staywith.pet for Mac

1. 1Click Download for Mac at the top of this page. A file called staywith.pet.dmg (about 5 MB) saves to your Downloads folder.
2. 2Open it: click it in the browser's downloads list, or double-click it in Downloads. A small window opens with the staywith.pet app and your Applications folder.
3. 3Drag the staywith.pet icon onto the Applications folder in that window. It copies in a second or two.
4. 4Open staywith.pet from Applications, Launchpad, or Spotlight (⌘ Space, then type "staywith").
5. 5The first time, macOS asks whether you want to open an app downloaded from the Internet. Click Open. It only asks once.
6. 6You can now eject the installer (the staywith.pet disk in Finder's sidebar) and delete the .dmg file.

The app is signed with our Apple Developer ID and notarised by Apple. We sell it directly from this site, not through the App Store, so Apple's "downloaded from the Internet" question is expected.

1. 1Type your email address and click Send my code.
2. 2We email you a 6-digit code from hello@staywith.pet. It works once, for 10 minutes.
3. 3Type the code into the app. You are signed in as soon as the sixth digit goes in.

No code after a minute? Check spam or Promotions, then click Send a new code. Prefer your browser? Choose Sign in with a browser instead and confirm the code shown in the app. One account works on up to 3 of your Macs.

• Side view, standingNeeded

  The whole body with all four legs visible, from the side. This one gives us their shape.

• Face, frontNeeded

  At eye level with both eyes visible. This one gives us their face.

• Three-quarter viewRecommended

  Standing or sitting, from an angle. It fills in the in-between.

• Back or other side, markingsOptional

  Patches on the other side, a white chest, a spotty back: anything the first photos miss.

Drop a photo onto its slot or click the slot to choose one. Each photo is checked straight away, and the app tells you if one is too dark, blurry, shows more than one pet, or hides the legs.

What makes the best likeness: daylight or open shade (not flash, not a warm lamp), your pet filling most of the frame, one pet per photo, no jumper or harness hiding their shape, and photos from the same age so they all show the same pet. A cream coat in direct sun turns white, and dark coats lose detail in deep shade.

Only have one photo? That works too: click Only have one photo? Use just one. We fill in what we can't see, so the likeness is looser, and you can add more photos and make them again later.

Click Make my 3D pet. It takes a few minutes; you can close the window and we'll let you know when they're ready. Your first 3D preview is free, one per email address. For breed-specific photo advice, see the breed guides.

1. 1In Your pets, scroll to Ready-made pets and choose Dogs or Cats.
2. 2Click a breed. It opens in 3D in a few seconds, free to try on your desktop.
3. 3Keep it like any pet, and rename it whatever you like.

There are 22 breeds, from a French Bulldog to a Maine Coon. See them all on the breeds page.

1. 1Look at the preview: drag to turn it, scroll to zoom, and compare it with your photo at the same angle.
2. 2Something not right, like the colour, a missing marking or the ears? Tell the app what's off and make them again.
3. 3Happy? Click to keep them for $19, once. Payment opens in your browser and is handled by Dodo Payments, our merchant of record.
4. 4Back in the app, watch your Dock: your pet hops out onto your desktop.

Keeping a pet includes two free regenerations, every behaviour we add later, up to 3 of your Macs, and the ten pixel pets. If it doesn't look like your pet, ask for a refund within 14 days. All pricing.

• Say hi: hover over your pet. Pet them: scroll on them.
• Pick them up: drag them anywhere, or give them a throw. They land on their feet.
• Ask for something: right-click your pet to sit, lie down, play, groom and more.
• The menu bar icon is the control panel: call your pet, hide them, send them to the Dock, turn sounds on or off, take a snapshot, change their size, and open Settings or Help and feedback.
• Hide or show at once: Control Option P.
• Settings worth a look: Open staywith.pet when I log in, Battery saver, Pause when a full-screen video plays, a bedtime, which display to live on, and Hide my pet from screen sharing and recordings.

The app checks for updates every hour. When one is ready you see what's new and choose when to install; it takes a few seconds and your pet comes straight back. To check yourself, open the menu bar icon and choose Check for updates. Every change is listed on what's new.

Still stuck? Open the menu bar icon, choose Help and feedback and send the problem with the app's log attached, or email hello@staywith.pet. We answer within a day.

• Another Mac: install the app there and sign in with the same email. Your pets follow you, on up to 3 Macs; sign one out under Macs in the app to make room.
• Refunds: within 14 days, open Orders in the app and choose Request a refund. See the refund policy.
• Remove the app: quit it from the menu bar icon, then drag staywith.pet from Applications to the Trash. Its downloaded pets live in your Library's Application Support folder under "Fetch"; delete that folder too for a clean removal.
• Your data: export it, delete your photos, or delete your account under Privacy in the app. See the privacy policy.