDAV account that isn't enabled in Apple Contacts.
If you have multiple Apple ID accounts in Contacts (work + personal iCloud), confirm both are enabled in the macOS Contacts app sidebar.

Still broken?

Email a screenshot of Settings → Audit Log and Settings → Data → Apple Contacts Sync to support@pulse.goudastudios.com.

"Cloud features unavailable" banner appears in Radar / Insights / Meeting Prep

Symptom

You see a banner at the top of Radar, Goals, Insights, or Meeting Prep saying "Cloud features unavailable — check your connection." The rest of the app works.

Try these steps in order

Confirm you have an active internet connection. Cloud AI features require connectivity to api.pulse.goudastudios.com.
Tap the "Retry" button on the banner. The check is fast — under 1 second normally.
If you're on a corporate or school network, confirm api.pulse.goudastudios.com is not blocked by a firewall. Pulse uses HTTPS only on port 443.
Open Settings → AI Services and confirm your subscription status shows "Active". If it shows "Expired" or "Unknown", tap "Restore Purchases" — this re-validates your App Store receipt with the cloud sidecar.
If you recently subscribed but the status is still "Unknown", give it 30 seconds and tap Retry again — Apple's receipt processing can lag.

Still broken?

If the banner persists after a Retry and your subscription is Active, this is a real outage. Check status.pulse.goudastudios.com (when available) and email support@pulse.goudastudios.com.

CloudKit isn't syncing between my Mac and iPhone

Symptom

You added a contact, note, or tag on one device but it isn't showing up on the other after several minutes.

Try these steps in order

Confirm both devices are signed in to the same Apple ID and that iCloud Drive is enabled (System Settings → Apple ID → iCloud).
In Pulse on both devices, check the CloudKit sync banner (top of the People list on iOS, Settings → Data on macOS). It should say "Synced X minutes ago".
Force a sync: pull-to-refresh on the People list (iOS) or Settings → Data → Sync now (macOS).
If you have Advanced Data Protection enabled, sync may be slower than normal due to additional encryption. This is expected and adds 1–2 minutes of latency on average.
Check that you have available iCloud storage. Pulse uses very little (<10 MB for most users) but if your iCloud account is full, sync stops entirely.

Still broken?

Email support@pulse.goudastudios.com with: which OS version both devices are on, whether Advanced Data Protection is enabled, and a screenshot of the sync banner from each device.

Browser capture (LinkedIn, X, GitHub, etc.) is not picking up profiles

Symptom

You opened a LinkedIn or X profile in Pulse's embedded browser, but the contact wasn't captured or the captured data is incomplete.

Try these steps in order

Confirm you're using Pulse's embedded browser, not Safari or another external browser. Browser capture only works inside Pulse.
Wait 2–3 seconds after the profile fully loads before navigating away. Capture happens after the page renders.
For LinkedIn: make sure you're logged in to LinkedIn inside Pulse's browser. Capture works on profiles you can view; some 3rd-degree connections show limited data.
For X: capture works on public profiles. Private accounts you don't follow will show only the bio.
Check Settings → Browser → Capture History to see what was captured most recently. If the most recent entry has missing fields, the page may have used a non-standard layout.

Still broken?

Email support@pulse.goudastudios.com with the profile URL (or screenshot if private), the platform, and what was missing.

Meeting Prep shows empty briefs or "no signals" for upcoming meetings

Symptom

You have an upcoming meeting visible on your Calendar, but Pulse's Meeting Prep brief is empty or just says 'No recent signals.'

Try these steps in order

Confirm Calendar permission is granted (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Calendars on macOS, Settings → Privacy → Calendars on iOS).
Confirm the meeting attendees are people Pulse knows about. Open the meeting in Pulse and check the Attendees list — if anyone shows as "Not in Pulse", they need to be in your Apple Contacts (or added manually).
Empty signals doesn't mean a bug — it just means there's no recent public news about the attendees. Try Deep Scan from the Meeting Prep view to do a fresh search.
Confirm your daily AI quota is not exhausted (Settings → AI Services). If it is, Meeting Prep will fall back to a no-signal brief.

Still broken?

Email support@pulse.goudastudios.com with the meeting attendee names (or initials if you'd rather not share) and the signal types you'd expect to see.

I subscribed but Pulse says "Subscription required"

Symptom

You completed the in-app purchase (or restored a previous purchase), but Pulse still shows the paywall or AI features stay locked.

Try these steps in order

In Pulse, open Settings → Subscription and tap 'Restore Purchases'. This forces the app to re-fetch your receipt from Apple and re-validate it with the cloud sidecar.
Wait 30 seconds. Apple's StoreKit can take a few seconds to process new transactions, especially in the first few minutes after purchase.
Quit and reopen the app. Subscription state is re-checked on launch.
Confirm the Apple ID you purchased with is the same Apple ID currently signed in. If they differ, sign in to the correct one (System Settings → Apple ID).
If you're on TestFlight, confirm you used a sandbox tester account for the purchase (TestFlight builds always run in sandbox StoreKit).

Still broken?

Email support@pulse.goudastudios.com with your Apple ID purchase confirmation email (or just the order number) and the device(s) where the issue is happening.

Don’t see your issue?

Email support@pulse.goudastudios.com with as much detail as you can share. Screenshots help. We respond within 2 business days.