# A Virtual Pet as a Christmas Gift: How to Give a Pex — Pex > Looking for a Christmas gift for someone who loves pets or Tamagotchi? Here's how to give a virtual pet with Pex: gift ideas, how to set it up on their phone and what to know first. Canonical: https://pex.pet/blog/virtual-pet-christmas-gift.html [Home](https://pex.pet/)/[Blog](https://pex.pet/blog/) # A Virtual Pet as a Christmas Gift: How to Give a Pex Published November 8, 2026 · By Gabriel Targon, creator of Pex *A Pex pixel-art virtual pet in a winter scenario on an iPhone and as an Apple Watch face* Short answer: Pex is free to download, so the real gift is the pet itself. Sit down with the person, create a pet on their phone from a photo of their dog, a drawing or a favorite toy, and put it on their Home Screen. A virtual pet is a small, personal gift: it can look like something they already love, and it stays with them on the phone they use every day. Here are a few ideas, how to set it up, and what to check before Christmas morning. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/pex-watch-face-pet-ai/id6465689770?pt=44302800&ct=blog_virtual-pet-christmas-gift_intro_en&mt=8) [Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gabrieltargon.pex&referrer=utm_source%3Dpex.pet%26utm_medium%3Dwebsite%26utm_campaign%3Dblog_virtual-pet-christmas-gift_intro_en) ## Gift ideas that feel personal - Their real pet in pixel art: Pex AI turns a photo of their dog, cat or any other animal into a pixel-art pet with six animations. Here's [how to turn a pet photo into pixel art](https://pex.pet/blog/pet-photo-to-pixel-art-ai.html). - A drawing brought to life: a child's drawing from the family, or a sketch of their own. See [how to turn a drawing or toy into a virtual pet](https://pex.pet/blog/turn-drawing-into-virtual-pet.html). - A favorite toy or keychain: a plush, a figure or the little friend hanging from their bag. - A ready-made pet: to keep it simple, they can pick one from the Cat , Dog or Wild sections of the animals screen. Only use images you own or have permission to use. ## How to give it, step by step A Pex is saved to the account of the person who made it, so set it up together on their phone, not on yours. 1. Before the day, choose the image. A bright photo that shows the whole pet works best. 2. On their phone, install Pex from the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/pex-watch-face-pet-ai/id6465689770?pt=44302800&ct=blog_virtual-pet-christmas-gift_body_en&mt=8) or [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gabrieltargon.pex&referrer=utm_source%3Dpex.pet%26utm_medium%3Dwebsite%26utm_campaign%3Dblog_virtual-pet-christmas-gift_body_en) and open it. 3. Open the animals screen and tap the + in the AI section to create the pet, or pick a ready-made one. 4. Let them choose the name. That's the moment it becomes theirs. 5. Put it where they'll see it: on the [iPhone Home Screen](https://pex.pet/blog/virtual-pet-iphone-home-screen-widget.html) or the [Android Home Screen](https://pex.pet/blog/virtual-pet-android-home-screen-widget.html). 6. For a seasonal touch on iPhone, open settings and choose Winter under Scenario . Creating a pet with Pex AI uses a generation. You can see how many are available on the Pex AI screen, get more there, or earn a free one by sharing Pex with friends. ## What to know before you give it - Age: Pex is not intended for children under 13, so it's a gift for teens and adults. A younger child's drawing can still become a pet on a parent's phone. - Their devices: Pex runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android, and on Apple Watch it becomes a watch face. - Daily care: hunger, happiness, cleanliness and sleep change through the day, so share [how to take care of a virtual pet](https://pex.pet/blog/how-to-take-care-of-virtual-pet.html). - Premium: the optional upgrade unlocks all animals and watch faces, removes ads and adds special widgets and Dynamic Island options, plus eternal life and random actions. It's an in-app purchase that stays with the store account that bought it, so it's best bought on the account that will use it. ## Toy or app? If someone asked for a Tamagotchi toy, the toy is the gift. If it's sold out, or they'd rather not carry another device, a Tamagotchi-style app gives them daily pet care on the phone they already have. Here's [how the toy and the app compare](https://pex.pet/blog/tamagotchi-app-iphone.html). ## Giving a new phone or Apple Watch? If they already have a Pex, Cloud Backup can bring it along: see [how to move a virtual pet to a new phone](https://pex.pet/blog/transfer-virtual-pet-to-new-phone.html). For a new Apple Watch, [add a Pex watch face](https://pex.pet/blog/pex-apple-watch-faces.html) so the pet is on their wrist from day one. ## FAQ ### Can I give a virtual pet as a gift? Yes. Pex is free to download, so the simplest way is to install it on their phone and create or pick a pet together. ### Can I create a pet on my phone and send it to someone? A Pex is saved to the iCloud or Google Drive account of the person who made it, so create it on their phone, signed in to their own account. ### Can I buy Premium for someone else? Premium is an in-app purchase that stays with the App Store or Google Play account that bought it, so it's best bought on the account that will use it. ### What age is Pex for? Pex is not intended for children under 13. ### Is Pex free? Yes. Pex is free to download on the App Store and Google Play. An optional Premium upgrade unlocks extra features. ### Is Pex made by the makers of Tamagotchi? No. Pex is an independent Tamagotchi-style virtual pet app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Android. It is not made by Bandai. Tamagotchi is a trademark of Bandai. Pex is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bandai. ## Adopt your own Pex Free to download on iPhone and Android. Create a pixel pet with AI and keep it on your Home Screen. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/pex-watch-face-pet-ai/id6465689770?pt=44302800&ct=blog_virtual-pet-christmas-gift_cta_en&mt=8) [Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gabrieltargon.pex&referrer=utm_source%3Dpex.pet%26utm_medium%3Dwebsite%26utm_campaign%3Dblog_virtual-pet-christmas-gift_cta_en)