What are the solutions when faced during onboarding issues?

Thanks for being one of the first to set up your Nuwa Pen. Most setup problems come down to a permission that didn't take or a Bluetooth connection that needs a clean start, and almost all of them clear with the same quick reset.

Written By Marc Tuinier

Last updated About 4 hours ago

If you get stuck at any point, jump to Still stuck? at the bottom to speak to a human (AI will reply first and fast, but Marc is always in the loop!). You are never on your own here.

Before you start

A couple of things to check first, since they save time later:

  1. Check your pen. Take it out of the case and look at the light. It should be breathing Sky Blue. If it is any other color, or not lighting up at all, fix that first, since onboarding cannot connect to a pen that is not ready. See Pen isn't breathing Sky Blue at this link.

  2. Update the app. Make sure you are on the latest version of Nuwa+ from the App Store or Google Play before troubleshooting anything else.

The quick fix (try this first)

This clears the large majority of onboarding and connection problems. Follow the steps for your phone, then the shared reset at the end.

iPhone / iOS

  1. Force quit the app. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle to open the app switcher. Find the Nuwa+ card and swipe it up and off the screen. How to video here.

  2. Forget the pen. Open Settings > Bluetooth, tap the (i) icon next to your Nuwa Pen, then tap "Forget This Device."

Android

  1. Force stop and clear the cache. Go to Settings > Apps > Nuwa+, tap "Force stop," then open Storage and tap "Clear cache." (Use "Clear cache" here, not "Clear data," unless a later step tells you otherwise, since clearing data resets your setup.)

  2. Forget the pen. Open your Bluetooth settings, find your Nuwa Pen, and tap "Forget" or "Unpair." (On Samsung phones this is Settings > Connections > Bluetooth.)

Everyone: reset the pen, then reopen

  1. Reset the pen. Place it in the case and leave the case open. Hold a paperclip in the small pinhole next to the USB-C port for about 10 seconds, then remove it. The case lights will flash when the reset is complete. Watch the reset video →

  2. Open Nuwa+ and continue onboarding.

If that gets you through, you are done. If a specific screen is still blocking you, find it below.

iPhone: stuck on "Allow Display over other apps" (around step 5/19)

On iPhone you may hit a screen asking you to enable "Display over other apps." That permission only exists on Android, so there is nothing to switch on with that exact name on iOS. The setting that actually keeps your pen connected on iPhone is Background App Refresh, and it has to be on in two places.

  1. Open Settings > General > Background App Refresh and set the toggle at the top to On (choose "Wi-Fi & Cellular Data"). This is the master switch.

  2. If that master switch was off, the Nuwa+ toggle would have looked faded green and locked, and you may have seen a red "permission not granted" message. Turning the master switch on unlocks it.

  3. Go to Settings > Apps > Nuwa+ > Background App Refresh and confirm it is on.

  4. Return to Nuwa+ and continue.

Tip: if Background App Refresh looks faded and will not move, the master switch in General is off. Also check that Low Power Mode is not on, since that disables Background App Refresh too.

iPhone: "Motion detection not enabled" error

Nuwa+ uses your iPhone's motion sensors, so it needs the Motion & Fitness permission. An app only appears in the Motion & Fitness list after it has successfully asked for that permission, which is why toggling settings or restarting sometimes does not clear the error on its own.

  1. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Motion & Fitness and turn on Fitness Tracking (the master toggle at the top).

  2. Reopen Nuwa+ and continue. If Nuwa+ now appears in that list with its toggle on, you are set.

  3. If the error persists, the permission is stuck. Delete Nuwa+, reinstall it from the App Store, and start onboarding again from step 1. When the app asks for motion access this time, with Fitness Tracking already on, it will grant correctly and you will move past this step.

Android: app freezes on the loading screen (the butterfly)

If Nuwa+ opens but freezes on the loading screen, the app's stored data is usually the culprit and a couple of permissions need re-granting.

  1. Open Settings > Apps > Nuwa+ > Storage and tap "Clear data" (also labeled "Clear storage"). This is the deeper reset, and it is the right one here.

  2. Go to Settings > Apps > Nuwa+ > Permissions and re-grant the permissions Nuwa+ needs, in particular Nearby devices and Notifications. The simplest option is to allow all.

  3. Reopen the app. It should load and let you in.

If it still freezes, run the full quick fix above (force stop, forget pen, reset pen with the paperclip), then open the app again.

Pen isn't breathing Sky Blue

The pen needs to be awake and ready before onboarding can find it. If it is not breathing Sky Blue:

  1. Charge it. Put it in the case with the case charged, and give it a few minutes.

  2. Reset it using the paperclip method: pen in the case, case open, paperclip in the pinhole next to the USB-C port for about 10 seconds. The case lights will flash when the reset is done.

  3. Take it out of the case and check the light again.

Didn’t turn Sky Blue please read here →

Still stuck?

If anything is still not working after this, you have options:

  • Reply to your support email and we will pick it up.

  • Message us on WhatsApp via this link.

  • Ask our AI chatbot at support.nuwapen.com. It is surprisingly capable and available any time.

Whichever route you pick, there is always a real human ready to help if you get stuck (that’d be me, Marc).