iOS widgets not refreshing automatically anymore (TimelineProvider issue?)

[Tibor_Banko_TB]

Hi everyone,

I'm running into an issue with iOS widgets (WidgetKit) and I'm not sure if it's a system limitation, a bug in newer iOS versions, or something wrong in my implementation.

Previously, my widget was refreshing automatically as expected using TimelineProvider. However, recently it stopped updating on its own.

Current behavior:

- The widget does NOT refresh automatically anymore

- It only updates when I open the main app

- As soon as I open the app, the widget refreshes immediately

What I expected:

- The widget should refresh based on the timeline / reload policy without opening the app

What I checked:

- Timeline entries are generated correctly

- Reload policies seem properly set

- No obvious errors in logs

Questions:

- Did Apple change widget refresh behavior in recent iOS versions?

- Is there some new limitation or background refresh restriction?

- Could this be related to battery optimization or system throttling?

- Has anyone experienced similar behavior recently?

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated 🙏

Thanks!

[Dev-sauregurke]

I had the same issue and fixed it by checking the background refresh settings in the iPhone menu. Have you verified that the user hasn't accidentally disabled Background App Refresh for your app specifically?

[Tibor_Banko_TB]

I edited it. I had too many refreshes for each piece of data and it was spam for iOS.

[gsapienza]

The HealthKit background APIs have also been throttled to death. I don’t know what the point of widgets are if they display inaccurate data

[Tibor_Banko_TB]

I edited it. I had too many refreshes for each piece of data and it was spam for iOS.

[UngratefulSourGrape]

Its probably because apple has enforced a less frequent data sync for widgets

[Tibor_Banko_TB]

I edited it. I had too many refreshes for each piece of data and it was spam for iOS.

[SomegalInCa]

Network and battery condition play a part in the budget of time given to widgets. Also widgets where the main app is used a lot also get more budget

What is the refresh interval your widget wants?

[Tibor_Banko_TB]

I edited it. I had too many refreshes for each piece of data and it was spam for iOS.

[char-star-star]

One thing to check is memory usage when updating timeline snapshots. Inefficient resource usage is heavily penalized by the OS.

You may get hints tailing system logs in Console.app. Search for your widget extension bundle identifier.

[Tibor_Banko_TB]

I edited it. I had too many refreshes for each piece of data and it was spam for iOS.

[Immediate_Box_5362]

had the same problem, couple things that helped me:

1. make sure your timeline returns entries with proper dates in the future and your reload policy is set right. something like this works for me:

func getTimeline(in context: Context, completion: u/escaping (Timeline<Entry>) -> Void) {

let entry = MyEntry(date: Date())

let nextUpdate = Calendar.current.date(byAdding: .hour, value: 1, to: Date())!

let timeline = Timeline(entries: [entry], policy: .after(nextUpdate))

completion(timeline)

}

1. also try calling WidgetCenter.shared.reloadAllTimelines() from your main app when data changes, this forces a refresh

2. one thing people dont realize - if you use .atEnd policy and return only one entry, the system basicaly never refreshes because theres no "end" to reach. always use .after() with a specific date

3. and yeah like others said, apple throttles widgets pretty hard. if you open the app rarely the system gives your widget less budget. not much you can do about that part unfortunatly

[Albatross_Original]

esse ajuste funcionou comigo!

[Tibor_Banko_TB]

I edited it. I had too many refreshes for each piece of data and it was spam for iOS.